Press Releases

In addition to the "Queen of Steam" locomotive, train rides on motor cars, and lessons on train safety, the Rail Days Festival at the N.C. Transportation Museum June 20 will feature exhibits and designs for trains of the future. Representatives from UNC-Charlotte will discuss technology that will consume less fuel and make for safer, more affordable transportation.

Tryon Palace’s Jonkonnu interpretive performance group will hold free workshops for those interested in joining the troupe in the Waystation Auditorium on Tuesdays, from 1-3 p.m., June 23 to Aug. 11.

Pack a picnic, bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy the Independence Day holiday weekend at this annual patriotic celebration Saturday, July 4. The Historic State Capitol will sponsor this free, fun-filled family event that has become a downtown Raleigh tradition. For the fifth year, an outdoor naturalization ceremony for approximately 30 new citizens will take place at noon on the Capitol steps.

Go back in time and visit another era during this annual, free event to explore and experience history, fun, food, arts and crafts during the "Days Gone By" program June 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Somerset Place State Historic Site. This history, fun-filled and educational day will feature life on a plantation through hands-on historic activities with costumed interpreters.

Tryon Palace research historian Siobhan Fitzpatrick will explore the early history of Tryon Palace and New Bern during a Lunch and Learn lecture held at the North Carolina History Center in downtown New Bern on Friday, June 19. The lecture, entitled “The History of Tryon Palace,” will begin at noon.

The North Carolina Symphony is pleased to announce that four talented young musicians have won top prizes in the 2015 Kathleen Price and Joseph M. Bryan Youth Concerto Competition, the state’s premier competition for young instrumentalists. The finals of this rigorous, two-round audition were held in Raleigh in May. Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn and Symphony Associate Conductor David Glover served as judges.

The North Carolina Symphony, led by conductor Brent Havens, will perform some of the greatest hits from the band The Eagles as part of its 2015 Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m.   Joining Havens will be vocalists John Hines and Terry Brock, and Glenn DeLaune, vocals and 12-string guitar.

Join the North Carolina Symphony Quartet Thursday, June 18, for an eclectic evening that showcases the artistry of Symphony musicians Jacqueline Saed Wolborsky, Samuel Gold, Nathaniel Yaffe, and Matthew Decker. The program, which begins at 9 p.m., includes string trio music of Dohnanyi and Bach, including a bold arrangement of Bach's keyboard masterpiece, Goldberg Variations, as well as Stop Speaking, a work for snare drum and electronics by modern percussion master Andy Akiho, led by Assistant Principal Percussionist Matthew Decker.  Doors open at 8 p.m.

Fresh off the release of their new album Collide, Boyz II Men return to Raleigh for a one-night only event Wednesday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m., with Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and the North Carolina Symphony.  The concert will take place in Meymandi Concert Hall.

The North Carolina Symphony, led by Associate Conductor David Glover, will perform two great evenings of music from stage and screen at the 2015 Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series on Friday, June 19 and Saturday June 20, at 7:30 p.m. at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre. Gates open for the concert series at 5:30 p.m.  Children 12 and under are free on the lawn.