The nation’s largest print and drawing competition in the early 1970s was held at Davidson College. Organized by renowned artist Herb Jackson, the competition drew submissions from across the country and brought some of the most compelling works on paper to campus. Davidson is celebrating the 50th anniversary with a new competition and exhibition called “50 Years Later: Davidson National Print and Drawing Competition.” On this Piedmont Arts episode we talk to Herb Jackson and curator Lia Newman about the competition’s legacy.

A new season of orchestral performances will start in a few weeks, and that includes the 62nd season for the Western Piedmont Symphony. Maestro Matthew Troy has been the Hickory-based orchestra’s Music Director and Conductor since 2019 and he talks on this Piedmont Arts about what we’ll be hearing from them in 2026-2027. You’ll also get a preview of other regional orchestras’ upcoming seasons, plus a quick look at more events and activities with FanFare.

WPS Masterworks Symphony Swings with Doreen Ketchens, clarinet. Credit Paul van Breemen Photography

Western Piedmont Symphony performs the music of Pink Floyd. Credit Tom Devlin Photography

Storyteller Donna Washington has been weaving tales for audiences of all ages for more than 38 years. On this Piedmont Arts podcast episode, she shares what makes a good story and a good storyteller, and she even tells us a story or two. Plus, a look at the largest Black theatre festival in the world, the International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem. One of the organizers, Brittany Giles-Jones, helps us parse the more than 100 offerings. And hear interesting things to do for fun in the FanFare segment.

There isn’t always a direct path for classical musicians who want to perform professionally to go from university to the stage. But renowned conductor James Meena aims to help these artists through a new venture called the Charlotte Lyric Theatre. Meena is the guest on this Piedmont Arts episode, and he explains how this career development program is working and getting results. Also, the latest edition of FanFare to help you plan fun activities in coming days.

Originally from Northern California, poet and creative arts activist Cheryl Wilder has lived in North Carolina for more than 20 years, and her latest collection of poems, Singing Riptide, stems from a traumatic event in her life. On this episode of Piedmont Arts, you’ll hear what it was that set Cheryl’s writing career in motion. Plus, we’ll let you know about upcoming arts and culture happenings across our region with FanFare.

At An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone this month, you can do everything from enjoying classical concerts to watching international films. And if you’re in the Greensboro area, the newly launched Eastern Festival of Music offers numerous concerts, many of them led by music director Gerard Schwarz. Find out more about both festival’s offerings by listening to this Piedmont Arts podcast episode.

As American celebrates its 250th Anniversary this week, our Piedmont Arts podcast features two conversations that explore different aspects of the American experience, one past and one present. Moravian music expert Dr. Christopher Ogburn tells us how the Moravians, who settled in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, made significant contributions to music in colonial and post-Revolutionary America. And we talk to the composer and librettist of the opera The Falling and Rising which examines the ways war impacts modern military family life. Their opera is coming to the Brevard Music Center in July 2026.

A rare opportunity for choral composers and lyricists is happening in Charlotte this week. It’s the second annual International Choral Composers Institute, a 5-day immersive program dedicated to nurturing and instructing those who create choral music. On this Piedmont Arts episode, we talk with Sherry Blevins, the Institute’s founder, about the ways participants will get practical, hands-on advice and instruction to further their careers.

In the summer of 1965, a theater arts major from Carnegie Mellon University named Constance Welsh put on the first show by the new Davidson Community Players. Sixty-one years later, the theater company is still going strong and getting stronger. DCP’s executive director Steve Kaliski is on this episode of Piedmont Arts to talk about the productions of Evita, Million Dollar Quartet, and more. Then, soprano Karen Slack speaks about her concert, African Queens, which Piedmont Opera is presenting this month in Winston-Salem. Plus FanFare with even more events and activities across our region.

Summer Shakespeare productions are a long-standing tradition in the U.S., and now the Triad has a theater company dedicated to bringing the Bard’s plays to North Carolina Audiences. Piedmont Shakespeare Company is in its second season with performances of “Much Ado About Nothing” taking place in venues from Winston-Salem to Burlington. On this Piedmont Arts episode, executive director David McGraw talks about the importance of Shakespeare in the modern day and the beauty of summer Shakespeare.