Joy Tuba World - A Tuba Christmas in Winston-Salem

Joy Tuba World - A Tuba Christmas was a well-attended introduction to the Christmas Season in Downtown Winston-Salem on Friday night. 

Tuba Christmas began in 1974, and the first Tuba Christmas was performed in Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink. Since then, events have popped up across the world as Tuba and Euphonium players unite to perform familiar Christmas tunes. The free show included about fifty musicians, ranging in age from 10-77.  Some musicians travelled more than two hours to perform in Tuba Christmas.

This is the 4th year Tuba Christmas has performed in Winston-Salem.  The concert was in the Contemporary Center of First Presbyterian Church on Cherry Street downtown.

Photo and Story by Jessica Thomas Lewis

Week of June 13, 2016 FREE Family Fun in the Piedmont Triad!

Planning your week? 

Here are a few highlights for family fun in the Piedmont Triad!

FREE - no admission charge but there may be items and/or food/drinks for sale

$ cost of admission under $20 for a family of four
$$ cost of admission over $20 for a family of four

Monday, June 13

GSO  6:00pm-7:00pm  FREE Fitness by the Fountain at Center City

Wednesday, June 15

GSO  12:00pm-1:30pm   FREE   Lunchtime Music Downtown Greensboro

GSO  5:00pm-7:00pm     FREE   Family Night ArtQuest at Greenhill

GSO  6:00pm-7:00pm     FREE   Fitness by the Fountain at Center City  

Thursday, June 16

W-S   4:00pm-4:30pm     FREE    Art in the Overlook Gallery

W-S   5:30pm-7:30 pm    FREE    Thursday Night in Old Salem

GSO   5:30pm-9:00pm    FREE    Greensboro: The City Market

GSO   6:00pm-7:00pm    FREE    "Murals" City Market

Friday, June 17

WS    4:00pm-7:00pm      $            Family Friday Night at SciWorks

HP     6:00pm-8:00pm    FREE      The Ignite High Point Whistle Stop Concert Series

WS    6:00pm-9:00pm    FREE      Live Jazz Outdoors DTWS   

Saturday, June 18

Rural Hall   10:00am-3:00pm       Junkies Vintage Boutique's Spring Junk Revival Flea Market

Colfax   11:00am-4:00pm   FREE    Wingfest 2016 by The Arc of High Point

WS     12:30pm-3:00pm   FREE    Saturday ART Jam

WS    7:00pm-10:00pm   FREE    Summer on Liberty

Sunday, June 19

FATHER'S DAY

GSO   5:00pm-7:00pm     FREE     Music Series at Barber Park

Details are on our calendar.  If you have questions about an event, please contact the sponsor directly.  All information is correct and accurate at the time of it's posting.

Week of June 6, 2016 FREE Family Fun in the Piedmont Triad!

Planning your week? 

Here are a few highlights for family fun in the Piedmont Triad!

FREE - no admission charge but there may be items and/or food/drinks for sale
$ cost of admission under $20 for a family of four
$$ cost of admission over $20 for a family of four

Monday, June 6
GSO 6-8pm  FREE Fitness by the Fountain at Center City

Tuesday, June 7
WS 7pm  $$ All You Can Eat at the Winston-Salem Dash. Pay regular price for game and eat FREE
WS 7:30pm FREE Concert at Old Salem

Wednesday, June 8
GSO 12-3pm FREE Lunchtime Music Center City Park Downtown Greensboro
GSO 5-7pm FREE Family Night ArtQuest at Greenhill
GSO 6pm FREE Fitness by the Fountain at Center City

Thursday, June 9 
WS 3:30-4:30pm FREE Art in the Overlook Gallery
WS 5:30-7:30pm FREE Thursday Night Music in Old Salem
WS 6-8:30 pm FREE Concert Band Family Evenings at Bethabara

