Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Wednesday
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
All beginning students receive 45 minutes of group instruction and 45 minutes of singing/storytelling.
Group song & story: Gaye Johnson (known for having the sweetest voice in the region) gives students the strong foundation they need for learning an instrument. To learn music most effectively, students must know the songs before they play them on an instrument – then the learning becomes intuitive. This fun class equips students with the classic songs and stories of the region and helps launch their musical abilities.
Instrument options:
Age ranges are suggestions. Please email Julie if your child is outside the age range for the class they wish to take.
Option 1: Beginning ukulele, ages 6-8
Option 2: Instrument Survey, ages 8-14
Continuing from last semester, this instrument survey class will focus on clawhammer banjo, plus one additional instrument to be chosen by the students.
Option 3: Beginning guitar, ages 8-14
Option 4: Beginner mandolin ages 8-14
Option 5: Beginner fiddle ages 8-14
*Please be sure to select the student’s 1st and 2nc\d instrument choices when registering.
Wednesdays
4:30 pm-6:00pm
All students with some experience under their belt will take an intermediate or advanced group instrument class, and a band class.
- 4:30-5:15
Jam Band: Phil Jenkins & Carson Moore help young musicians find their voice in a band environment.
- 5:15 – 6:00
Option 1: Intermediate Guitar
Option 2: Intermediate Fiddle
Option 3: Intermediate Mandolin
Option 4: Three-finger banjo- all levels
Clover Pickers: 4:00- 6:00
PacJAM’s house band gets rigorous coaching this semester from Emily Wait and special guest coaches. Clover Pickers will spend 5 weeks of the semester practicing their teaching skills from 4-4:45 weekly, and 5 weeks working on choosing and arranging songs for Clover Picker performance. Band rehearsal and coaching last from 4:45-6 for all 10 weeks. Clover Pickers band is by invitation and the commitment requires extra rehearsals as determined by the group.
While participating in the Lights program, students can develop their songwriting, performing, and musicianship skills while exploring music from around the world. They will have extensive performance opportunities with a focus on music that inspires, uplifts, and spreads a music of unity and hope. Students will record their music in the One Mic studio and learn about the music industry and explore topics such as audio engineering, stage presence, graphic design, videography, website development and more while learning to use their music to be a force for change. Advanced students will have the opportunity to work towards touring locally and regionally with the Lights concert tour. They will also have the opportunity to regularly interact with and learn from LEAF resident artists. Students will be exposed to music from a diverse range of genres and cultures. Students will have the opportunity to see how music connects us on a deep level and how it can create joy, bring people together, and instigate change. LEAF lights will lift young leaders and give them a platform to make a difference in the lives of others.
Wednesdays at 5pm (Junior Group) & 6pm (Senior Group) at LEAF Global Experience (19 Eagle St, Asheville, NC, 28801)
Dates/times subject to change – interested in attending this class but unsure if it works with your schedule, or if it suits your student’s skill level? Reach out to us at [email protected]! We are always looking to adapt and expand our class schedules to accommodate new students!
This is a hybrid event, meaning there is an option to attend virtually and a limited amount of seats available to attend the event in-store. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.
If you decide to attend and purchase the authors’ books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!
It’s modern day in the New South City of Charlotte, North Carolina, when three retirees at the Independence Retirement Community, a/k/a The Indie, team up to investigate two mysteries related to the death of a 96-year-old resident. Why was his manuscript about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence missing when they found his body? And why did his handwritten will dated the day he died disinherit his beloved granddaughter (his only heir), and leave his $50 million fortune to Sue Ellen Parker, the most despised resident at the Indie?
At the urging of Chuck Yeager Alexander, an optimistic soul who loves historical conspiracies, and Harriet Keaton, a former businesswoman with an extreme dislike of Sue Ellen Parker, Craig Travail, a trial lawyer recently ousted from his law firm after 40 years, reluctantly goes to court to challenge the dead man’s will for the granddaughter. This decision sets in motion a series of dangerous events that could lead the threesome to discover the answer to a colonial mystery that has evaded historians for more than two centuries.
