Just in time for May flowers Arts Series of The Episcopal Church of St.
John in the Wilderness presents a piano concert from composer and church musician Thomas Keesecker. The
program features selections from Mr. Keesecker’s concert tour with performances taking place across the
country.
The free concert in Flat Rock is set for Sunday afternoon, May 4, 2025 at 4pm in the Parish Hall
located at 1905 Greenville Highway across from the church.

🍻 Na Zdrowie! Join us May 2-4, 2025 for our 3rd Annual Polish Fest: polka, piwo (beer) and pierogi, need we share more? 😛 Festivities will include live performances from local favorites Wasted Wine and Foothills Oompah Band, as well as Atlanta Polish folk dance group Mazury Folk Dance Ensemble. Remember to keep your pets at home, yet definitely bring your ID, dancing shoes — and your appetite!

Entertainment Schedule:

🍺 Friday, May 2 (5-10 p.m.)

🎶 Wasted Wine 6-9 p.m.

🍺 Saturday, May 3 (11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.):

🎶 Foothills Oompah Band (12:30-3:30 p.m.)

🎶 Mazury Folk Dance Ensemble (4-4:30 p.m. & 5:30-6 p.m.)

🍺 Sunday, May 4 (11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.)

🎶 Wasted Wine 2-5 p.m.

🌭 Fireforge’s festy food and beverage menu will include house-brewed “Polka Party” Lager and “Cendrowski” Grodziskie Wheat Ale; pork kielbasa from Asheville’s Chop Shop Butchery made with Fireforge beer and served on a bun with sauerkraut and horseradish beer mustard; potato and cheese pierogies from Polish American sister-owned Jaju Pierogi served with housemade sour cream, caramelized onions and chives; kabanos snacking sausage from Upstate Polish Market, house-made borscht (chilled beet soup) as well as other Polish cuisine-inspired sides and sweets!

Join us for an unforgettable night of epic music and cinematic magic as The Greenville Symphony Orchestra presents Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in concert. The concert will be led by conductor Thiago Tiberio on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Tickets are available at the GSP International Airport Box Office located at the arena from the on sale through show day while supplies last. Box Office hours vary but we are generally open M-F 10AM-2PM.

This class offers a creative, hands-on experience perfect for all skill levels!  Participants will decorate terracotta pots using vibrant paints to transform each one into a heartfelt gift just in time for Mother’s Day.  Feel free to get creative with your design!  Everyone will get seeds to take home with them to plant in the pot once the paint is dry, creating a thoughtful and lasting token of appreciation for Mother’s Day.

Tuesday May 6th, 2:00 – 4:00. $20/$15 for Friends of Bullington Gardens.

Join the Asheville Symphony Chorus for a very regal evening as part of Asheville’s Amadeus Festival. Director Kyle Ritter and ASC will present an evening of choral masterworks written for coronations and royal weddings. Featuring works by composers Sir William McKie, William Mathias, Will Todd, and others, the concert’s twin crowning glories will be W.A. Mozart’s Coronation Mass and G. F. Handel’s Zadok the Priest. Special guest appearance by the Asheville Youth Choir.

Date and Time: On Tue, 06 May 2025 at 19:00 – Tue, 06 May 2025 at 20:30

Venue details: Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801, United States

Category: Live Music | Choral

Prices:
Adult: USD 29.00,
Youth: USD 16.00

Artist: The Asheville Symphony Chorus

Get swept up in the timeless allure of cabaret with singer Anaïs Reno and the Asheville Symphony. This ALT ASO program, which will also be part of Asheville Amadeus: The Art of Storytelling, will seamlessly blend classical masterpieces and timeless French standards.

Tickets are general admission and the show will be seated.

Insect Pollinators of the Blue Ridge

with Shane Myers

Friday, May 9  |  1 – 3 pm

BRN – Elective |  BREG – Core

Our plants in the Blue Ridge are pollinated by more insects than just Honey Bees. In this course, we will look at common and some less obvious pollinators of the region and discuss their life cycles, the benefits they provide the world, and how to attract them. We will also go outside to look for pollinators doing their work around the Arboretum grounds.

This program takes place in the classroom and outdoors. Please come prepared to walk on gentle, yet uneven terrain, and dress appropriately for the weather.

Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide
phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The
beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and
Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written,
including “Tomorrow.”

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s
hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to
find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City
Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the
other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure
after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations… and even
befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in
billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable
mutt named Sandy.

Spring into all things health and wellness at Biltmore Park’s Wildflowers and Wellness event! Enjoy free fitness classes, health and wellness activities, a festive photo booth, and beautiful flowers from local farmers. An event for all ages, Wildflowers and Wellness offers the perfect mix of fun, fitness, and fresh air to start out spring. Visit biltmorepark.com for more information.

Garden photography workshop with Camilla Calnan.

Do you want to take better photos in the gardens? Join us for a hands-on workshop where we use whatever camera you are working with to learn tips, tricks, and techniques to take the photos you are hoping to capture. Working from whatever level you are currently and using your phone, point and shoot camera, or SLR camera, we will discover new ways to think about photography to help you grow in your photography.

