Duke Performances 2015-16 season announced, Nick Lowe, Patty Griffin, Rosanne Cash & many more

The Duke Performances Music in the Gardens series just kicked off last week and will feature fantastic performances through the end of July, but it's time to start looking forward to their big 2015-16 season which is packed with diverse artists.

The season will kick off on September 10 with Mahmoud Ahmed at Baldwin Auditorium and, over the course of the following seven months, will see the likes of Bettty LaVette, Rhiannon Giddens, The Fairfield Four, Hiss Golden Messenger, The King's Singers, Nick Lowe, Los Straitjackets, Rosanne Cash, Patty Griffin, Sara Watkins, Anaïs Mitchell, Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Hurray for the Riff Raff and Edgar Meyer, among many others. Check out the full schedule below.

Ben Folds announces new tour, album collaboration with yMusic

North Carolina's native son Ben Folds recently announced a new album recorded and arranged in collaboration with New York-based sextet yMusic. The duo will hit the road next month, with the tour kicking off right here in the Triangle.

Ben Folds and yMusic will play Duke's Baldwin Auditorium on Wednesday, April 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 3, at 11 a.m. via the Duke University box office online or in person for $48-58. A limited number of Duke student tickets are available for $10.

Check out a short teaser video and meet the band below.

Duke Performances announces 2014-15 season, William Tyler, Ari Picker & many more

Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series is in full swing right now but once the summer series comes to an end, the massive 2014-15 series will kick off will an impressive array of performances running through May of next year.

Amongst the eclectic schedule a few shows stand out to us, including guitarist William Tyler performing a piece called Corduroy Roads for four nights at Shadowbox and Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees performing a new piece called called Lion and the Lamb with musicians including Phil Moore of Bowerbirds among others for two nights at Nelson Music Room.

Duke Performances announces 2013-14 season, Nick Sanborn, Bombadil, Joe Henry, Chick Corea & more

It's that time of year again where local performing arts groups start announcing their plans for the next year. Duke Performances has offered one of the best programs around for quite a while now and this season's lineup includes some ambitious new programs as well as a quite a few familiar faces.

Highlights of the 2013-14 season include gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama, country singer-songwriter Guy Clark and Mandolin Orange, Nick Sandborn's Lend Me Your Voice, Love's Infrastructure featuring music by Bombadil and puppetry by Torry Bend, jazz star Pat Metheny and his Unity Group, Joe Henry and Over the Rhine and jazz great Chick Corea.

Duke Performances announces 2013 Music in the Gardens lineup

Photo by Kevin Norris

Spring is here, even though it hasn't felt like it much yet, and it's time to start making room in your schedule for the 2013 Duke Performances Music in the Gardens series, which kicks off on June 5.

Just like the most recent seasons, this year's lineup primarily focuses on music from the Triangle including Hiss Golden Messenger, American Aquarium, The Tender Fruit, JKutchma & The Five Fifths, Kenny Roby and Diali Cissokho, and Kaira Ba. The out-of-towners this year are David Wax Museum and Matthew E. White (who is pretty much an honorary Triangle resident at this point considering his strong ties to the local scene).

Win tickets to Megafaun at Duke Gardens

Megafaun will close out Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series tomorrow night with a show that's sure to be a rollicking good time.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Megafaun tickets" in the subject line no later than 1 p.m. TODAY, July 24. We'll be notifying the winner this afternoon, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Tickets to the show are $12, or $5 for Duke students and employees and free for children 12 and under. Show time is 7 p.m.

Win tickets to Mandolin Orange at Duke Gardens

Mandolin Orange has been on the road and working their way across the country and back to their North Carolina home. The band will play Duke Gardens as part of Duke Performance's Music in the Gardens series this Wednesday.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Mandolin Orange tickets" in the subject line no later than noon tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10. One entry per person, please. Congratulations, Jeff S.!

Tickets to the show are $12, or $5 for Duke students and employees and free for children 12 and under.

Win tickets to see Midtown Dickens and friends at Duke Gardens

As we mentioned yesterday, next week's Midtown Dickens show at Duke Gardens, part of Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series, is sure to be a great one. The band will be joined on stage by members of Megafaun, Lost in the Trees, Hammer No More the Fingers, Bowerbirds, and The Tender Fruit on Wednesday, July 18.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Midtown Dickens tickets" in the subject line no later that noon on Monday, July 9. We will select and notify a winner that afternoon. One entry per person, please. Congratulations, Brion V.!

Tickets to the show are $12, or $5 for Duke students and employees and free for children 12 and under.

Duke Performances announces 2012-13 season, the Mountain Goats, Lost in the Trees, Megafaun & more

Duke Performances has continually presented some of the most exciting performances in the Triangle in recent years and the 2012-13 season, which was just announced, continues that tradition. Here's a roundup of some of the shows that really perked up our ears.

First, jazz trio The Bad Plus will return to for a two-night stand at Motorco Music Hall on September 21 and 22.

The Mountain Goats and female acapella quartet Anonymous 4 will perform the Mountain Goats forthcoming album Transcendental Youth at the Reynolds Industries Theater on October 6. Anonymous 4 will also play their own show performing "love fail" by composer David Lang at the First Presbyterian Church of Durham on October 5.

Win tickets to Bombadil at Duke Gardens

Bombadil is next up on Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens calendar with a show next Wednesday, June 27.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Bombadil tickets" in the subject line no later than noon on Monday, June 25. We will select and notify a winner that afternoon. One entry per person, please.

Tickets to the show are $12, or $5 for Duke students and employees, and free for children 12 and under.

