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Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Raleigh Arts: Art Scene in Raleigh

Discounts

The Raleigh/ Durham/ Chapel Hill region, known as “Research Triangle”, is the nation’s epicenter of scientific and pharmaceutical development. The region is also home to many of the South’s most prestigious universities, which has resulted in an unusually large concentration of first class fine and performing arts institutions. Most notably, every summer the region hosts the internationally acclaimed American Dance Festival (ADF) on the campus of Duke University.

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Arts Information

  • Independent Weekly—Weekly publication with extensive arts and entertainment features, reviews, blogs, and regular columns covering the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.
  • triangle.com—Online events and entertainment guide from the News and Observernewspaper.
  • Triangle Arts & Entertainment—Internet news magazine devoted to visual and performing arts.
  • Triangle ArtWorks—Regional resource for information, education, and discussion about what matters to the creative community of the Triangle.

Art Museums

Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)

The Ackland Museum, open since 1958, is an academic unit of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  It is one of North Carolina’s most significant resources in the visual arts, with a collection including over 15,000 works of art.  Areas of specialty include Asian art, and works on paper, with additional concentrations of European masterworks, African and contemporary art, and pottery of North Carolina. ...more...

Contemporary Art Museum

A newcomer to the Triangle art landscape, CAM Raleigh opened its doors in April 2011 with exhibitions by Naoko Ito and Dan Steinhilber. It’s a non-collecting museum, at least to this point, that’s taken pains to position itself as a venue for art and design that is growing and changing; it aims to present experiences, not exhibits. The museum building has three galleries inside: the main gallery, one …more…

Gregg Museum of Art and Design

The Gregg Museum of Art and Design is sponsored by North Carolina State University.  It is operated by the university’s Division of Student Affairs, and along with hosting visitors from the public, serves its students with academic and research programs.  It hosts six to eight exhibitions each year in its two galleries and shows other special exhibitions in spaces around campus. ...more...

Nasher Museum of Art (Durham, NC)

The Nasher Museum of Art, founded in 1969, is part of Duke University, and one of the preeminent art institutions in the region. Its permanent collection features more than 13,000 works from the ancient to the contemporary.  It has strong holdings in medieval and Renaissance art, African art, Greek and Roman antiquities, and ancient American art, but is currently building its contemporary art collection. ...more...

North Carolina Museum of Art

After a major expansion, the museum reopened in mid-2010. Admission is free, because the museum’s collection, begun in 1947 with earmarked state funds (a first in the country) has continued to exist on government grants and private gifts since then. The grounds, 164 acres of meadows and woodland, was granted by the state for the use of the museum and a sculpture park. ...more...

Theater

Burning Coal Theatre Company

Raleigh’s “indie-spirit” Burning Coal Theatre Company aims to inspire viewers with a visceral experience, reaching beyond traditional boundaries into a deeply felt interactive exchange between actor and audience. Focusing on socially-conscious new work and bold re-imaginings of classic titles, powerful explorations seen during the company’s 14-year history include acclaimed productions of David Rabe’s A Question of Mercy, Richard Adams’ Watership Down, Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and the 1960s love-rock musical Hair. ...more...

Manbites Dog Theater

A non-profit company founded in 1987, Manbites Dog Theater has been performing in its present location on Foster Street since the fall of 1998. The company has presented many regional and/or state premieres, as well as a broad range of local and national guest artists and companies in its “Other Voices” series. ...more...

North Carolina Theatre

Providing top drawer professional productions since 1984, North Carolina Theatre has earned a reputation for bringing Broadway’s biggest and best musicals to the area, with first rate style and panache. Producing shows each season at the Progress Energy Center, past NCT highlights have included lavish mountings of such audience favorites as Annie, The Producers, Camelot, and Hello Dolly!, frequently featuring the talents of name Broadway guest artists like Terrance Mann, Sharon Lawrence, Larry Gaitlin, …more…

PlayMakers Repertory Company

The professional theatre in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Playmakers Rep is an outstanding regional company with ambitious vision. Presenting eight shows annually on two different stages, past productions at Playmakers have included sweeping epics like Nicholas Nickelby and Angels in America alongside challenging introspective works like Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days.

Saluted by the Drama League of New York as one of …more…

Classical Music

North Carolina Master Chorale

The North Carolina Master Chorale began in 1942 as the Raleigh Oratorio Society. In its over 60-year history, the NCMC has been committed to bringing the finest in choral music to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Under the direction of Dr. Alfred E. Sturgis, the 170-member chorus and the 22-member chamber ensemble perform five major programs each season. Collaborating artistic organizations have included the Carolina Ballet and the North Carolina Symphony.

Season …more…

North Carolina Symphony

The North Carolina Symphony was founded in 1932, and, through its approximately 175 performances annually, has become a staple in North Carolina’s arts scene. With a strong dedication to education and outreach, the NCS performs around 40 of its concerts for schoolchildren around the state. Five commercial recordings and monthly performances on WUNC 91.5 have brought the Symphony’s reputation and precision to a larger audience. Financial troubles in the past …more…

Opera

Long Leaf Opera

Founded in 1998 by playwright/director/composer Randolph Umberger and composer/conductor Benjamin Keaton and beginning with one-acts, the company has become successful enough to not only add full-length productions but also launch an eclectic summer festival. The offbeat name comes from the long leaf pine, a source for tar and pitch for vessels in the age of sail (and the state’s nickname, the Tar Heel State).