Friday, June 10
WS 11am-11pm $ Twin City Rib Fest Adults $7, Children 12 and under FREE
HP 6-8pm FREE The Ignite High Point Whistle Stop Concert Series
WS 6-9pm FREE Live Jazz Outdoors DTWS

Saturday, June 11
Pinnacle 11am-3pm FREE Baa, Moo, & Cock-A-Doodle-Do! at Horne Creek Farm
WS 11am-11pm $ Twin City Rib Fest Adults $7, Children 12 and under FREE

Sunday, June 12
WS 11am-11pm $ Twin City Rib Fest Adults $7, Children 12 and under FREE
GSO 5-7pm FREE Music Series at Barber Park
WS 3-6pm FREE Second Sundays on 4th


Details are on our calendar.  If you have questions about an event, please contact the sponsor directly.  All information is correct and accurate at the time of it's posting.

Free Concert Series at Barber Park

Free Concert Series at Barber Park

Greensboro

Starting May 1, 2016

Music Starts at 6pm

Info from the facebook event:  Join us each week at Barber Park, starting May 1 through July 9, for a great night of FREE, live music at the Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series! This series features a diverse lineup of outstanding artists in genres ranging from blues, spoken word, Latin, soul, funk, rock 'n roll, and more. There will be something for everyone to enjoy!

The Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series will kickoff on May 1 with Greensboro's own Gate City Divas and The Bailey Heavenly Sounds from Greensboro's United House of Prayer. The grounds at Barber Park open at 5 pm, and the music starts at 6 pm.

About the Gate City Divas: The Gate City Divas’ debut record, Goin’ to Town, hit the Greensboro music scene in March 2016, and its fifteen original hits—filthy with funk, R&B, and blues—were quickly met with high praise, both on the streets and in the press. The project is a celebration of these women and their common—but diverse—musical backgrounds, their shared and singular voices as songwriters, and their eight hearts overflowing for their community.

About the Bailey Heavenly Sounds from Greensboro's United House of Prayer:the Bailey Heavenly Sounds Shout Band from Greensboro’s United House of Prayer for All People (UHOPFAP) will kick off our entire Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series in a big way! We dare you to keep still when the tuba, baritone, and all those trombones start swinging! (Hint: It’s impossible!)

The Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private family foundation that empowers towns and cities across America to transform neglected public spaces into thriving destinations through the power of free, live music. In 2016, more than 450 free Levitt concerts will take place in 21 towns and cities, all featuring a rich array of music genres and high caliber talent. Learn more at levitt.org.

View our calendar filled with more events in the Piedmont Triad Here.

Bethabara Concert Band Performs at Maple Springs UMC to Benefit the Food Insecure

We had the pleasure of attending last night's Bethabara Concert Band Holiday Concert at Maple Springs United Methodist Church on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem.  

Food Donations were accepted for the Food Pantry Ministry at Maple Springs.  This ministry effort regularly offers food assistance to over 400 individuals and families who live in our local area each month.   North Carolina has the second highest rate of food insecure children under 5 years of age in the nation.  For all age groups, North Carolina is ranked as the 4th worst in the nation for food insecurity. (Source: hungernwnc.org)   As you can see, the generosity is also great and much food was was donated . 

The Bethabara Concert band is in it's 28th season, with the season typically running from June-November.  Most performances take place outdoors at the Park Pavilion at Bethabara.  Families bring blankets and picnic dinners and there are hay rides, children's games, ice cream and hot dogs.

Last night's concert was fun-filled, with familiar songs such as Sleigh Ride and Hallelujah Chorus.  Soloists Candy King and Jeff Williard joined the band for Irving Berlin's Christmas and A Holiday Sing-Along.  The band also performed a few not-so-familiar songs such as Christmas in the Highlands, A Renaissance Christmas and Chanukah is Here.  And of course, Santa himself made a visit!  The children in the audience were called up and they listened intently as Santa read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  There were approximately 125-150 people in the audience enjoying the music.

Mark your calendar now for the 

2015 season of the Bethabara Concert Band!

