news, culture & comment
What would the Holiday season be without The Nutcracker? Featuring a live symphony orchestra, grand illusions, and magnificent sets & costumes, it’s not to be missed! Bring the whole family and join us on a journey to the Land of Sweets. Renew your subscription by March 30th to reserve the best seats before they go […]
College students are invited to submit original works for our Park Pictures billboard competition. Images should engage with how the concept of place affects identity and the development of character. Ongoing
Today only about 200 complete sets of The Birds of America exist. The Museum’s set, bound in four leather portfolios, was acquired by the State of North Carolina in 1848 and kept for more than a century at the State Library before being transferred to the Museum. The hand-colored engravings were recently conserved and rebound. […]
The Civil War is often considered the “second American Revolution” and viewed as a rebirth of freedom. This second revolution included emancipation from an institution that had kept 4 million black people, over a quarter-million in North Carolina, in bondage. Those emancipated set out to claim freedoms: to be families, to better themselves, to make […]
The alluring gypsy Carmen can have any man she wants and today she wants the army corporal Don José. But when she leaves him for a dashing bullfighter, the soldier’s obsessive attraction proves fatal. You’ll recognize all the melodies because every song is a hit—from the smoky “Habanera” to the seductive “Seguidilla” to the rousing […]
Celebrate the Year of the Rooster with the Chinese and Asian cultural performances on stage (including the famous lion and dragon dances, vocal talents, traditional Chinese music, and more), exhibits, food and merchandise vendors offering arts and crafts for the entire family to enjoy. Event hours: 10 am - 5 pm. Admission $9 at door. […]
Robert Weiss presents a new ballet based on paintings by Czech artist, Alfonse Mucha. Weiss came across the series of paintings while visiting an art gallery in Prague and was inspired to bring them to life through ballet. Working with a specially commissioned score by J. Mark Scearce expressly for renowned pianist, William Wolfram, this […]
This temporary presentation is adjacent to the newly installed Audubon Gallery, where visitors can view four large Audubon folios from The Birds of America and learn about the naturalist’s life and artistic process. February 16, 2019 – September 15, 2019 East Building, Level B
North Carolina Opera is proud to present Korean-American soprano Hei-Kyung Hong in a rare recital appearance of opera arias and songs accompanied by piano. Ms. Hong has given over 350 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, singing the principal roles in all of the Mozart operas, the title role in La traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto, Luì […]
To celebrate the 100th birthdays of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, icons of classical music and ballet, as well as Broadway, we will be reviving their Fancy Free - the ballet that changed American dance forever. This work was also the genesis of the Broadway show and Hollywood movie, On the Town. For the first […]
One Giant Leap: North Carolina and the Space Race will be a 1,500 square foot lobby exhibit that explores North Carolina's role in the space race, containing stories about the people, places, chimps, and things that helped make America's historic leap to the Moon. Visitors can try out the Gemini training module from Morehead Planetarium […]
The diva Floria Tosca has always sacrificed for her art, but what is she willing to surrender to spare her lover from execution at the hands of evil Baron Scarpia? Her answer may surprise you, but her next move will shock you even more. Tosca is the quintessential Puccini thriller set in June 1800 in […]
Join Carolina Ballet for an evening of dance inspired by the famous paintings of Claude Monet featuring Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Picnic on the Grass and Robert Weiss’ The Gardens of Giverny. This beautiful homage to the great French painter features the evocative music of his compatriots Chausson, Debussy, and Poulenc. Originally commissioned in 2007 by the […]
Hart’s site-specific work for the Museum Park, Southern Oracle: We Will Tear the Roof Off, is inspired by her family history in North Carolina and by the song “Mothership Connection” by Parliament-Funkadelic, the project of North Carolina native George Clinton. The sculpture is intentionally open, welcoming visitors to climb on and explore the roof’s exterior, […]
Carolina Ballet closes out their 21st Season with one of the most popular story ballets of all time. Swan Lake is an enchanting fairy tale that tells the story of a beautiful swan princess cursed to live as a swan until she can find true love. Set to one of Tchaikovsky’s greatest scores, Robert Weiss’ […]