Header image: "Bull City Blues" historical marker in Durham, NC. Photo courtesy of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
July is Disability Pride Month, which honors the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. This landmark act established federal civil rights protections for the disabled and enshrined into law both basic accessibility requirements for public spaces and reasonable accommodations in workplaces.
Header image: Karly Hartzman of Wednesday performs on Shaped By Sound. Photo courtesy of PBS NC.
Header image: Tift Merritt (L) and Rissi Palmer (R). Photos courtesy of the artists
The Come Hear NC Music Office’s online content has been updated! Here you’ll find all the music content and resources you’ve come to love from Come Hear NC 1.0, with a new look and a renewed commitment to frequently updated and interesting writing on all things musical in our great state.
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 Come Hear NC Music Office’s support of North Carolina music and musicians furthers the five goals set out by DNCR’s strategic plan for 2025–2029: to educate with creativity and joy, strengthen local economies via culture, preserve and enhance access to cultural resources, bolster cross-DNCR collaboration and responsiveness to public need, and continue Hurricane Helene recovery and climate resilience work.
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.