Coming up on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (2025), the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture in Charlotte will host a day of events called "Designing the Future." A panel discussion will look at the late 1960s project in North Carolina's Warren County called "Soul City." On this Piedmont Arts, we talk with Charlotte native and Seton Hall law professor Thomas Healy, who wrote the 2021 history "Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia." Learn more about this and other Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events at the Harvey B. Gantt Center .

World renowned pianist Orion Weiss joins the Charlotte Symphony for concerts in January. He'll be the soloist for two very different works: Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano and Winds and Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No. 6 . On this Piedmont Arts he talks about how much he enjoys learning new Bach works.

On this Piedmont Arts podcast, we talk with Madeline Dierauf, an award-winning Appalachian fiddler and Davidson College student. She's a native of Brevard, North Carolina, who has been playing fiddle since she was eight. Hear more about her dual careers, her upcoming Rhodes Scholarship, and a bit of her music.

It's the 70th year for a Charlotte holiday tradition. Carolina Voices' Singing Christmas tree returns to Central Piedmont Community College's Halton Theater. On this Piedmont Arts podcast, host David Boraks talks with artistic and executive director Peter Leo about how Charlotte's is one of the oldest singing christmas trees in the country, and what's happening this year.

Kwame Ryan conducts his first concert as the Charlotte Symphony's Music Director this weekend at Belk Theatre in Charlotte. He and the orchestra, along with the Charlotte Master Chorale, will perform Johannes Brahms' beloved masterwork "A German Requiem." The composition has special significance for Ryan which is one of the reasons he wanted to put it on the program. He talks about why he has a personal connection to this masterpiece and about how much he is looking forward to performing with the CSO musicians on this episode of Piedmont Arts. Listen to the live broadcast of Brahms’ A German Requiem on WDAV

As the Charlotte area grows, so does its cultural offerings. On this Piedmont Arts, we talk to representatives from two of the newer arts organizations in our area. The Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius has a new exhibit called “Generations: Highlighting Indigenous Peoples, Cultures, and Artwork" which features creations by Catawba, Cherokee, Lumbee, and other artists. Cain Director of Visual Art & Education Simone El Bey gives us some background. We also hear from Matt Wetmore, artistic director and founder of Charlotte Chamber Choir, a semi-professional group now in its third year. Wetmore talks about their concert at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte. Learn more about “ Generations: Highlighting Indigenous Peoples, Cultures, and Artwork " Learn more about the Charlotte Chamber Choir

A new exhibit at Charlotte's Mint Museum Uptown looks at the art and artists of the South in the first half of the 20th century. The show called "Southern/Modern" has more than 100 paintings and works on paper by artists from the region, or who worked here. On this episode of the Piedmont Arts podcast, we talk with curator Jonathan Stuhlman and take a tour of the exhibit. Learn more at Mint Museum: "Southern/Modern"

Have you ever wanted to go into space? A virtual reality experience at Blumenthal Arts' new Blume Studios takes you there. "Space Explorers: The Infinite" uses virtual reality goggles to make you feel like you're on the International Space Station. Find out more in this Piedmont Arts podcast, along with a report on the upcoming Halloween concert by Charlotte's One Voice Chorus.

JazzArts Charlotte has been around for 15 years, promoting jazz through education and concerts with top performers from around the world. On this episode, CEO and co-founder Lonnie Davis talks about the group's origins and how it's growing a new generation of jazz performers and fans through education and concerts. Learn more about JazzArts Charlotte .

Charlotte is trying to put itself back on the map as a music city, with an annual conference called Confluence. This year's event is at AvidXchange Music Factory and music venues around the city. On this Piedmont Arts podcast, we'll hear from two of the organizers, Rick Thurmond and Liz Brigham, about what you'll see and hear. Learn more about the Confluence Music Conference