Win tickets to The Old Ceremony at Duke Gardens

The Old Ceremony is the next band to hit the Duke Gardens stage as part of the Music in the Gardens series next Wednesday, June 13.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Old Ceremony tickets" in the subject line no later than noon on Monday, June 11. We will select and notify a winner that afternoon. One entry per person, please.

Tickets to the show are $12, or $5 for Duke students and employees, and free for children 12 and under.

Win tickets to The Beast & Big Band at Duke Gardens

Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series will kick off next Wednesday, June 6, with a performance by hip-hop-jazz fusion band The Beast and Big Band.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Beast tickets" in the subject line no later than noon on Monday, June 4. We will select and notify a winner that afternoon. One entry per person, please.

Tickets to the show are $12, or $5 for Duke students and employees, and free for children 12 and under.

Duke Performances unveils Music in the Gardens lineup

Duke Performances has announced the lineup for what is arguably the best summer concert series around and, as usual, it's end-to-end with stellar local acts.

The Music in the Gardens series kicks off Wednesday, June 6, with The Beast and Big Band and includes The Old Ceremony, Dex Romweber & The New Romans, Bombadil, Mandolin Orange, Midtown Dickens and Megafaun.

Tickets go on sale May 15 and are $12 in advance, $5 for Duke students and employees, and free for children 12 and under.

Tyondai Braxton & Colin Stetson to perform solo sets in Durham

Two very different indie instrumentalists, guitarist Tyondai Braxton (of Battles) and bass saxophonist Colin Stetson (who has performed with Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, David Byrne and many others) will join up for a special double bill in Durham this spring presented by Duke Performances.

They'll perform at Motorco Music Hall on Friday, March 23. Tickets are on sale now HERE or at the Bryan Center box office for $15 for the public or just $5 for Duke students.

Check out a clip of Braxton performing his experimental, electronic music in Barcelona, Spain below. Also, check out a clip of Stetson performing live on WNYC in New York below too. The insane sounds the man can make with only a bass saxophone and no help from loops or other effects devices are impressive.

Update: Chris Thile listening session canceled

UPDATE: Chris Thile's listening session has been canceled but his show at Carolina Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 13, will take place as scheduled.

Before making his way to the Carolina Theatre on Sunday, November 13, the amazing mandolin virtuoso and singer-songwriter Chris Thile will host a free listening session in town.


He'll appear at Motorco Music Hall as part of their weekly Bloody Brunch series and will be discussing and playing recordings of "the music that influences, interests, and inspires him." The venue opens at noon, but a start time for Thile has not been announced yet. The listening session is a co-presentation with Duke Performances, who organized the show. Thile's Carolina Theatre show is part of Duke Performances' 2011-12 season.

Tickets for his solo show at Carolina Theatre are on sale via Ticketmaster for $30 to $38.

Duke Performances rolls out 2011-12 season, Alexi Murdoch, Carolina Chocolate Drops & more

It's that time again. Duke Performances has rolled out their new 2011-12 season, and as always, it's an ambitious mix of folk, classical, jazz and experimental music as well as so much more.

This season, the performances have expanded farther outside Duke's campus, featuring shows presented at Carolina Theatre, Durham Performing Arts Center, Motorco Music Hall and Casbah as the series becomes more and more integrated into the wider Durham arts scene.

Win tickets to Hammer No More the Fingers at Duke Gardens

Durham's own Hammer No More the Fingers will play Duke Performances' Music In The Gardens next Wednesday, June 22.

To win a pair of tickets to the show, email us at trianglemusicblog at gmail dot com with "HNMTF tickets" in the subject line no later than noon on Monday, June 20. We will notify the winner that afternoon.

The band will take the stage at 7 p.m. Tickets to the show are $10 or $5 for Duke students and employees and, as always, children 12 and under are free.

Win tickets to Fight the Big Bull at Duke Gardens

Summer is upon us, and that means it's time for Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series. Richmond-based jazz ensemble Fight the Big Bull will make a stop at the gardens on Wednesday, June 8, and we're giving away a pair of tickets to the show.

To win a pair of tickets to the show, email us at trianglemusicblog at gmail dot com with "Fight the Big Bull tickets" in the subject line no later than noon on Monday, June 6. We will notify the winner that afternoon. Congratulations, Bryan!

Tickets to the show are $10 or $5 for Duke students and employees and, as always, children 12 and under are free. Click here for the series' full lineup.

Dirty Projectors wrap fall tour at Page Auditorium

All photos by Kevin Norris

New York sextet Dirty Projectors wrapped their current tour on Tuesday night at Page Auditorium on Duke's campus with a bombastic set of experimental pop.

Bright, spastic guitar riffs, staccato female vocals and a tight, groovy rhythm section dominated the night. The band's music feels improvised much of the time, but the group is so tight, it seems impossible that much of it is left to chance.

"Knotty Pine," the band's contribution to the Dark Was the Night compilation, was an early stand out in the set. They also played a few songs, "No Embrace" and "Beautiful Mother," from their recent collaboration with Bjork titled Mount Wittenberg Orca.

Full Duke Performances 2010-11 schedule revealed, more big shows

After the first round of Duke Performances events for the 2010-11 season were revealed a few weeks ago, we were already very impressed. Now there's even more good shows to share with you that the full schedule has been released.

First, New York duo The Books will bring their the new album The Way Out to the intimate Shaefer Lab Theater for two shows (at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.) on Friday, Oct. 1.

Then, The American Beauty Project will perform at Page Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 15. The collective, which includes Ollabelle, Jim Lauderdale, David Mansfield, Catherine Russell and Aoife O’Donovan, will perform songs from The Grateful Dead's classic albums American Beauty and Workingman's Dead.