Header image: Tift Merritt (L) and Rissi Palmer (R). Photos courtesy of the artists
This Independence Day, come to downtown Raleigh to celebrate the best of North Carolina. Capitol 250: North Carolina Freedom Fest is a free all-day festival hosted by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Held on the state capitol lawn, it will offer entertainment for all ages.
June 21 is Make Music Day, an annual celebration of “the natural music maker in all of us.” Begun in France in 1982 as Fête de la Musique, from the beginning Make Music Day has aimed to spotlight the intrinsic joy of playing music in community. Today, thousands of cities in more than 120 countries celebrate the day, with participants ranging from the famous professional to the everyday layperson.
The NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) is pleased to announce that the Come Hear NC Music Office (CHNCMO) is now a part of the North Carolina Arts Council. This marks a fitting return for Come Hear NC, which began as an NCAC initiative during the 2019 “North Carolina Year of Music.” As a longstanding steward of the mission of arts for all citizens, the NC Arts Council represents a perfect home for CHNCMO.
Shaped by Sound is made possible through the support of the Come Hear NC Music Office (CHNCMO), a program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The PBS NC original series spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, featuring artists working in a broad range of genres, including indie rock, rap, R&B, country, jazz, bluegrass, folk, and gospel.
Shaped by Sound is made possible through the support of the Come Hear NC Music Office (CHNCMO), a program of the North Carolina Arts Council, which is a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Shaped by Sound— a PBS NC original series showcasing North Carolina’s thriving music scene—is back. The second season features a bright new lineup of homegrown indie rock, rap, rhythm and blues, country, jazz, bluegrass, folk, and gospel artists.
In McDowell County, in western North Carolina, a composer and pianist, Nathan Shirley, perceived an obvious gap in his region’s primary music education. Out of the county’s eight public elementary schools, only three had music teachers.
Laurence Libin has written that “Moravian belief blurs distinctions between sacred and secular and so sanctifies all aspects of life, even a piece of light parlor music becomes holy when played with genuine feeling.” Anyone who has heard Moravian brass bands, choirs or carolers in Forsyth County knows this to be true. Whether in a packed church, or on the grounds of Old Salem, Moravian Christmas music in North Carolina radiates a homey spirituality in which music functions as an outgrowth of everyday life.
Clearly, no holiday season is complete without great festive music. We here at Come Hear NC have put together our shortlist of must-attend holiday concerts happening throughout the state. So whether you are looking to kitsch it up in your ugliest Christmas sweater, meditate on the reason for the season whilst bathed in candlelight, get jazzy on Roanoke Island with an Army Band, or just sing along to your favorite Yuletide tunes, you can find what you need in the guide below.
2024 was a banner year for North Carolinians working in music, and The Grammys agree! By our count, Tarheels are up for Grammy Awards in a whopping 90 categories this year. From "Best Rap Album" to "Best Liner Notes," and in genres from chamber music to country, this year North Carolina's singers, producers, engineers, songwriters and critics have received well-deserved flowers from The Recording Academy. Please join us in celebrating all of the North Carolina artists up for Grammys at the February 2nd Awards, listed below:
On February 6, the premiere episode of Come Hear NC Presents: Shaped by Sound will air on PBS NC, featuring Iron & Wine. The group’s led by singer-songwriter Sam Beam, who has been gently experimenting with folk sounds since the early 2000s. Beam’s Grammy nominated songs have been featured in countless films and television shows.