This iconoclastic identity – virtually every other …more…

Jazz

The Broad Street Cafe

The Broad Street Cafe is a full-service restaurant, bar and entertainment hotspot that hosts a wide variety of musical acts Tuesday through Sunday. While there are the occasional jazz/blues bands during the week, the main event for jazz lovers in Durham is the Sunday Night Jazz Series, which features local legends and national touring acts who bring serious talent to an otherwise hit-and-miss music lineup. ...more...

Dance

African American Dance Ensemble

In 1968, current AADE Artistic Director Chuck Davis founded the Chuck Davis Dance Company, which rapidly became one of the foremost Afro-American dance experiences in the United States. When the company was received at the American Dance Festival for the first time in 1980, they became an instant hit with audiences who found themselves caught up in the exuberance of the pulsating choreography, intoxicating music, and vibrancy of the performers.

After …more…

American Dance Festival (Durham, NC)

(June 14 – July 28) The American Dance Festival began at Vermont’s Bennington College in 1934 as a collaborative effort between dance pioneers Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Nearly eighty years later, the ADF has more than four hundred students from across the globe. Each year the ADF presents six and a half summer weeks of performances by both established and emerging dance companies, as well as offering an intensive training program. ...more...

Carolina Ballet

Carolina Ballet is best known for delivering lavish renditions of the classics—Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Cinderella—full-length story ballets reinterpreted for a mid-size company. Some are original creations by Artistic Director Robert Weiss and some are built upon previous versions by 20th century ballet masters such as George Balanchine or Marius Petipa. The company’s seasons generally include a half dozen or so of these productions as well as work by principal guest …more…

Multi-Arts Festivals

Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival

(May)

Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival Information

Public Transportation: Very Good (easily accessible by several Capital Area Transit and Triangle Transit buses in and around the Moore Square Transit Station)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs: Programming includes music, over 170 visual artists, and crafts and performances for kids. Performance schedule varies
Ticket Prices: Free.

Venues

Duke Performances

The resident performing arts producer at Duke University, Duke Performances (DP) organizes events of quality and quantity to rival any professional company in the nation.  Events span all manner of musical genres (with series focusing on jazz, gospel/blues, rock/pop, classical and contemporary classical music), theatrical and dance performances.  The focus is on bringing together the best that the nation has to offer in the performing arts, making Durham a focal …more…

Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC)

Though a relatively new addition to the Triangle (opened in November 2008), the DPAC is already the region’s center of activity for the live arts.  It has featured a huge variety of performances, with an emphasis on Broadway musicals and nationally known musicians, comedians and speakers.  The Suntrust Broadway Series features the most popular touring musicals with an affordable season ticket package; it is one of the country’s most popular …more…

Art Museums

Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)

The Ackland Museum, open since 1958, is an academic unit of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  It is one of North Carolina’s most significant resources in the visual arts, with a collection including over 15,000 works of art.  Areas of specialty include Asian art, and works on paper, with additional concentrations of European masterworks, African and contemporary art, and pottery of North Carolina. ...more...

Contemporary Art Museum

A newcomer to the Triangle art landscape, CAM Raleigh opened its doors in April 2011 with exhibitions by Naoko Ito and Dan Steinhilber. It’s a non-collecting museum, at least to this point, that’s taken pains to position itself as a venue for art and design that is growing and changing; it aims to present experiences, not exhibits. The museum building has three galleries inside: the main gallery, one …more…

Gregg Museum of Art and Design

The Gregg Museum of Art and Design is sponsored by North Carolina State University.  It is operated by the university’s Division of Student Affairs, and along with hosting visitors from the public, serves its students with academic and research programs.  It hosts six to eight exhibitions each year in its two galleries and shows other special exhibitions in spaces around campus. ...more...

Nasher Museum of Art (Durham, NC)

The Nasher Museum of Art, founded in 1969, is part of Duke University, and one of the preeminent art institutions in the region. Its permanent collection features more than 13,000 works from the ancient to the contemporary.  It has strong holdings in medieval and Renaissance art, African art, Greek and Roman antiquities, and ancient American art, but is currently building its contemporary art collection. ...more...

North Carolina Museum of Art

After a major expansion, the museum reopened in mid-2010. Admission is free, because the museum’s collection, begun in 1947 with earmarked state funds (a first in the country) has continued to exist on government grants and private gifts since then. The grounds, 164 acres of meadows and woodland, was granted by the state for the use of the museum and a sculpture park. ...more...

Theater

Burning Coal Theatre Company

Raleigh’s “indie-spirit” Burning Coal Theatre Company aims to inspire viewers with a visceral experience, reaching beyond traditional boundaries into a deeply felt interactive exchange between actor and audience. Focusing on socially-conscious new work and bold re-imaginings of classic titles, powerful explorations seen during the company’s 14-year history include acclaimed productions of David Rabe’s A Question of Mercy, Richard Adams’ Watership Down, Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and the 1960s love-rock musical Hair. ...more...

