Bluegrass in the Symphony Hall

Hot Rize on stage at Meymandi

Photo courtesy of Rob Laughter, Bluegrassy

Raleigh, NC is blessed with a number of fine performing arts venues, but Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is special.  Opened in 2001, it is designed specifically for musical performances, and is the home of the North Carolina Symphony.  I have attended many performances there…operas, choral and symphony concerts–I have even heard my kid’s choir perform there.  The acoustics are great, the sight lines are excellent.  It’s a great venue, and Raleigh is lucky to have it.  So, when I heard that Hot Rize was performing there last week (11/15/2018) as part of their 40th Anniversary Tour, I thought it would be a good time to go back to Meymandi.  I was glad that I did.

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Book Review: Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey in the American South, by Emma John

Cover of Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey…

In the spring of 2017, I sat down to lunch one day at Pete Wernick’s Bluegrass Camp in Boomer, NC, and I met Emma John, a journalist and writer from London. Emma, a classically-trained violinist, had traveled to North Carolina from the UK to learn about bluegrass, and she has now written a book about her adventures. Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey in the American South is the book and I encourage you to go out and find a copy and start reading!

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