Folkmoot USA will present an electrifying evening of music and cultural celebration with the Black Sea Beat Society at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. 

A regional Americana/bluegrass act, Granny’s Mason Jar will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 

A special production of “Footloose” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 18-19, 25-27 and 2 p.m. July 20-21 and 28 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 

The popular Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas (CMSC) will perform at 4 p.m. July 21 and 28 at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. 

The Summer Music Series will continue with an evening of old-time and traditional music by Susan Pepper & Sarah Songbird Burkey at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 

A delighted crowd of more than 350 people responded with a standing ovation at the season’s opening concert of the Haywood Community Band (HCB).

Leonidas Lagrimas will present “Musical Storytellers: A Piano Recital” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

Last week, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released performance and growth data for the 2022-23 school year, and none of the four school districts in the Smoky Mountain News coverage area received a low-performing state designation. 

With its latest EP, “Something New: Vol 1,” the Maggie Valley Band is breaking new ground, whether it be sonically or what lies within the creative spirit of the emerging Haywood County act. 

In recent years, the sibling duo of Whitney and Caroline Miller (amid a rotating cast of guest backing musicians) have transitioned from an acoustic ensemble pushing the boundaries of folk and mountain music to a melodic entity that constantly stokes the hot coals of Americana and indie-rock stylings. 

By Andrew Dundas • Contributing writer | This fall, Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine & Performing Arts Center celebrates 15 years of visual and performing arts programming for students and audiences in surrounding counties. The anniversary, however, comes in the midst of COVID-19-related closures and cancellations affecting events and spaces.