
The last dog days of summer and the beginning of school coincide, during normal times, with announcements about fall’s performing arts virtual series.
Nothing is normal this year, though. The return to school is a fraught one, and the dog days feel evermore so. (Technically, the ‘dog days’ are done, per the Finnish calendar—but in North Carolina, the heat cracks on).
Thankfully, Duke Performances and the North Carolina Museum of Art continue to keep the arts grounded with a series of virtual fall concerts.
Duke Performances is launching ‘The Show Must Go Online!’, a series of “high-quality, commissioned films featuring artists originally slated for in-person performances.” Those exclusive performances will be hosted on Vimeo and available to ticket holders beginning September 12. Each video performance is shot in collaboration with an audio and video crew local to each artist’s home city; the list of artists for the September-December schedule will be announced at the beginning of each month.
Duke’s Chamber Arts Series, meanwhile, goes virtual for its 75th season, with performances from the Attacca Quartet (September 12); David Finckel, Cello & Wu Han, Piano, with Arnaud Sussmann, Violin & Paul Neubauer, Viola (October 17)’ Cuarteto Casals (November 7); and Christina & Michelle Naughton, Piano Duo (December 5). More information can be found here.
Virtual performances in the North Carolina Museum of Art’s “Offstage Live: Music at the Museum” series take a more local turn, with a series of free virtual shows drawn from musicians across the Triangle. The series, which ushers in a new season September 8 with a performance from Raleigh string band Chatham County Line, will feature Durham’s Dreamroot, Chapel Hill’s S.E. Ward, and Pittsboro’s Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba.
“We have updated our beloved summer concert series to be a unique experience that people around the state, and even the world, can enjoy from the comfort and safety of their own homes,” North Carolina Museum of Art Director Valerie Hillings said in a press release. “With the great partnerships of UNC-TV and Come Hear NC, we will continue to bring art to the people of North Carolina and beyond in innovative ways.”
Follow Deputy Arts & Culture Editor Sarah Edwards on Twitter or send an email to sedwards@indyweek.com.
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