The Charlotte Symphony is honoring cellist Alan Black who is retiring after 38 years -- 35 of them as principal cello. On this Piedmont Arts podcast, he reflects on his career in Charlotte, both as a Symphony musician and as an artistic director who has developed and curated several performance series through the years. Listen to the conversation and hear critic Lawrence Toppman’s take on the Charlotte Symphony’s performance of “Become Ocean.”

Alan Black

Davidson College Art Galleries has an exhibit of paintings by Elizabeth Bradford on view. She's a Huntersville native who draws inspiration from the farm country she grew up on. On this Piedmont Arts she talks about her career and how the loss of open spaces influences her work.

On this Piedmont Arts podcast, we go behind the scenes for an interview with Loki Karuna, the host of WDAV's NoteWorthy series. He's an audio producer with a mission to expand our view of classical music.

Mandolinists and mandolin lovers will gather at Davidson College for a Mandolin Symposium, with public concerts and workshops. We talk to organizers Michael Orlando and Jonah Horton about their mandolin careers and symposium's events. We'll also hear from the director of Theatre Charlotte's new comedy, "The Play that Goes Wrong." Learn more about the Mandolin Symposium at Davidson College Pictured (l-r): Michael Orlando and Jonah Horton.

Middle C Jazz in uptown Charlotte was founded in 2019, right before the pandemic. It's now attracting top musicians - and crowds. On this Piedmont Arts podcast, we talk with founder Larry Farber about the club, the music and his role in bringing jazz to a wider audience in Charlotte. Learn more about Middle C Jazz

The Musical Offering by Johann Sebastian Bach was written in response to a challenge from Frederick the Great of Prussia to create six-voice fugue based on a theme written by the King himself. Bach Akademie Charlotte will perform Bach's famous gift to the monarch, as well as works by other members of the Bach family, in a concert at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Charlotte. One of Bach Akademie's artistic leaders, cellist Guy Fishman, will lead the concert, and guest flutist Emi Ferguson, a 2023 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, will be featured in her first ever Charlotte performance. The two musicians are guests on this week’s Piedmont Arts podcast episode, and they talk about performing The Musical Offering which they contend is a beautifully brilliant response to Frederick’s challenge. Learn more about the Bach Akademie Charlotte The Musical Offering concert

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.