Landis Wade is a recovering trial lawyer, dog and sports lover, host of Charlotte Readers Podcast, speaker, teacher, moderator, fly-fisherman and author of books and stories whose third book—The Christmas Redemption— won the Holiday category of the 12th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. He won the 2016 North Carolina State Bar short story contest for The Deliberation and received awards for his non-fiction pieces, The Cape Fear Debacle and First Dance. His short work also has appeared in Writersdigest.com, The Charlotte Observer, News and Observer, Flying South, Fiction on the Web and in anthologies by Pamlico Writers’ Group, High Country Writers and the Daniel Boone Footsteps Personal Story Publishing Project.
Heather Newton is the author of the short story collection McMullen Circle (Regal House 2022), finalist for the W.S. Porter prize. Her novel The Puppeteer’s Daughters is forthcoming from Turner Publishing in July 2022 and has been optioned for television. Her novel Under The Mercy Trees (HarperCollins 2011) won the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, was chosen by the Women’s National Book Association as a Great Group Reads Selection and named an “Okra Pick” by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. A practicing attorney, she teaches creative writing for UNC-Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program and is co-founder and Program Manager for the Flatiron Writers Room writers’ center in Asheville. www.heathernewton.net https://www.flatironwritersroom.com
Heralded by The New Yorker as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving.”
From the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin, Frozen, the Tony®-nominated Best Musical, is now on tour across North America and the critics rave, “It’s simply magical!” (LA Daily News).
Frozen features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. Oscar winner Jennifer Lee (book), Tony and Olivier Award winner Michael Grandage (director), and Tony winner Rob Ashford (choreographer) round out the creative team that has won a cumulative 16 Tony Awards.
An unforgettable theatrical experience filled with sensational special effects, stunning sets and costumes, and powerhouse performances, Frozen is everything you want in a musical: It’s moving. It’s spectacular. And above all, it’s pure Broadway joy.
Subscribers who have received seat assignments may now purchase additional single tickets for the 2021-2022 Broadway season through their account or by calling the Peace Center Box Office Monday – Friday between 9:30 am – 5:30 pm.
*Seat locations are based on currently available inventory. Additional tickets for Hamilton performances are not included. Please stay tuned for more information on when they will become available for purchase.
Benoit is one of the featured musicians in the Sony Picture Classics 2022 movie JazzFest: A New Orleans Story, Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern’s documentary on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
“With a grin on his face and sparkle in his eye from all the love he was receiving he grabbed his trusty Thinline Telecaster and without a seconds hesitation ripped into an absolutely blistering introduction to “Why Are People Like That”, wrote Splice Magazine in a recent live review of Benoit’s live show. “His band laid out a perfect beat for Tab to weave his six string magic. Tab’s vocal delivery was spot on, but his playing was otherworldly. There was no denying who was the master guitar player on tonight’s bill.”
More About…Tab Benoit
Dates: July 11 – 16, 2022
Application: Available now through MyBMC
Cost: A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets. Spots are limited and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all students, faculty, and summer staff for the 2022 season. Please see our FAQ page for more information.
Program Summary
Brevard Music Center (BMC) presents The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programming, a six-day intensive seminar and think-tank on orchestral programming intended for professionals and influencers in the orchestral field. Presented by Brevard Music Center in partnership with Bard College, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the South Dakota Symphony, the University of Michigan School of Music, and Project Director Joseph Horowitz, The Brevard Project takes place July 11-16, 2022. The central goals of The Brevard Project are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire.
Curriculum
The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programing complements Brevard Music Center’s week-long “Dvořák’s Prophecy” festival from July 11-16 and is inspired by Joseph Horowitz’s acclaimed new book Dvořák’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music. Part think-tank, part seminar, this inaugural Project gathering equips practitioners and scholars alike to begin to answer questions about the dense nexus of culture and race, of historical, political, and moral reckonings surrounding the story of American orchestral music. The central goals of this program are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire. The Brevard Project is designed for conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and engaged orchestra Board members.
