FanFare: The Carolinas Are Alive with Music
May 29, 2025
As we slide into summer, you may be thinking about escaping to the beach, but don’t be too quick to head for the coast. The calendar is filling up with major musical events further inland. Plus, no sharks.
Bach is Back!
Bach Akademie Charlotte’s* annual Charlotte Bach Festival returns for nine days of enticing Baroque and Classical performances at Queens University’s Sandra Levine Theater (2319 Wellesley Avenue, Charlotte) and venues throughout the city. This year’s event is seasoned with a few Mozartian additions. It all begins on the big screen at Independent Picture House (4237 Raleigh Street, Charlotte) with a special Friday (5/30) night screening of Miloš Forman’s Academy Award-winning 1984 biopic, Amadeus, starring Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham. That will be followed by remarks from keyboardist Ian Watson, who performed on the film’s soundtrack. The festival continues with performances of J.S. Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos (5/31), Mozart’s Requiem (6/7), and much more. May 30-June 7.
Upstate Jazz
One of my favorite southeastern cities is Greenville, South Carolina. The downtown is very attractive with its river, waterfalls, and minor league ballpark; it’s easy to get around by car, bike, or on foot; and has some great places to eat and drink. The free Greenville Jazz Festival is the perfect excuse to get down there and explore. The two-day event along Main Street will feature New Orleans Jazz, Swing, Funk, Smooth Jazz, Big Band, Latin Jazz, and more, plus local food trucks and drink tents. May 30-31.
Local Vocal
Two Charlotte-area vocal ensembles will be in action this weekend. Caritas A Cappella Ensemble performs Love Songs of Old and New, featuring Renaissance and modern madrigals at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 31st at Christ Episcopal Church (1412 Providence Road, Charlotte). Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, and $5 for students. May 31.
Charlotte Chamber Choir will have Mecklenburg County covered this weekend with two performances of Music from the Heartland: American Music by American Composers. You can see them Saturday, May 31st at 3:30 p.m. at South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church (8601 Bryant Farms Road, Charlotte) and Sunday, June 1st at 3:30 p.m. at Davidson College Presbyterian Church (100 North Main Street, Davidson). The concerts are free, but donations are gratefully accepted via Venmo at @charlottechamberchoir. May 31-June 1.
Season Finale
Chamber Music for All*, featuring Charlotte Symphony Concertmaster, Calin Lupanu, and Monica Boboc, finishes its ninth season at Sedgefield United Methodist Church (2830 Dorchester Pl, Charlotte) on Saturday, May 31st at 3 p.m. Guest artists Marcus Pyle from Davidson College, and Marlene Ballena from the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, join the ensemble in a program that includes Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 and Beethoven’s String Quartet op. 59 No. 2, “Razumovsky.” May 31.
Music in the Mountains
The 12-week Brevard Music Center Summer Festival (349 Andante Lane, Brevard) gets going this weekend. The event brings over 80 live performances across a wide spectrum of genres to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can hear everything from symphonic masterpieces and chamber concerts to jazz, bluegrass, and a fully staged opera. This year’s festival also includes a special performance of Jurassic Park with live orchestra, as well as a tribute to ABBA. The lineup of world-class artists includes pianist Yuja Wang, Béla Fleck’s Blue Ridge Banjo Concert, Pacifica Quartet, Mavis Staples, Yellowjackets, Steep Canyon Rangers, pianist Richard Goode, and Miró Quartet. May 31-August 24.
Finding the Lost Colony
When you do head to the beach this summer, and especially if you go to North Carolina’s beautiful Outer Banks, you should take in a performance of The Lost Colony on historic and mysterious Roanoke Island(1409 National Park Drive, Manteo). The 2025 season is already underway. More than 100 professional actors, technicians, and designers have been putting on Paul Green’s epic play every summer since 1937 to honor the memory of those brave souls who came here to build a new life and nation. As America’s longest-running outdoor theatrical production, it’s one of those things you try to see at least once in your life. Performances run Monday through Saturday. May 29-August 23.
I’ll have more sounds, sights, and bites for you again next week. You can also see what’s happening anytime on the WDAV Events Calendar.
*Disclosure: Bach Akademie Charlotte, Brevard Music Center, and Chamber Music for All are WDAV underwriters.
