Piedmont Arts Podcast

At An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone this month, you can do everything from enjoying classical concerts to watching international films. And if you’re in the Greensboro area, the newly launched Eastern Festival of Music offers numerous concerts, many of them led by music director Gerard Schwarz. Find out more about both festival’s offerings by listening to this Piedmont Arts podcast episode.

As American celebrates its 250th Anniversary this week, our Piedmont Arts podcast features two conversations that explore different aspects of the American experience, one past and one present. Moravian music expert Dr. Christopher Ogburn tells us how the Moravians, who settled in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, made significant contributions to music in colonial and post-Revolutionary America. A...

A rare opportunity for choral composers and lyricists is happening in Charlotte this week. It’s the second annual International Choral Composers Institute, a 5-day immersive program dedicated to nurturing and instructing those who create choral music. On this Piedmont Arts episode, we talk with Sherry Blevins, the Institute’s founder, about the ways participants will get practical, hands-on advice...

In the summer of 1965, a theater arts major from Carnegie Mellon University named Constance Welsh put on the first show by the new Davidson Community Players. Sixty-one years later, the theater company is still going strong and getting stronger. DCP’s executive director Steve Kaliski is on this episode of Piedmont Arts to talk about the productions of Evita, Million Dollar Quartet, and more. Then,...

Summer Shakespeare productions are a long-standing tradition in the U.S., and now the Triad has a theater company dedicated to bringing the Bard’s plays to North Carolina Audiences. Piedmont Shakespeare Company is in its second season with performances of “Much Ado About Nothing” taking place in venues from Winston-Salem to Burlington. On this Piedmont Arts episode, executive director David McGraw...

By many accounts, he was an unsavory character, but Caravaggio was also a revolutionary and influential painter of the late 16th century in Rome, Naples, and Sicily. A new exhibition of Caravaggio’s paintings and others by leading Baroque masters has opened at the Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte. Hear more about it from exhibition curator and Mint President & CEO Todd Herman on this episode of...

What's Bach's connection to French composers, both baroque and modern? How did Bach influence Brahms? What's Handel's other great religious oratorio besides Messiah? The 2026 Charlotte Bach Festival offers concerts and experiences that help audiences explore those questions and learn about Bach's singular place in the history of music. On this episode, we take an in depth look at the festival with...

Pianist Phillip Bush grew up in Charlotte and has had a successful career across the country as a soloist, chamber musician, and university professor. He’s the next WDAV Small Batch concert at Free Range Brewing as part of the Steinway at Free Range series. On this edition of the Piedmont Arts podcast, he talks about his music education in Charlotte as well as his love of contemporary music.

Based in Davidson, North Carolina, the Orchestra of the Carolinas is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing people together through the power of music. On this Piedmont Arts podcast, you’ll hear more about what makes the orchestra tick, and details on their upcoming season finale with Grammy award-winning vocalist Carmen Bradford. Plus, a new edition of FanFare to help you fill out your a...

As America’s 250th Anniversary draws near, Charlotte Ballet will celebrate with a work that pays tribute to America. Artistic director Alejandro Cerrudo’s first full-length ballet called “One Thousand Pieces” receives its Charlotte premier in May at the Knight Theatre. It’s inspired Marc Chagall’s stained-glass creation called “America Windows.” Learn more about “One Thousand Pieces” from Cerrudo...

America turns 250 this year, and there are all sorts of celebrations, events, and activities happening across the country. One of them is a new immersive experience at the Charlotte Museum of History called American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition. You’ll hear all about it on the new episode of Piedmont Arts. Plus, hear the scoop on summer arts camps for your kids, and your weekend is covered...

Goodyear Arts is an artist-led nonprofit located in Camp Northend that exists to support local artists and musicians in a variety of ways. They offer gallery spaces, performance areas, and studios where artists of all types can create and share their work. On this Piedmont Arts podcast we talk with Goodyear Arts Collective members Amy Bagwell, Kadey Ballard, and Nathan Matthews about the ways the...