Moving forward requires a fresh and closer look at our musical past – and to the lagging formation of an American symphonic canon. A new narrative of American classical music will be proposed that explores timely and topical issues that impact present and future orchestral programming. Why did our repertoire remain so stubbornly Eurocentric? What can we learn from this history? What can be mined from the treasure trove of long-hidden indigenous and Black music that can help to pave the future?
Classroom sessions will be highly interactive, drawing upon first-hand accounts of humanities-infused approaches to programming and community engagement. Topics of exploration include creating a “new paradigm” for American orchestral repertoire, rethinking the concert experience, and redefining the role of the music director. Participants will be challenged to envision programming and organizational initiatives to promote symphonic events grounded in the American experience, past and present.
The Faculty
A remarkable faculty has been assembled for this groundbreaking exercise.
*virtual participant
Joseph Horowitz, Project Director
Leon Botstein, President, Bard College; Music Director, American Symphony; Founder, Bard Festival and The Orchestra Now
Lorenzo Candelaria, Dean, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University
Mark Clague, Music Historian, University of Michigan
JoAnn Falletta*, Music Director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Gibbs*, Music Historian, Bard Conservatory; Artistic Co-Director, Bard Festival
Delta David Gier, Music Director, South Dakota Symphony
Blake-Anthony Johnson, CEO, Chicago Sinfonietta
Keith Lockhart*, Artistic Director, Brevard Music Center
Douglas McLennan, Founder/Editor, ArtsJournal
Jason Posnock, Chief Artistic Officer, Brevard Music Center
Jesse Rosen, Former CEO, League of American Orchestras
Larry Tamburri, CEO, Newark School of the Arts (former CEO, Pittsburgh and New Jersey Symphonies)
The Performers
Lara Downes, Pianist, producer, arts advocate
Sidney Outlaw, Baritone/pedagogue, Ithaca College
George Shirley, Tenor/pedagogue, University of Michigan
Enrollment Information
Conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and Board members are all encouraged to apply for The Brevard Project.
Capacity is limited. A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets for the week. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply now through MyBMC.
Use code 10000PEELS
Code valid 4/14 10am – 10pm
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Join us for a 30 minute discussion of Vicki Lane’s And the Crows Took Their Eyes, followed by a short break, then an hour-long reading with the author. Lane’s novel, which explores the perspectives of several people tied to Madison County’s Shelton Laurel Massacre of 1863, was a finalist for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award.  |
Saturday – November 19
Use code PEELINDIGO
Code valid 4/14 10am – 10pm
Saturday – September 10
Use code RABBITJUNGLE
Code valid 4/14 10am – 10pm
Volunteer at
TFAC events this spring!Email Sharol at [email protected] or call 828-859-8322
T-F 10AM – 4PMUshers & Bartenders
needed for the following events.EVENTS
- April 16: Livingston Taylor concert on main stage
- April 21-24: Enchanted April community theater on stage
- April 28: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 8: Ranky Tanky concert on main stage
- May 5: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 12: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 19: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 26: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
Tuesday, June 14th, and Thursday, June 16th
Option 1: Beginner Clawhammer Banjo with Amy Buckingham
Option 2: All- Instrument Jam Sessions with Mallory Carter & Will Trakas
Monday, June 13th, and Wednesday, June 15th
Option 3: Introduction to Improvisation for all instruments with Carson Moore
* *Sessions are $30 for one, $50 for two, $65 for three, and $72 for all 4**
Queer Music Exploration with Kayla Lynn – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music
The Rhythmic Arts Project (TRAP) will be meeting at the Enka-Candler Library on April 14 and May 26 at 4 p.m. TRAP curriculum engages children and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities, along with typical children and teens. TRAP embraces rhythm as a method to learn basic life skills, as well as teaching reading, writing and arithmetic.