This program takes place in the classroom and outdoors. Please come prepared to walk on gentle, yet uneven terrain, and dress appropriately for the weather.

An Evening with Chris Thile features a true array of genres. You’ll hear Thile’s new work ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra, the third movement of Barber’s masterful Violin Concerto – which he will play on mandolin – and more.

MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter Chris Thile, who the Guardian calls “that rare being: an all-round musician who can settle into any style, from bluegrass to classical,” and NPR calls a “genre-defying musical genius,” is a founding member of the critically acclaimed bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite Live from Here with Chris Thile (formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion). With his broad outlook, Thile creates a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike, giving the listener “one joyous arc, with the linear melody and vertical harmony blurring into a single web of gossamer beauty” (New York Times).

Darko Butorac, conductor

Chris Thile, mandolin

Arboretum visitors will witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.” The very best wildlife pictures from the pages of National Geographic magazine have been chosen to be displayed in this exhibition. Curated by renowned nature picture editor, Kathy Moran, this exhibition is a celebratory look at wildlife with images taken by National Geographic’s most iconic photographers such as, Michael “Nick” Nichols, Steve Winter, Paul Nicklen, Beverly Joubert, David Doubilet and more. Showcasing the evolution of photography, the images convey how innovations such as camera traps, remote imaging, and underwater technology have granted photographers access to wildlife in their natural habitat.

For 115 years, National Geographic has pioneered and championed the art of wildlife photography, and captivated generations of engaged audiences with a steady stream of extraordinary images of animals in nature. From the very first such image to appear – a reindeer in 1903 – National Geographic Society’s publications have broken new ground and push the bar higher again and again, establishing an unmatched legacy of artistic, scientific, and technical achievement. These are the Greatest Wildlife Photographs. This is included with admission to NC Arboretum.

A Rose by Another Name: Paper Flower Workshop with Charlie Zimmerman.

Have you ever wished for flowers that would last forever? You can make your very own everlasting blooms out of paper! In this guided floral artistry workshop, you’ll learn basic techniques for crafting paper flowers with realistic petals, stamens, sepals, and more, while creating your own paper rose to admire and share. Throughout class we’ll talk about the botany of flowers and consider the role of each structure for plant reproduction and pollination. All tools and materials for constructing two paper roses are included.

Peace Concert Hall
Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 11 at 3:00 pm

PROGRAM
Jessie Montgomery: Starburst
João Guilherme Ripper: Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, “Pastoral”

Join us for the grand finale of our season with a captivating concert that celebrates the enduring legacy of Beethoven alongside the vibrant rhythms of Brazil. From the cosmic brilliance of Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst to the lyrical beauty of João Guilherme Ripper’s Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes, this is a journey of musical exploration and cultural fusion. Our season finale culminates with the timeless majesty of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, transporting you to the serene landscapes of the countryside.

GUEST
Tess Altiveros, soprano

This event is a collaboration between the Asheville Chamber Music Series and the Asheville Art Museum featuring North Carolina musicians embarking on a major concert career.

Conclude the Parker Concert Hall 2024-25 Series with a triumphant performance by Roberto Díaz, Peter Wiley, and The Erinys Quartet from the famed Curtis Institute of Music. The concert embodies our aspiration for excellence and collaboration featuring world-class artists working alongside outstanding students. Curtis on Tour showcases the finest talents in the country, providing an unforgettable season finale.

Season Finale with Roberto Díaz, Peter Wiley, and The Erinys Quartet • Curtis on Tour

Kids, join us for an educational program with the North Carolina Arboretum to learn all about the many different Herptiles that call Western North Carolina their home! What’s a Herptile you ask? Herptiles are reptiles and amphibians! We’ll answer all of our biggest questions about Herptiles, like “Why are some amphibians slimy?” and “Where do Herptiles go in the winter?” Come ready to hear about the ecoEXPLORE program, find out what distinguishes Herptiles from other animals, where they live, what they eat, how they breathe, plus much more! Located at the Black Mountain Library.

Tedeschi Trucks Band(TTB) is a Grammy Award-winning 12-piece rock and soul powerhouse that holds the well-deserved reputation as one of the best live acts touring today. Led by husband & wife, guitarist Derek Trucks and singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi – hailed as “two of the best roots rock musicians of their generation” (NPR), the 12-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band is known globally for their unmistakable sound and world-class musicianship that seamlessly blends distinctive genres of American music.

Since forming in 2010, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s caravan has traveled countless miles to bring their music to audiences around the world. With a large catalog that spans rock, blues, jazz and even country, no setlist is ever the same, leaving their ever-growing fan base of all-ages returning again and again for electrifying performances. In the fall of 2023, Tedeschi Trucks Band played a pair of career-defining arena shows at TD Garden in Boston and a sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dubbed “The Garden Parties” the pair of gigs saw praise from Relix who raved of the group’s “seasoned grace and artistry.”  From sold-out multi-night residencies across America to tours through Europe and Japan, to their flagship annual summer amphitheater tours, the band’s shows are an eagerly anticipated highlight of the live music calendar and “nothing short of exhilarating” (Salon).