Carolina Performing Arts - The Daily Tar Heel

Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard to perform at Memorial Hall

By Jacqueline Scott | Feb. 25, 2010

Famous trumpeter Terence Blanchard will bring his soulful sound to Memorial Hall at 8 p.m. tonight for an evening of jazz.Blanchard, a native of New Orleans, recorded his latest album at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, honoring the city after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.David Houston, the museum’s curator and director, said Blanchard brought back the soul of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina with his music.“Terence gave it more soul, gave it more feeling,” Houston said. “He started thinking more of his legacy as a New Orleans tradition rather than a national reputation.”

Mikeah Ernest Jennings is one of the actors in Young Jean Lee’s “The Shipment.” Courtesy of Carolina Performing Arts

'Shipment' performance in Memorial Hall causes laughter, discomfort

By Jenn Kim | Feb. 15, 2010

Arts Verdict: 3.5 of 5 StarsYoung Jean Lee’s “The Shipment” forced laughs from some and led others to leave the play early Friday night in Memorial Hall.Scenes of dance, stand-up comedy, song and skits raised important questions about racism and the black experience.Though the performance brought some laughs, its unnerving comments and commentary stayed with the audience after the show.

Memorial Hall to host 'unsettling' show

By Colin Warren-Hicks | Feb. 12, 2010

CORRECTION 3 p.m. Feb. 12: An earlier version of this story misquoted professor Jennifer Ho. The incorrect quote has been removed. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the erorr.Forceful language and unsettling content will combine to make an unrelenting spectacle for viewers in Memorial Hall this Friday and Saturday.This weekend’s presentation of playwright Young Jean Lee’s “The Shipment,” will thrust the audience into a bare-staged, racially entangled and gritty exploration of bigotry.

Sarah Jastram sells tickets to the Ira Glass show. Arts organizations are adapting to make do with less money. DTH/Lauren Vied

UNC performing arts groups get creative in the face of budget cuts

By Gavin Hackeling | Feb. 7, 2010

In difficult economic times, arts organizations have had to find innovative productions or learn to make do with less.

Memorial Hall to host Loading Dock Series performance

By Mark Sabb | Jan. 28, 2010

Mixtapes began as quasi-albums rappers used to exhibit their skill outside the mainstream music industry.

Lincoln-inspired work deserves a tip of the hat

By Lauren Russell | Jan. 18, 2010

Bill T. Jones presented a modern dance inspired byAbraham Lincoln without top hats, big beards or pennies Friday night at Memorial Hall.

The Soweto Gospel Choir energetically performed song and dance at Memorial Hall on Sunday. DTH/Gladys Manzur

From Africa to UNC, choir brings energy

By Katy Doll | Jan. 18, 2010

A single, piercing note split the silence to start Sunday night’s show, setting the stage for a high-energy and emotional performance from the Soweto Gospel Choir.The South African choir, composed of about 25 members who sing and dance, performed a program of traditional African songs, Christian spirituals and contemporary pieces.

“Fondly Do We Hope … Fervently Do We Pray,” a performance by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, premieres at 8 p.m. tonight

History in motion

By Lauren Russell | Jan. 15, 2010

Dance fans and history buffs alike have been eagerly awaiting the UNC premiere of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s “Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray” at 8 p.m.

Gospel choir to perform in memorial hall Sunday

By Fabiana Brown | Jan. 14, 2010

A lively group with colorful costumes, innovative dances and powerful voices will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Hall.

‘Noche Flamenca’ heats up Memorial Hall

By Judith Katz | Nov. 22, 2009

The heat in the full Memorial Hall already started before the show. It perfectly complemented the passion that the dancers of “Noche Flamenca” conveyed in their two-hour show Friday night.All through the performance, the crowd looked astounded and intrigued at the whirling dancers on stage.

Noche Flamenca, a group of dancers, singers and instrumentalists, will perform a sold-out show at Memorial Hall tonight.

Flamenco dance sells out

By Emily Stephenson | Nov. 20, 2009

Flamenco began as a outlet for cultural expression for repressed ethnic and religious groups during the Spanish Inquisition.

Leif Ove Andsnes, a Norwegian pianist, will perform with South African-born visual artist Robin Rhode. Courtesy of Simon Fowler.

‘Pictures Reframed’ combines music, art

By Adam Hinson | Nov. 17, 2009

UNC will play host today to an event that combines classical music with modern images to create a richly visual and audible story.

Bang on a Can and Trio Mediaeval, will perform through the Carolina Performing Arts series at 7:30 p.m. today in Memorial Hall.

Sing, twang, bang

By Lindsay Saladino | Nov. 17, 2009

The sounds of wooden bones, mountain dulcimers, steel hammers, banjos and medieval vocals will echo through Memorial Hall tonight.

Banjoist Béla Fleck, tabla player Zakir Hussain and double bassist Edgar Meyer play Sunday in Memorial Hall DTH/Chessa Rich

Concert review: Fleck delights at Memorial Hall

By Carly Yusiewicz | Oct. 12, 2009

4.5 of 5 stars

Banjoist Béla Fleck back to perform

By Carly Yusiewicz | Oct. 9, 2009

Three talented musicians in their own right will combine their disparate styles to create a genre-defying musical experience this Sunday.Banjoist Béla Fleck, Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain and double bassist Edgar Meyer will play as part of the Carolina Performing Arts series.

Ravi Shankar, a legendary musician from India, entertained a sold-out audience at Memorial Hall. DTH/Reyna Desai

Concert review: Shankar’s sitar captivates

By Nick Andersen | Oct. 7, 2009

The music of Ravi Shankar breathes with a shifting, pulsing sense of color.And in Shankar’s remarkable concert Tuesday evening in Memorial Hall, the sitar master’s changing musical fancies made for an ethereal, captivating performance of world music.

Rha Goddess performing "Low," a piece that divulges into the mind of a manic depressive.

Rha Goddess' 'Low' takes audience into a mind with manic depression

By Chelsea Lang | Oct. 4, 2009

Rha Goddess brought her audience into the tumultuous mind of a young woman suffering from manic depression with her performance Friday night.The show pushed people to challenge traditional notions of mental health and the definition of sanity.Rha Goddess: Low3.5 of 5 stars

Rha Goddess’ Show speaks on mental health system

By Fabiana Brown | Oct. 2, 2009

Mental illness is considered a delicate topic many prefer not to discuss.But poet, hip-hop artists and social entrepreneur, Rha Goddess, aims to spark dialogue through a new method of performance.

Grammy Award-winning tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins performs Tuesday night at Memorial Hall. DTH/Chessa Rich

Concert review: Jazzing up Memorial Hall

By Nick Andersen | Sep. 23, 2009

Memorial Hall is not a jazz club. It’s big, it’s drafty and it seats more than 1,400 people.

Prominent saxophonist jazzes up UNC

By Kavya Sekar | Sep. 22, 2009

As a teenager he played saxophone amongst famous musicians such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in Harlem. Now, Sonny Rollins is one of the last living musicians of the golden age in American jazz.A famous tenor saxophonist, Rollins will play tonight in Memorial Hall as part of the Carolina Performing Arts season.