TRAP classes enhance the mind, body, and spirit through playing drums and percussion instruments. Parents, caregivers and children of all ages and abilities are welcome.
If you have your own percussion instruments, feel free to bring them! This class is free, but registration is required. To register, please email [email protected] or call 828-250-4758.
A native of Durham, NC, Jeremy Loeb embraced his lifelong love of piano when he launched his second career as a musician. Now living in Asheville, Loeb specializes in French and Chinese piano music. Support for Thursday Night Live is provided by an anonymous donor.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
On select Thursdays, local musicians enliven our spaces with music to complement your visit. As you stroll the galleries, a variety of tunes adds new dimensions to your viewing experience.
A native of Durham, NC, Jeremy Loeb embraced his lifelong love of piano when he launched his second career as a musician. Now living in Asheville, Loeb specializes in French and Chinese piano music. Support for Thursday Night Live is provided by an anonymous donor.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
On select Thursdays, local musicians enliven our spaces with music to complement your visit. As you stroll the galleries, a variety of tunes adds new dimensions to your viewing experience
Our book club will meet in person for a discussion of Even as We Breath by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle
North Carolina Reads is North Carolina Humanities’ statewide book club for 2022. North Carolina Reads features five books that explore issues of racial, social, and gender equality and the history and culture of North Carolina.
The April book poses critical questions about how North Carolinians view their role in helping to form a more just and inclusive society.
We will be joined by Cori Anderson, Associate Director of Key Center for Community Engaged Learning at UNC-A as she discusses life in Asheville and Cherokee in the time period of the book and leads us through the NC Humanities discussion questions.
How to participate:
Libraries, community groups, and individuals across North Carolina are encouraged to read along with North Carolina Humanities.
Copies of the book are available for pickup at the Swannanoa Library or may be requested through the library holds system. Please join us early. We are limiting the number in our inside space.
Click here to RSVP for this event. On the day of the event, we will send a reminder email with the link required to attend.
Like most of our events, this event is free. If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!
Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave is Bill Kopp’s chronicle of the groundbreaking independent record label founded by Howie Klein & Chris Knab, featuring the stories of Romeo Void, Red Rockers, Translator, Wire Train, Roky Erickson, The Nuns, Pearl Harbor and Explosions, and nearly two dozen other bands. Based on nearly 100 interviews with the artists, industry execs, producers, friends, rivals, onlookers, journalists and hangers-on, Disturbing the Peace also features hundreds of photos and memorabilia from the personal archives of those who were there.
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-Chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched the online zine Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill’s keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill’s work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance, and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues — more than 30 to date — and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian “Cannonball” Adderley’s final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. Disturbing the Peace is his second book.
“…lilting at its start and then heavy in moments. Ion rich melodies drift[ing] above murky psychedelic guitar parts that hint at both slack-key tunings and beach party horror films.” -Alli Marshall (Mountain Xpress).
Although the band is tagged most often as surf- influences can be heard from Santo and Johnny to Hawkwind. It’s WEIRD reverb-dolloped instrumental music to feel good and bad to.
Ouroboros Boys have had the distinct honor of sharing the stage with national acts such as Agent Orange, Man or Astroman, Southern Culture on the Skids and Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps) AND have served as the house band for several regular “tiki night” events in and around Asheville. The current lineup includes Lowell Hobbs (Tongues of Fire) and Tony Plichta (Tony and the Haircuts, Night Beers, USX) in addition to founding members Sean Dail and Nicholas Marshall.
The Krektones blend the surf swagger of the Ventures and the scorching guitar of Link Wray with the exotic sounds of Martin Denny to make a swaying beat that’s pretty much impossible to stand still to. Featuring Jason Krekel on lead on guitar, Dave Gay on bass, Lance Wille on the bongos and special guests John James on steel and keys with The Wave Machine (Scott Kinnebrew of Sounding Arrow) on percussion.