Artist David McGee’s paintings explore the meanings we associate with images and words and the way they influence attitudes about race and history. The Bechtler Museum has added an exhibition of his work called “The Griot and The Nightingale” which brings together more than 100 of his creations. McGee and Bechtler curator Katia Zavistovski are guests on this Piedmont Arts podcast episode.

A new exhibition at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture prompts visitors to consider the way a photograph or painting decides what “correct” looks like. In Presence of Color, Charlotte-born artist Jeremy Okai Davis reimagines the Kodak Company’s mid-century “Shirley” cards which used white skin tones to establish baselines for light and color when developing film. Da...

What happens when you take a murder mystery and wrap it in local Charlotte history? You get another thrilling novel by Landis Wade. On this episode of Piedmont Arts, you’ll hear from the trial lawyer-turned-author about his new book, Deadly Gold Rush. Then, learn about the Avett Brothers’ effort to restore and revive a historic theater in Mount Pleasant, NC. Plus some live entertainment options to...

When George Bizet’s Carmen was first performed, it wasn’t well-received because of its gritty subject matter and fiercely independent female lead. Today it’s one of the most often performed of all operas. Piedmont Opera will present Bizet’s masterpiece at High Point Theatre with mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams singing the title role. On this Piedmont Arts podcast hear her talk about how she got into oper...

What goes into creating a children’s book? On this episode of Piedmont Arts, you’ll learn about that process from Charlotte-based author and editor Maya Myers. You’ll also hear about her new book Good Morning, Morning. Plus, Phil Vavra will tell you about some fun and engaging events to put on your calendar with FanFare.

The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra recently announced their ‘26-‘27 season which will bring big name soloists like Joshua Bell to town and feature well-loved works like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. There are also lesser-known works and up-and-coming soloists. And don’t forget the pops, movie, family, and road show series. On this Piedmont Arts podcast episode, CEO David Fisk talks about some of the s...

On this episode of Piedmont Arts, you’ll learn about two exciting opportunities to hear live music. Jane Cain and David Wilson of the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra tell us all about the 2nd annual Davidson Bach Festival. And Rachel Stewart explores the intersection of classical and video game music with Charlotte wind ensemble Phoenix Down RPG, who are headlining WDAV’s next Small Batch concert...

Not every organist incorporates jazz and gospel into their repertoire, but Alcee Chriss III does. He’s one of America’s most talented young organists, and he’s coming to Charlotte’s Covenant Presbyterian Church for a masterclass and recital. In this episode, learn more about Alcee Chriss and what audiences can expect from his Charlotte appearance.

Now in his second season as Music Director with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Kwame Ryan can also add Grammy Award winner to his list of accomplishments. On this Piedmont Arts episode, general manager and host Frank Dominguez caught up with Maestro Ryan and they talked about the award, as well as his recent engagement conducting George Gerswin’s Porgy and Bess with the Metropolitan Opera in Ne...

This year the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra launched its first ever Spotlight Series featuring a Spotlight Artist. The brainchild of music director Kwame Ryan, the series provides a deeper exploration of one artistic voice each season. The inaugural Spotlight Artist is Gabriel Kahane, a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans many genres. Kahane is the guest on this...

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is launching a new program to preserve and advance traditional music. The American Roots Institute will highlight bluegrass, folk, blues, jazz, and gospel for School of the Arts high school and college students. With North Carolina’s rich history of roots music, UNCSA is a fitting home for this new institute. On this episode, we talk to UNCSA Sch...

Hear from the Charlotte Master Chorale’s longtime Artistic Director Kenney Potter about what makes the vocal ensemble so special and why you’ll want to be at their upcoming performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vespers. You’ll also hear about the new reality show being produced in Charlotte called “Kings of the Queen City.”

You don’t have to wait until summer for a festival celebrating the music and legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. This year, Bach Charlotte has added their very first Bach WinterFest to the calendar. It’s a series of concerts happening in venues around the Queen City. Find out more about it by listening to a conversation with Bach Charlotte’s executive director Garrett Murphy.