Summer Kickoff - June 11 - 6pm-8pm

Independence Concert - July 9 - 6pm-8:30pm

Back to School - August 13 - 6pm-8:30pm

September 11 Remembrance - September 10 - 5:30pm-8:00pm

Dark in the Park - October 8 - 5:30-8pm

Holiday Concert - November 19 - 7pm

Free in Concord! The Bill Cherry Music Festival, August 17, 2013

Music Festival (9 Bands!) to raise money for Hannah Conley 

Family Friendly Music!

August 17, 2013     Noon-8pm

 Frank Liske Park 

4001 Stough Road, Concord, NC 

Bring the whole family (pets included) chairs and blankets.

Boston Butts and music for a good cause... doesn't get any better than that. 

Free Admission and with $10 donation you receive a Boston Butt plate. 

All donations going to help Hannah Conley!  

(See Hannah's story, and why this festival was started, below)

From the Bill Cherry Music Festival facebook page
Hannah Conley
(This was written by Hannah’s Dad)
Where do I start to tell you about my girl, Hannah? We had a normal typical pregnancy with no indications that Hannah had any problems prior to birth. She began to have issues and was diagnosed at ten days old with a brain abnormality. Because of that, Hannah has Cerebral Palsy. She has muscle movement disorder, she is non-verbal (unable to talk), she cannot walk independently, and needs complete assistance with most everything. Hannah had spinal fusion surgery in February to correct an extensive curve in her spine that was completely compressing her left lung. She now has two rods and screws from the base of her neck to the base of her spine. She is still recovering, but is doing really well. The surgery was 8 hours and she spent almost three weeks in the hospital. This surgery adds more discomfort from being lifted in and out of the car. Hannah weighs 76 pounds. It is getting harder and harder for Hannah’s mother to get in and out of the car. Her mother had breast cancer two years ago and the surgeries left Mom without abdominal muscles. This makes lifting Hannah exceedingly difficult for Mom. She has to have total help with bathing, dressing, moving from one position to another, and has to have her food in a mashed consistency in order to not choke.
Hannah is 13. We live in Boiling Springs, NC. She is bright, happy, and the sweetest little girl ever! She uses a power chair for mobility. She loves school and her friends. Hannah loves her touch screen computer, and her I Pad. She loves her church and her church family. She also loves her family, especially her big brother; Austin who is 17 and attends Crest HS. Hannah has a dog, Baxter, who is her best friend. She also has a fat cat named Miss Kitty. She enjoys music, dancing, cheerleading, Special Olympics, and horses.
Thank you so much for thinking of our family. It is amazing that God used a contest and facebook to bring this all together. Words are not enough to say thank you. We are so overwhelmed and honestly are speechless!

Well my name is Mike Holbrooks and let me give you a little bit of the back story of how Facebook made this possible. It starts with Bill Cherry one of my best friends for over 30 years. About 5 years ago he was riding his motorcycle and was hit by a guy texting. The accident left him paralyzed from the chest down and with the use of only one arm. He wanted to feel independent again so he had passed his driving class but Medicaid said he had to come up $15,000 before they would build him an adaptive handicap van. I was planning to put on a music festival fund raiser for him but this past December 13th he passed away. After he passed away I told myself I was going to leave his photo as my Facebook photo till I put on this fund raiser for someone else in his honor. One morning at work Bill was on my mind. So I started calling a few different government groups that deal with handicap individuals. I wanted to see if they could put me in touch with some good people that needed some help trying to get an adaptive handicap van. I made seven phone calls that morning and they all said that I was either talking to the wrong department or person. I was fed up so I told myself that this was too hard and I had tried my best. So I went back to working. No more than 15 minutes later I get an invite from Facebook. I get so many invites to play games or other stuff I usually don’t even look at them but for some reason I pulled it up. The first thing I see is Hannah’s smiling face with a request to vote for her in a contest to try and win an adaptive handicap van. Ok remember I had just got off the phone trying to get in touch with someone I could try and help to get an adaptive van for. I knew then that Bill Cherry had that Facebook message sent to me because he knew I was about to give up. So if it had not been for Facebook and a little help from a best friend this union would have never been possible. Thanks for Your Support