The Krektones have shared the stage with such luminaries as Tav Falco, Dick Dale and Quintron. Don’t miss this night of tiki-surf-guitar psychedelia!
Reverend Finster is an all acoustic tribute to the music of R.E.M. featuring songs from the 80’s IRS Records catalog. Based in Asheville, NC, its members are Andy Eubanks (guitar & vocals), Didier Rubio (acoustic bass), Ari Schantz (snare drum), and Sam Lyons (fiddle, guitar, mandolin, & vocals). Sharing the love of early R.E.M., Reverend Finster strives to bring the nostalgia of R.E.M. and the Athens, GA music scene in the 80’s through non-traditional acoustic interpretations of their music.
Reverend Finster derived their name from the great Georgia folk artist, the Reverend Howard Finster, who collaborated with lead vocalist Michael Stipe on the cover art for R.E.M.’s second album Reckoning, and also filmed the video for ‘Radio Free Europe’ at Finster’s Paradise Gardens estate in Summerville, GA. Reverend Finster’s sets include select songs from each of the IRS albums from Chronic Town to Document with a few choice sing-alongs from the albums Green, Out of Time, and Automatic for the People.
Join US VIA Zoom for a
Discussion led by Ellen Brown, author of John Apperson’s Lake George.
Register at [email protected]
Thomas Wolfe Short Story Discussions are a partnership between the Wilma Dykeman Legacy and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site. Our text is The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe, edited by Francis E. Skipp with a Foreword by James Dickey (New York: Scribner’s, 1987). This book is on sale at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and at local bookstores.
Heralded by The New Yorker as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving.”
From the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin, Frozen, the Tony®-nominated Best Musical, is now on tour across North America and the critics rave, “It’s simply magical!” (LA Daily News).
Frozen features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. Oscar winner Jennifer Lee (book), Tony and Olivier Award winner Michael Grandage (director), and Tony winner Rob Ashford (choreographer) round out the creative team that has won a cumulative 16 Tony Awards.
An unforgettable theatrical experience filled with sensational special effects, stunning sets and costumes, and powerhouse performances, Frozen is everything you want in a musical: It’s moving. It’s spectacular. And above all, it’s pure Broadway joy.
Subscribers who have received seat assignments may now purchase additional single tickets for the 2021-2022 Broadway season through their account or by calling the Peace Center Box Office Monday – Friday between 9:30 am – 5:30 pm.
*Seat locations are based on currently available inventory. Additional tickets for Hamilton performances are not included. Please stay tuned for more information on when they will become available for purchase.
Exploding into the American progressive roots scene in 2018 with their #1 Billboard Reggae album Defy Gravity, THE ELOVATERS have quickly become a household name for lovers of Sublime, Jack Johnson, Slightly Stoopid, G. Love, Stick Figure, The Movement, and more. Their music has been featured on CBS’ Hawaii Five-O and their song “Boston” was played during the World Series Parade when the Boston Red Sox won in 2018. Their 2020 follow-up EP Double Vision was voted EP of the year by Reggae 360, and programmed into heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s “No Shoes Radio,” “Margaritaville,” and “The Spectrum.” Their 2021 full-length album Castles was produced by Johnny Cosmic. They are currently touring in North America. https://theelovaters.com/
Into The Fog brings their progressive take on bluegrass music to ISIS Music Hall in lovely Asheville, NC!
Doors 7pm // Show 8:30pm
About the band:
Winners of the 2021 MerleFest Band Competition, Into The Fog is a genre-jumping string band located in Raleigh, North Carolina. With its members having various backgrounds ranging from bluegrass, country, rock, to funk, Into The Fog creates a musical melting pot of sounds in an acoustic/jamgrass
setting.
The band is made up of Brian Stephenson on Vocals and Guitar, Winston Mitchell on Vocals, Mandolin and Dobro, Derek Lane on Vocals and Bass and Will Maxwell on Fiddle and Vocals.
