For more than 25 years, PineCone has offered a wide assortment of programs highlighting the diverse and dynamic musical traditions found throughout the Carolina Piedmont region.  This music includes styles and forms that are indigenous to the region and those which emerge everyday as newcomers move here from around the world, bringing with them their own traditions to add to our shared cultural identity. 

While the majority of PineCone’s annual programs focus expressly on the music and musicians of the Piedmont region, the Down Home Series showcases artists from around the state, nation, and globe whose music finds connection and expression here. From Western North Carolina favorites Doc Watson with David Holt and Richard Watson to modern bluegrass all-stars Daily & Vincent to the Hawaiian ukulele of Jake Shimabukuro and the Irish rock of The Chieftains, this year’s artists take the audience on an extraordinary musical journey that extends from the Hawaiian Islands around to Ireland, but always comes full-circle to the foothills that we call home.

PineCone is honored this year to partner with Broadway Series South to present The Chieftains in Memorial Auditorium on March 13 to close out the Down Home Concert Series, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! In their 40 years together, these Grammy award winning musicians have continuously made the musical traditions of Ireland relevant and appealing around the world.

Other highlights of the series include:

November 12: North Carolina’s own Doc Watson returns to Raleigh with longtime friend and collaborator David Holt and his own grandson, Richard Watson, to share songs and stories of the mountains in Hills of Home. (Sponsored by McCullers & Whitaker and Collegiate Capital Management)

January 7: A rare opportunity to see two musical virtuosos, Tim O’Brien & Bryan Sutton, perform as a duo.

January 26: Modern-day bluegrass all-stars Daily & Vincent return to Raleigh with an expanded repertoire that honors the original sound of bluegrass while pushing it in new directions.

February 12: Jake Shimabukuro graces Fletcher Theater with his exciting, innovative ukulele playing and compositions.

February 17: Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush will share some classic bluegrass numbers and his own trademark sound, while Alaska-based Bearfoot returns to the PineCone stage with their signature harmonies and inventive, bluegrass-infused music.

March 13: Paddy Moloney, THE CHIEFTAINS, and special guests close out the Down Home Concert Series in Memorial Auditorium just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! In their 40 years together, these six-time Grammy award winning musicians have continuously made the musical traditions of Ireland relevant and appealing around the world. (Sponsored by Collegiate Capital Management)

 
Tickets go on sale on August 9. PineCone members can take advantage of a week-long pre-sale beginning on August 2. Learn how to become a member, or get more details on each performance on PineCone’s website, www.pinecone.org.

PineCone is the largest, most active folk performing arts organization in North Carolina, offering a wide assortment of music programs to the Triangle community. While the majority of PineCone’s annual programs focus expressly on the music and musicians of the Piedmont region, the Down Home Concert Series showcases artists from around the state, nation, and globe whose music finds connection and expression here. PineCone is a resident company at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. PineCone presents free concerts in partnership with the NC Museum of History, the Town of Cary, and the Town of Wake Forest; jam sessions in different styles of music, and a weekly bluegrass radio show on 94.7 WQDR. Visit www.pinecone.org or call the office at 919-664-8302 for complete details. The Irregardless Cafe and Boom! Magazine are in-kind sponsors of this year’s Down Home Concert Series.