At the Gallery

The Beach Boys performed by Boomerang

September 28th, 2024 at 7 pm

At The Gallery
​
Petula Clark performed by Wren

May 25th at 7pm

Petula Clark began her career by chance as a child during the Second World War. After a radio producer was seeking a soothing voice to calm a theatre audience, Petula made her radio debut and her career took off. Soon after, she began to tour the United Kingdom alongside fellow young starlet, Julie Andrews, and Petula became known as “Britain’s Shirley Temple”. Clark even became a mascot of the British Army, in which some troops plastered her face on tanks as they advanced into battle. Establishing an esteemed career in singing, film, and theatre, Petula spent most of her life as a renowned entertainer across the globe. Alongside her smash hit “Downtown”, Petula is also known for “A Sign of the Times”, “Kiss Me Goodbye”, and “I Know a Place”.
​Wren is a New Bern native, whose music is a captivating blend of soulful melodies and powerful vocals. Inspired by the legendary sounds of Billie Holiday, Adele, Stevie Nicks, Amy Winehouse, and Kelly Clarkson. This singer's passion for storytelling through songwriting shines through in every performance. Like one of her idols, Kelly Clarkson, Wren exudes confidence and charisma on stage, commanding the attention of their audience with every note. With a voice that can move mountains and a spirit that shines bright, this singer is destined to leave a lasting impact on the world of music, captivating hearts and minds with their soul-stirring performances. WREN can be found performing every 4th Sunday of the Month at Baxter’s 1892 between 5pm-7pm.
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers, available in person at Bank of the Arts,
​online at www.cravenarts.org, or over the phone at 252.638.2577.

Bessie Smith

performed by

Heather Pierson

​March 23rd at 7 pm
​Bessie Smith, known as the "Empress of the Blues", was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bessie  began singing in her youth, and in 1913 toured with Ma Rainey, with whom she received additional training. Famous for her rich contralto voice and captivating emotional performances, the American Blues singer traveled throughout the south singing in cities such as Birmingham, Alabama, Memphis Tennessee, and Atlanta and Savanna, Georgia. Her most notable songs include "Careless Love Blues". "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do".
Heather Pierson is a world-class performer, with her bell-tone, pitch-perfect vocals and her spot-on interpretations.  “I’ll never forget it, the very first time I played the piano – a real piano – I knew that this was exactly what I wanted to do, every moment that I had the chance to do it.” she recalls. Winner of the 2012 New England Songwriting Contest, Heather has multiple CD's to her credit, in a variety of musical genres, which reveal her musical versatility, from New Orleans jazz, folk narratives, Delta Blues and, for us, Bessie Smith.

Make Up Day!

Van Morrison performed by Ken Kennedy

January 27th at 7 pm

If you purchased tickets and saved them for this date and know that you can’t make it. Please call us at 252.638.2577.
A native of North Carolina and resident of High Point, Ken Kennedy has spent his lifetime singing and playing music. As the vocalist for Piedmont Airlines he consistently amazed audiences throughout the world in his engagements at the Grand Casino, Deauville, and Paris, Frankfurt as well as most major US cities. He was the featured vocalist in the “Down Home with the Carolina Pops” tour with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.
Sir George Ivan Morrison known professionally as Van Morrison, is an Irish singer,
musician and songwriter. Known as “Van the Man,” Morrison rose to prominence in the 1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish band, ‘Them,’ with whom he wrote and recorded “Gloria.” His solo career started with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” in 1967. Through the decades, Morrison has recorded 42 albums and has been indicted into four different Hall of Fames, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hits include “Dweller on the Threshold”, “In the Garden”, and “Someone Like you”.

Mann & Weil

performed by

BOOMERANG

The last four decades of pop music would not be the same without the melodies of Barry Mann and lyrics of Cynthia Weil. Together the pair have created hits for the Righteous Brothers, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Dolly Parton. Mann and Weil have written a hit in almost every genre from poignant ballads to jamming rock music. Together the duo has amassed a total of 112 pop, country and R&B awards including the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Hits include “Walking in the Rain,” “Here You Come Again,” and “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling.” 
Boomerang is made up of multi-instrumentalists Epy, Mike and Tom bringing their craft and 3-part harmonies together in this spirited trio. The mainstay of the band is the re-creation of the great music hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s.  Each song presentation is immediately recognizable by their audiences.  Their live and accompanying instrumentation arrangements are all performed by Epy, Mike and Tom.