Duke Performances announces big shows for 2010-11 season

The first round of performers for Duke Performances 2010-11 season have just been announced and there are some great shows, a few of which we've already mentioned here. If you want to see the schedule without the exposition, you can jump to the bottom.

Things kick off with the big Megafaun, three-night "Sounds of the South" shows we spilled the beans on a few weeks ago. They will be joined by Richmond, VA-based big band Fight the Big Bull as well as special guests Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Sharon Von Etten for what promises to be three amazing nights of music. Those shows are on September 17, 18 and 19.

That show will be followed by the venerable Loudon Wainwright the III on September 24, which we posted about last December. He'll be performing songs by the late North Carolina musician Charlie Pool, the subject of Wainwright's latest album High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project.

The following night will feature an amazing double bill of local rising stars Carolina Chocolate Drops and amazing singer songwriter Joe Henry.

Brooklyn indie stars Dirty Projectors will play the 1,200+ capacity Page Auditorium on October 5. This show is going to be huge, musically and literally.

Once the new year rolls around, the Reynolds Industries Theater will host the two-night world premiere duet between Tift Merritt and classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Those shows are on January 21 and 22.

And then in on March 26, jazz trio The Bad Plus be will perform Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring for the first time at Reynolds Industries Theater.

Whew, that's a lot of big shows. Check out the full list of performers released thus far below, including some shows not mentioned above. Even more performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for each of these shows will go on sale Tuesday, July 20, here, at the Duke box office or by phone at 919-684-4444.

Duke Performances schedule
09.17.10 - Megafaun & Fight the Big Bull @ Hayti Heritage Center
09.18.10 - Megafaun & Fight the Big Bull @ Hayti Heritage Center
09.19.10 - Megafaun & Fight the Big Bull @ Hayti Heritage Center
09.24.10 - Loudon Wainwright III @ Reynolds Industries Theater
09.25.10 - Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Henry @ Reynolds Industries Theater
10.05.10 - Dirty Projectors @ Page Auditorium
10.22.10 - András Schiff @ Page Auditorium
01.21.11 - Tift Merritt & Simone Dinnerstein @ Reynolds Industries Theater
01.22.11 - Tift Merritt & Simone Dinnerstein @ Reynolds Industries Theater
02.04.11 - Merce Cunningham Dance Company @ DPAC
02.05.11 - Merce Cunningham Dance Company @ DPAC
02.11.11 - Wayne Shorter Quartet @ Page Auditorium
02.15.11 - Thomas Hampson @ Page Auditorium
02.25.11 - Abbey Theatre of Ireland @ Carolina Theatre
02.26.11 - Abbey Theatre of Ireland @ Carolina Theatre
03.19.11 - Kronos Quartet @ Page Auditorium
03.26.11 - The Bad Plus @ Reynolds Industries Theater