The original iteration of the band was formed in Wilmington, NC late in 2017 around an opportunity to play in the band competition for the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival. That cross country trip was recorded by friend of the band and videographer Mason Godwin in his documentary Band #7:The Ride to Telluride.
After the Telluride trip, the band’s lineup restructured around the trio of Stephenson, Mitchell, and Lane.
The trio went on to play over 175 shows in 2019 making a name for themselves by frequenting breweries and venues throughout North Carolina and Virginia. By August they were looking to round out momentum through festival performances like Shakori Hills, Groove in the Garden, The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, and Floydfest along with opening slots for acts like Jon Stickley Trio and Sam Bush Band.
With their 14 track sophomore album Runnin’ Blind and Chasin’ Time due out in May of 2021 they are looking to make a statement about their sound and gear up for the next chapter of their musical journey.
“While purists might label label their sound as Newgrass, those in attendance respond to the gospel they are preaching and seem perfectly content with the foggy genre, since the sound is so clear”- Donna Davis(The Daily Reflector)
More about the band:
Music & merch: http://www.intothefogmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intothefogmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothefogmusic/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/intothefogmusic
Dates: July 11 – 16, 2022
Application: Available now through MyBMC
Cost: A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets. Spots are limited and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all students, faculty, and summer staff for the 2022 season. Please see our FAQ page for more information.
Program Summary
Brevard Music Center (BMC) presents The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programming, a six-day intensive seminar and think-tank on orchestral programming intended for professionals and influencers in the orchestral field. Presented by Brevard Music Center in partnership with Bard College, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the South Dakota Symphony, the University of Michigan School of Music, and Project Director Joseph Horowitz, The Brevard Project takes place July 11-16, 2022. The central goals of The Brevard Project are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire.
Curriculum
The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programing complements Brevard Music Center’s week-long “Dvořák’s Prophecy” festival from July 11-16 and is inspired by Joseph Horowitz’s acclaimed new book Dvořák’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music. Part think-tank, part seminar, this inaugural Project gathering equips practitioners and scholars alike to begin to answer questions about the dense nexus of culture and race, of historical, political, and moral reckonings surrounding the story of American orchestral music. The central goals of this program are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire. The Brevard Project is designed for conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and engaged orchestra Board members.
Moving forward requires a fresh and closer look at our musical past – and to the lagging formation of an American symphonic canon. A new narrative of American classical music will be proposed that explores timely and topical issues that impact present and future orchestral programming. Why did our repertoire remain so stubbornly Eurocentric? What can we learn from this history? What can be mined from the treasure trove of long-hidden indigenous and Black music that can help to pave the future?
Classroom sessions will be highly interactive, drawing upon first-hand accounts of humanities-infused approaches to programming and community engagement. Topics of exploration include creating a “new paradigm” for American orchestral repertoire, rethinking the concert experience, and redefining the role of the music director. Participants will be challenged to envision programming and organizational initiatives to promote symphonic events grounded in the American experience, past and present.
The Faculty
A remarkable faculty has been assembled for this groundbreaking exercise.
*virtual participant
Joseph Horowitz, Project Director
Leon Botstein, President, Bard College; Music Director, American Symphony; Founder, Bard Festival and The Orchestra Now
Lorenzo Candelaria, Dean, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University
Mark Clague, Music Historian, University of Michigan
JoAnn Falletta*, Music Director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Gibbs*, Music Historian, Bard Conservatory; Artistic Co-Director, Bard Festival
Delta David Gier, Music Director, South Dakota Symphony
Blake-Anthony Johnson, CEO, Chicago Sinfonietta
Keith Lockhart*, Artistic Director, Brevard Music Center
Douglas McLennan, Founder/Editor, ArtsJournal
Jason Posnock, Chief Artistic Officer, Brevard Music Center
Jesse Rosen, Former CEO, League of American Orchestras
Larry Tamburri, CEO, Newark School of the Arts (former CEO, Pittsburgh and New Jersey Symphonies)
The Performers
Lara Downes, Pianist, producer, arts advocate
Sidney Outlaw, Baritone/pedagogue, Ithaca College
George Shirley, Tenor/pedagogue, University of Michigan
Enrollment Information
Conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and Board members are all encouraged to apply for The Brevard Project.
