Appalachian State University

The Summer Dance Series provides open classes of various dance styles and bodywork for all ages and ability levels. Classes offered in previous years have included ballet, hip hop, Pilates, modern dance, jazz, Gyrokinesis, yoga, African dance, creative dance, hula, salsa, musical theatre dance, capoeira, folk dance and more.

The Summer Dance Series provides open classes of various dance styles and bodywork for all ages and ability levels. Classes offered in previous years have included ballet, hip hop, Pilates, modern dance, jazz, Gyrokinesis, yoga, African dance, creative dance, hula, salsa, musical theatre dance, capoeira, folk dance and more.

Presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, this annual celebration of the performing and visual arts is held every July in venues across the university campus, and features an eclectic, diverse mix of music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film programming. Celebrating its 35th season in 2019, the festival has risen in stature to become one of the nation’s most highly respected summer festivals, acclaimed for the breadth and quality of its artistic programming.

Pianist, singer-songwriter and North Carolina native Ben Folds opens the 35th anniversary season of An Appalachian Summer Festival with an unforgettable evening of genre-bending music featuring the Winston-Salem Symphony. According to the Vibes Music Blog, “on stage, he is just a wonder to watch, as a pianist, as a lyricist, as a composer, a conductor and as a man.”

Join us for the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble’s critically acclaimed Reflections Series International, as violinist Gil Morgenstern celebrates his 35th season as Artistic Director of the chamber music ensemble that has served as the cornerstone of the festival’s classical music programming. The opening concert, “The Trio Takes Form,” charts the progression of the popular trio form over 75 years, from Haydn to Beethoven to Mendelssohn.

Several times a year, to celebrate new exhibitions, the Turchin Center invites the public inside after hours, to “engage, discover and connect through the arts.” It’s an opportunity for art lovers to meet the artists, have some food and enjoy a cocktail while wandering one of the most exciting venues in town: a collection of seven galleries filled with a diverse mix of contemporary art from local, regional, national and international artists.

The celebrated North Carolina Black Repertory Company returns by popular demand this summer with its production of “Plenty of Time,” following the forty-three-year romance between an unlikely pair, a debutant from an elite black family and a working-class young man with dreams of changing the world.

Pilobolus maintains its own singular style, evolving interplay with shapeshifting, shadowplay and other explorations, breaking down barriers between disciplines and challenging the way we think about dance. Pilobolus invites you to engage with childlike wonder at a performance that features classic and brand-new repertory – ranging from the silly to the surreal to the sublime.

Multi Grammy Award-winning superstar singer and actress Patti LaBelle is widely regarded as the queen of rock and soul music. She has received acclaim for many of her songs, including “Lady Marmalade,” “When You Talk About Love,” “New Attitude” and the number one duet with Michael McDonald, “On My Own.”

The symposium endeavors to provide teachers with the most current research on the Holocaust, racism and anti-Semitism in tandem with teaching strategies and plans needed by every educator to tackle this urgent topic in an informed and successful manner in a classroom setting. Registration is now open. The Center also offers a limited number of scholarships.

Lily Tomlin, one of America's foremost comediennes, returns to the festival for an unforgettable night of smart humor and laughter. Bringing more than a dozen of her most memorable characters to the stage— from Frankie, of Netflix’s hit show, to Ernestine and Edith Ann— the show will provide comical insights and witty observations about the human condition.

Punch Brothers are the quintet of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Gabe Witcher. The band has been acknowledged by the Washington Post of “…taking bluegrass to its next evolutionary stage, drawing equal inspiration from the brain and the heart.”