There's a new weekly email newsletter in Charlotte focusing on local people and issues. The Charlotte Optimist is published by longtime local writer and editor Michael Graff. On this Piedmont Arts he shares his vision for the new venture.

Learn more about The Charlotte Optimist

Broadway is bigger than ever. For the 2024-25 season, Broadway took in $1.9 billion across all productions, which is a record and a 23% increase from the previous year. Many of those shows come to Charlotte as part of Blumenthal Arts’ Broadway Lights Series. Blumenthal Arts’ president and CEO Tom Gabbard talks about the exciting productions coming to the city in 2025 and 2026.

Alvin C. Jacobs is a Charlotte-based photographer and image activist. His new exhibit "Black Behind Bars" about Black biker culture is on display at the Gantt Center in uptown Charlotte through September 21st, 2025.

Learn more about “Black Behind Bars: The Untold Story of Black Biker Culture” at the Harvey B. Gantt Center

"Black"Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr.

"Family Ties"Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr.

"Road Glide"Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr.

The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is ready to kick off its 2025 Summer Pops season. On this Piedmont Arts, we ask the CSO’s resident conductor, Christopher James Lees, about what we can expect to hear this month at Symphony Park. We also talk about recent news regarding the beloved outdoor venue, as well as what life is like for an in-demand conductor.

Pianist Jeffrey Biegel wanted to mark the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." So, he commissioned a new work by composer Peter Boyer called "Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue." On this Piedmont Arts podcast, Biegel talks about the work, and we also talk with one of the leaders of the Charlotte Bach Festival about the multi-day event that gets underway May 30th.

A new North Carolina theater group called Piedmont Shakespeare company makes its debut in June 2025 with a touring production of "Hamlet." All nine performances at indoor and outdoor venues are free. On this episode of Piedmont Arts, we sit down with the company's three founders to talk about their plans.

Learn more about Piedmont Shakespeare Company

Providing students with music education opportunities is the mission of North Carolina Youth Orchestra. Based in the Lake Norman area, the organization has seen rapid growth in recent years and offers kids a range of options from beginning classes to full orchestras. They now serve about 225 students. On this Piedmont Arts podcast, executive director Eric Boruff talks about how North Carolina is working to meet the growing demand for music instruction in our region and about what’s next.

By David Boraks

Photographer Annie Leibovitz is legendary for her iconic photos of celebrities - from professional athletes and politicians to entertainers and artists. Many of those photos, plus a few you haven't seen, are in the exhibit "Annie Leibovitz/WORK" at the Mint Museum Uptown through the end of August. Jen Sudul-Edwards chief curator for the Mint talks about Leibovitz's style and career.

Learn more about the Annie Leibovitz/WORK exhibit at the Mint Museum.

Mint Chief Curator Jen Sudul Edwards talks to reporters and staff at the press opening for "Annie Leibovitz / Work" at the Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte on 4/25/25. This set of photos (left) depicts celebrities in their cars.David Boraks/WDAV

Top: A photo of soldiers at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, with Mary, "Queen of the Negritos" on the base. 1968Bottom: Leibovitz's grandmother in her house in Waterbury, Connecticut, early 70s.David Boraks/WDAV

Chief curator Jen Sudul Edwards talks to staff and reporters at the press opening of Annie Leibovitz's retrospective at the Mint Museum Uptown.David Boraks/WDAV

Leibovitz's photo of Georgia O'Keeffe on a big screen, next to a "salon wall" of her other portraits of the famous. At the Mint Museum Uptown.David Boraks/WDAV

After the beloved Manor Theater closed its doors in 2020, there weren’t many places to see art house and foreign films on the big screen in the Charlotte area. On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic had put the entire movie theater industry in jeopardy. But that’s exactly when the Charlotte Film Society made the bold decision to find investors and start a new, not-for-profit, multi-screen cinema. The Independent Picture House opened its doors in 2022 and hasn’t looked back. We talk to executive director Brad Ritter about the early days of this destination for film lovers, as well as what we can look forward to seeing at the Independent Picture House in the weeks and months ahead.

Pictured: Executive director Brad Ritter or the Independent Picture House. Phil Vavra/WDAV

Pictured: Brad Ritter in the lobby of the Independent Picture House theater. Phil Vavra/WDAV

In recent years, Raehann Bryce-Davis has become a familiar name in the world of opera through performances at the Met, Santa Fe, Houston, Los Angeles, and in opera houses across Europe. She is the mezzo-soprano soloist for the Winston-Salem Symphony’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem, one of her favorite works to sing. On this episode, Bryce-Davis talks about singing Verdi and her newly released album, “Evolution,” an eclectic recording with everything from art song to electronic dance music.

Learn more about Verdi’s Requiem at Winston-Salem Symphony.

Pictured: Raehann Bryce-Davis. Wolf Dieter Grabner/IMG Artists.