Capacity is limited. A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets for the week. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply now through MyBMC.
Volunteer at
TFAC events this spring!Email Sharol at [email protected] or call 828-859-8322
T-F 10AM – 4PMUshers & Bartenders
needed for the following events.EVENTS
- April 16: Livingston Taylor concert on main stage
- April 21-24: Enchanted April community theater on stage
- April 28: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 8: Ranky Tanky concert on main stage
- May 5: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 12: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 19: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
- May 26: Amphitheater concert (outdoors)
Tuesday, June 14th, and Thursday, June 16th
Option 1: Beginner Clawhammer Banjo with Amy Buckingham
Option 2: All- Instrument Jam Sessions with Mallory Carter & Will Trakas
Monday, June 13th, and Wednesday, June 15th
Option 3: Introduction to Improvisation for all instruments with Carson Moore
* *Sessions are $30 for one, $50 for two, $65 for three, and $72 for all 4**
The 34th season of Downtown After 5, presented by Prestige Subaru, returns Fridays to downtown Asheville the 3rd Friday of the month from April to September. DTA5 is held on North Lexington Avenue and events are free and open to the public.
The Asheville Downtown Association is excited to add an April date to the Downtown After 5 Concert Series this year.
The Fritz
The Fritz is a soul-driven psychedelic funk band hailing from right here in Asheville. The group’s aggressive approach to funk, soul and rock creates a sound that is uniquely their own. Their high-energy, danceable songs provide a platform for each member to shine. With powerful vocals, climactic solos, and tight grooves, The Fritz has built a devoted following and is captivating audiences everywhere.
Abby Bryant & The Echoes
Built around a powerful voice and hard-driving rock ‘n’ soul rhythm section, Asheville, NC’s Abby Bryant & The Echoes has secured a fast-growing foothold in the Southeast music scene. Listeners will find it hard not to hear similarities to some of the artists that inspire the two including currently touring acts Tedeschi Trucks Band, Grace Potter and Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds.
NON-PROFIT PARTNER:
Each summer the Asheville Downtown Association partners with five local nonprofits to sell wristbands at the event. The ADA has given more than $225,000 to area nonprofits through this program.
April’s Non-Profit is Asheville Mardi Gras! AMG is an ALL VOLUNTEER community based arts and culture group whose purpose is to strengthen community connections and promote creativity, frivolity & fun. Check out more about their organization at https://www.ashevillemardigras.org
Downtown After 5 is sponsored by Prestige Subaru, Budweiser of Asheville, Empire Distributors, Skyland Distributing Company, Go Minis, Ingles Markets, Gillespie Dental Associates, Explore Asheville, Crooked Tree Creative, Central United Methodist Church, Mellow Mushroom, The City of Asheville, Hemingways Cuba, Cambria Suites, Country Inn & Suites, 97.7 The Brew, Star 104.3, Rabbit Rabbit, Asheville Color & Imaging and Strada Italiano.
The Asheville Downtown Association is adding safety measures including credit card payments and hand sanitizing stations. The ADA will monitor Covid-19 cases and trends in Buncombe County and consult with local officials prior to each event.
Visiting Asheville soon and looking for a fun way to fill your Friday night? The Asheville Drum Circle is a tradition unique to the area. While locals usually begin the beating of drums, tourists are welcome to join, dance, or simply take in the incredible atmosphere at any point.
If you’re looking for things to do in the area during your stay, this is a must! Here’s everything you should know about the Drum Circle.
The Asheville Drum Circle is a free event that’s open to all.