Williams Mullen & NC Museum of History Associates Save Music of the Carolinas

October 4, 2011

By: PineCone-Piedmont Council of Traditional Music

Local law firm Williams Mullen* and the *NC Museum of History Associates have joined forces to keep the Music of the Carolinas Series active for another season. As more and more nonprofits are facing the realities of decreased funding and struggling to maintain programs with fewer resources, the 12-year-old partnership between the North Carolina Museum of History and PineCone-the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, was in danger of becoming one more casualty of state budget cuts.

Now, thanks to funding from Williams Mullen and the NC Museum of History Associates, along with donations from individuals who attended last season’s concerts and in-kind marketing sponsorship from WLHC* and *WLQC, the series has the funding to continue for the 2011-2012 season. PineCone and the Museum of History will present nine concerts that are free and open to the public.

"Williams Mullen, through our foundation, looks for opportunities to support the communities in which we operate. Our attorneys volunteer on the Boards of both PineCone and the Museum of History Associates. Since the Music of the Carolinas series is a successful long-term joint project of both organizations, it made a lot of sense to combine our foundation dollars to allow this program to continue to serve the Raleigh community," said Ronald Raxter, a PineCone Board member. "This project exposes more visitors to the NC Museum of History, allows PineCone to further its educational mission of showcasing home-grown North Carolina traditional artists and advances Raleigh as a home for the traditional performing arts. It is a win-win for everyone."

"We are grateful to Williams Mullen and the NC Museum of History Associates, whose members recognized the value of this program and who were committed to seeing it continue," said William Lewis, PineCone’s Executive Director. "We are also grateful to the individuals who donated when they attended concerts last season, and to WLHC and WLQC, who have come on-board as in-kind media sponsors to help us spread the word about this unique series of concerts."

Alan Button, President of Life 103.1 WLHC and WLQC, also cited the importance of preserving North Carolina’s traditional music.

"Our staff here at Life 103.1, through our sister stations WLHC and WLQC in central and eastern North Carolina, are pleased to be able to provide tangible support to the Music of the Carolinas Series," Button said. "Our weekend traditional music programming - which has a devoted and growing following - reflects our overarching commitment to preserving and promoting great music. Sponsoring the series to help it continue was a no-brainer for us. We consider it a privilege to partner with PineCone and the NC Museum of History in affirming an element of our culture that is central to our community identity and specially linked to the joy of living in North Carolina."

The Music of the Carolinas series invites people to discover and celebrate North Carolina's rich musical heritage by featuring the best home-grown North Carolina traditional artists, as well as by showcasing the musical and performance traditions of the various cultures that call North Carolina home today. Program notes are available at each concert in this series, and large-print versions are available as well.All performances take place on Sundays and begin at 3 p.m. in the Daniels Auditorium at the NC Museum of History (5 E Edenton St, Raleigh) This year’s lineup includes:

Blind Boy Chocolate & the Milk Sheiks - October 9, 2011
Sara Grey & Kieron Means - November 13, 2011
The Mostly Mountain Boys (Paul Brown w/Terri McMurray & Joe Schwab) - December 11, 2011
Lakota John Locklear - January 8, 2012
Boo Hanks - February 12, 2012
Patrick & Cathy Sky - March 11, 2012
Alejandro Santoyo - April 15, 2012
Sheila Kay Adams - May 13, 2012
GrassStreet - June 10, 2012

The program was considered too valuable to eliminate three years ago when the Museum cut its budget. As a cost saving measure, the series was retooled to include film screenings about North Carolina music traditions in addition to live performances. This year, thanks to the sponsorship of Williams Mullen and the NC Museum of History Associates, the series will once again feature nine live performances.

The Museum’s Curator of Internal Programs, Michelle Carr, has been a vocal supporter of the series."North Carolina’s traditional music represents an abundant cultural legacy and an essential link to history. Keepers of these musical traditions cherish the repertoires and styles of playing of their families and communities, and strive to secure the music’s appreciation among new generations of performers and listeners. In times of economic challenge, it is more vital than ever that we continue to preserve the arts. They nourish our souls, connect us to the past, and provide us with the inspiration to move forward."

PineCone and the Museum look forward to continuing to present this series for future generations to enjoy.

Learn more about the Music of the Carolinas series

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