Sounds of the Summer: Exploring the Tones and Colors of Organs in Winston-Salem

Highlights: Jazz Performance by Patience Reich at Walkertown Library

When you want to catch a jazz concert, the public library may not be the first venue that comes to mind.  But this afternoon the Walkertown library hosted a special music event featuring Patience Reich in a performance of Jazz Ballads from the 1940s, 50s and 60s.  It was a comfortable and cozy way to enjoy a live performance on a Saturday afternoon, and like all events at the library it was FREE to attend.

With the stage transformed to a skyline at sunset and set with dinner for two, Ms. Reich's performance and choice of songs told a story in a conceptual format that was a cross between a traditional concert and a play.

Patience Reich performs "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" by Frank Sinatra

Patience Reich was born in Minneapolis, MN and spent her formative years in Cameroon, Central Africa.

While she was influenced by traditional and popular African music, Classical music, Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms her earliest and most enduring influences come from great American Pop music.

With an ability to sing in many styles and languages (including French, Spanish, multiple African languages and Arabic), Patience is musically incredibly versatile.

Patience currently lives in Winston-Salem.











Patience Reich performs "You Go to My Head"  

It was a great pleasure to attend this performance.  Many thanks to Patience Reich for brightening our day with her beautiful talent and also to the Walkertown Library for hosting her.  This was a wonderful debut for what we hope will transcend into a series of musical performances showcasing local performers in our area.

Photo credit: Jeanette Runyon of Studio Woolslayer

Sealy/FOX8 Holiday Concert: All-Time Record Set for Cans Collected, Benefiting Salvation Army

Saturday, December 15, 2012 marked the 

23rd Annual Sealy/FOX8 Holiday Concert 

at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC.

Bass Players from the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Philharmonic are in the Christmas Spirit

Parking and admission were free with the donation of canned foods for the Salvation Army.  

This year, an all-time record was set for cans collected!  

806,111 cans were collected between the Greensboro concert (on Friday) and Winston-Salem's concert on Saturday.  

With those donations, the Salvation Armies of the Triad will be able to help thousands of our neighbors in need.

Pre-Concert music was provided by the 

Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Philharmonic.  

Conducted by Margaret Rehder, the group performed many Christmas classics.  

Matthew Troy, Associate Conductor for the Winston-Salem Symphony and Music Director of the Youth Symphony, conducted the evening's Holiday Concert. 

The program was hosted by Neill McNeill and Cindy Farmer of WGHP/FOX8.  Both are well-known news anchors for the Triad.

The evening's Christmas selections included Christmas Festival Overture, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Christmas at the Movies, and Mother Ginger from the Nutcracker.  

Girls from Salem Gymnastics flew through the air to Mother Ginger, making the performance quite memorable.

Carol of the Bells, Excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite and Waltz of the Flowers followed.  

Waltz of the Flowers featured the Winston-Salem Festival Ballet.

Tenor Glenn Seibert accompanied the Symphony for O, Holy Night, and then the entire coliseum audience participated in a Christmas Sing-A-Long.  Next came the fun Caribbean Sleigh Ride, and Bugler's Holiday.  What Holiday Concert would be complete without Sleigh Ride?  That was performed next, then The Grinch Who Store Christmas Medley, The Christmas Song and Little Bolero Boy. 

If you live in the Piedmont Triad, this yearly Holiday Concert should be on your list of family traditions.  People travelled from as far as Virginia, and many counties were represented in last nights audience.  There are performances in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Elon, and each one is different.  The Sealy/FOX8 Holiday Concert is a great way to help the Salvation Army, and is sure to make the season brighter.