This summer's performing arts season sizzles with excitement across the state ranging from the 77th anniversary of the American Dance Festival in Durham to outdoor dramas from Asheville to Manteo.
Durham's own Chuck Davis and the African American Dance Ensemble open the American Dance Festival's season with the revised work See the Rhythm and Hear the Movement, which honors Africans and African-American ancestry along with a new section paying homage to the first African-American president Barack Obama.
The 2010 ADF in Durham celebrates work with a toe in both dance and theater, like that of the late Jerome Robbins, choreographer of West Side Story, and Miami-based choreographer Rosie Herrera who will present a new work. The festival, a great way to kick off summer, runs from Thursday, June 10, to Saturday, July 24, with shows at the Durham Performing Arts Center and Reynolds Theater at Duke University.
Continue the summer fun with classical music. You pick the venue from across North Carolina. For those who want to flock to the city, check out the Eastern Music Festival, based out of Guilford College in Greensboro. EMF offers more than 100 concerts, performances and musical events from Saturday, June 26, to Saturday, July 31.
"One of the most unusual events is the Music of Remembrance concert," says Stephanie B. Cordick, executive director of EMF. "The July 25 concert has the unique mission of preserving the musical legacy of Holocaust musicians and ensuring that this music is played throughout the world today," she says. EMF faculty and young artists will perform works created by musicians imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps as well as contemporary composers, including EMF's Music Director Gerard Schwarz. The appeal of this performance extends beyond the Jewish community to all who have experienced persecution and to those who seek tolerance.
EMF has a little something for everyone. Eight years ago, the festival expanded its musical offerings to the community by adding an alternative music series called EMFfringe. It features a variety of music genres: rock, roots, bluegrass, funk, as well as some hard to categorize music. The performances are held at Triad Stage and other downtown Greensboro venues and have expanded into other Triad venues. These concerts, with their after-parties at nearby restaurants, have been an enormous hit with the community, Cordick explains. The EMFfringe series has added a high-voltage element of fun to EMF and has helped introduce many audience members to the classical side of EMF as well.
Another fun event at this year's festival is the First Annual Piano Competition. Think American Idol meets Mozart and Chopin. In the final round of the competition, the audience gets to judge. The top three young pianists will compete for cash prizes and an Audience Choice Award, judged by distinguished pedagogues and every member of the audience with a ticket. The finalists will perform a 20-minute program featuring one piece by Frédéric Chopin or Robert Schumann in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the births of these great composers.
Now, if you rather enjoy your music in a mountain setting, check out the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute & Festival. This season's guest artists include cellist Yumi Kendall and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. The center, which sits on 180 acres with two lakes, is the perfect place for a picnic supper on the lawn followed by attending a concert. This seven-week festival starts Friday, June 25, and ends Saturday, Aug. 8.
Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Brevard Music Center is a picturesque venue highlighting primarily classical and chamber music often with faculty and students playing side by side. Located 25 miles southwest of Asheville, the festival could be coupled with a visit to nearby art galleries. This marks the 74th season of the Brevard Music Center, which also offers staged opera performances. It is a great place to enjoy a cool evening listening to the music of George Gershwin and Aaron Copland.
In addition to these music festivals, several symphonies across the state, including the Charlotte Symphony and the North Carolina Symphony, present summer pops concerts, especially on holiday weekends such as July 4th and Labor Day.
Another great option for North Carolinians and visitors is the Appalachian Summer Festival, well-known for presenting a month-long whirlwind of music, dance, theater, film and visual arts -- comprised of an artistic menu as diverse as its loyal audience.
This festival, in its 26th season this summer, enjoys longevity rare for arts series of its type. An Appalachian Summer started out primarily focused on classical music and attracted a loyal following among the seasonal residents who visit the Boone and Blowing Rock area every summer.
Through the years, the festival has diversified its programming and expanded its audience base. It is now embraced by the entire region, with a diverse audience consisting of community residents, seasonal residents and throngs of visitors.
The festival's 2010 Popular Series upholds that tradition of artistic variety, with appearances by Broadway superstar Patti LuPone, jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and the legendary Dr. Ralph Stanley (performing with bluegrass family Cherryholmes), along with comedian Amy Sedaris, singer-songwriters Janis Ian and Karla Bonoff, and the Golden Dragon Acrobats. Performing in its largest concert venue and rounding out the festival's popular programming options will be Blood, Sweat and Tears.
"Classical music is a cornerstone of the festival and the 2010 season features return appearances by the Eastern Festival Orchestra with conductor Gerard Schwarz, music director of the Seattle Symphony, as well as Greensboro's Eastern Music Festival and the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble," says Denise Ringler, director of arts and cultural programs at Appalachian State University.
The visual arts will also come alive during Appalachian Summer's upcoming season, with the annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, including a fascinating "sculpture walk" with the juror, a major exhibition of contemporary art from Mexico, and a series of lectures and workshops for all ages.
Completing the schedule are lectures, workshops, family events, a bus trip to Triad Stage and a film series encompassing art films, international offerings and award-winning selections from the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival.
Visitors to the festival can enjoy world-class programming by artists whose names are familiar to them, but can also broaden and deepen their perspective on the arts by experiencing artists and art forms that are new and perhaps even challenging to them. In this way, the festival fulfills an educational mission while also providing great entertainment.
Situated in one of the most beautiful regions of the nation, featuring spectacular scenery and cool summer temperatures, the festival works closely with the tourism community by offering vacation packages that combine festival tickets with a variety of lodging and restaurant options. Many visitors to the area fill their days with outdoor activities, shopping, gallery-hopping or enjoying a host of local attractions, and in the evening, enjoy great performances that rival the nation's large cities.
From the coast to the mountains, N.C. offers several entertaining and educational outdoor dramas including The Lost Colony in Manteo, the historical tale of the English colonists settling in Roanoke Island, to Horn in the West in Boone, the story of the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone and the settlers who came to the Blue Ridge Mountains seeking freedom and escape from British tyranny.
Or you may want to spend the evening with Shakespeare with a twist. The Carolinian Shakespeare Festival in New Bern will perform As You Like It with Bollywood flavor. Come see singing, dancing, lovers, wrestlers, clowns and cross-dressers as they romp in the woods to an Indian beat. The fun starts Thursday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 22.
The Montford Park Players in Asheville, N.C.'s longest running Shakespeare festival, will present several Shakespeare classics this summer including King Lear, Troilus and Cressida, a Story of the Trojan War and Twelfth Night.
Meanwhile at Flat Rock Playhouse this summer, get ready for For The Glory: The Civil War Musical, a modern exploration of America's most defining conflict, bringing the stories of the men and women who lived through Civil War into focus for today's audience. The musical, a combination of gospel, folk, country, rock and pop, runs through Sunday, July 4.
Flat Rock Playhouse also presents 12 Angry Men at the historic Hendersonville Courthouse. This classic American play will feature a full cast of western N.C. actors transported back to the mid-1950s to a small jury room, where the men from various backgrounds will try to reach a consensus.
For more information on theater, music and dance events, visit the Arts Council's new performing arts Web site at http://ncartstrails.org/performingarts/. Read more than 100 profiles of notable performing artists and arts groups and get ready to experience the performing arts in N.C. this summer and the rest of the year.