Manbites Dog Theater

A non-profit company founded in 1987, Manbites Dog Theater has been performing in its present location on Foster Street since the fall of 1998. The company has presented many regional and/or state premieres, as well as a broad range of local and national guest artists and companies in its “Other Voices” series. ...more...

North Carolina Theatre

Providing top drawer professional productions since 1984, North Carolina Theatre has earned a reputation for bringing Broadway’s biggest and best musicals to the area, with first rate style and panache. Producing shows each season at the Progress Energy Center, past NCT highlights have included lavish mountings of such audience favorites as Annie, The Producers, Camelot, and Hello Dolly!, frequently featuring the talents of name Broadway guest artists like Terrance Mann, Sharon Lawrence, Larry Gaitlin, …more…

PlayMakers Repertory Company

The professional theatre in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Playmakers Rep is an outstanding regional company with ambitious vision. Presenting eight shows annually on two different stages, past productions at Playmakers have included sweeping epics like Nicholas Nickelby and Angels in America alongside challenging introspective works like Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days.

Saluted by the Drama League of New York as one of …more…

Classical Music

North Carolina Master Chorale

The North Carolina Master Chorale began in 1942 as the Raleigh Oratorio Society. In its over 60-year history, the NCMC has been committed to bringing the finest in choral music to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Under the direction of Dr. Alfred E. Sturgis, the 170-member chorus and the 22-member chamber ensemble perform five major programs each season. Collaborating artistic organizations have included the Carolina Ballet and the North Carolina Symphony.

Season …more…

North Carolina Symphony

The North Carolina Symphony was founded in 1932, and, through its approximately 175 performances annually, has become a staple in North Carolina’s arts scene. With a strong dedication to education and outreach, the NCS performs around 40 of its concerts for schoolchildren around the state. Five commercial recordings and monthly performances on WUNC 91.5 have brought the Symphony’s reputation and precision to a larger audience. Financial troubles in the past …more…

Opera

Long Leaf Opera

Founded in 1998 by playwright/director/composer Randolph Umberger and composer/conductor Benjamin Keaton and beginning with one-acts, the company has become successful enough to not only add full-length productions but also launch an eclectic summer festival. The offbeat name comes from the long leaf pine, a source for tar and pitch for vessels in the age of sail (and the state’s nickname, the Tar Heel State).

This iconoclastic identity – virtually every other …more…

Jazz

The Broad Street Cafe

The Broad Street Cafe is a full-service restaurant, bar and entertainment hotspot that hosts a wide variety of musical acts Tuesday through Sunday. While there are the occasional jazz/blues bands during the week, the main event for jazz lovers in Durham is the Sunday Night Jazz Series, which features local legends and national touring acts who bring serious talent to an otherwise hit-and-miss music lineup. ...more...

Dance

African American Dance Ensemble

In 1968, current AADE Artistic Director Chuck Davis founded the Chuck Davis Dance Company, which rapidly became one of the foremost Afro-American dance experiences in the United States. When the company was received at the American Dance Festival for the first time in 1980, they became an instant hit with audiences who found themselves caught up in the exuberance of the pulsating choreography, intoxicating music, and vibrancy of the performers.

After …more…

American Dance Festival (Durham, NC)

(June 14 – July 28) The American Dance Festival began at Vermont’s Bennington College in 1934 as a collaborative effort between dance pioneers Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Nearly eighty years later, the ADF has more than four hundred students from across the globe. Each year the ADF presents six and a half summer weeks of performances by both established and emerging dance companies, as well as offering an intensive training program. ...more...

Carolina Ballet

Carolina Ballet is best known for delivering lavish renditions of the classics—Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Cinderella—full-length story ballets reinterpreted for a mid-size company. Some are original creations by Artistic Director Robert Weiss and some are built upon previous versions by 20th century ballet masters such as George Balanchine or Marius Petipa. The company’s seasons generally include a half dozen or so of these productions as well as work by principal guest …more…

Multi-Arts Festivals

Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival

(May)

Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival Information

Public Transportation: Very Good (easily accessible by several Capital Area Transit and Triangle Transit buses in and around the Moore Square Transit Station)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs: Programming includes music, over 170 visual artists, and crafts and performances for kids. Performance schedule varies
Ticket Prices: Free.

Venues

Duke Performances

The resident performing arts producer at Duke University, Duke Performances (DP) organizes events of quality and quantity to rival any professional company in the nation.  Events span all manner of musical genres (with series focusing on jazz, gospel/blues, rock/pop, classical and contemporary classical music), theatrical and dance performances.  The focus is on bringing together the best that the nation has to offer in the performing arts, making Durham a focal …more…

Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC)

Though a relatively new addition to the Triangle (opened in November 2008), the DPAC is already the region’s center of activity for the live arts.  It has featured a huge variety of performances, with an emphasis on Broadway musicals and nationally known musicians, comedians and speakers.  The Suntrust Broadway Series features the most popular touring musicals with an affordable season ticket package; it is one of the country’s most popular …more…