I hope your January is off to a good start. Luckily, our winters in the Carolinas are generally mild, so we can get out and have some fun without having to strap on snowshoes. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to enjoy more live entertainment, you’ll find some good options in this edition of FanFare. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Organ at Davidson, and WDAV’s Small Batch Concert Series are all back in action over the next week.
Viennese Vibes
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra* starts the new year with two nights of waltzes and more at Belk Theater (130 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte) on January 9th and 10th at 7:30 p.m. Led by Conductor Michael Christie, the program begins with a journey along Vienna’s famous river as the CSO performs Johann Strauss Jr’s evocative “On the Beautiful Blue Danube.” Concertmaster Calin Ovidiu Lupanu will be front and center in performances of Ernest Chausson’s Poème and Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane. The CSO will take the audience for another spin with Franz Liszt’s whirling Mephisto Waltz and close out the evening with Richard Strauss’ joyful Suite from Der Rosenkavalier. January 9-10.
Opera Idol
The annual Laffont Competition is the Metropolitan Opera’s search for the next great opera talent. You can hear all about it on our Piedmont Arts podcast. And you can experience it for yourself. The North Carolina District portion of the event takes place Saturday, January 10th from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Piedmont Community College’s Tate Hall (1206 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte). You’ll be able to hear more than 30 talented young opera singers compete for a chance to advance to the stage of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. Admission is free. January 10.
New Year, Used Books
Didn’t get everything you wanted for holidays? The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is holding its first book sale of 2026 at the Sugar Creek Library (4045 North Tryon Street, Suite A, Charlotte) on Saturday, January 10th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fiction, non-fiction, young adult titles, cookbooks, children’s books, and coffee table books start at $1. And if your New Year’s resolutions include decluttering, book donations are currently being accepted at all open Charlotte Mecklenburg Library locations. January 10.
Organ at Davidson
The 2025-26 Organ at Davidson* season continues with Evensong on Sunday January 11th at 4:00 p.m. at Davidson College Presbyterian Church (100 N. Main Street, Davidson). The concert will feature The Choir of the Chapel of the Cross from Chapel Hill, NC. Admission is free. You can also stream the event on Facebook. January 11.
Chamber Music at UNCSA*
The Balourdet Quartet comes to University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ Watson Hall on Tuesday, January 13th at 7:30 p.m. The acclaimed chamber group will open with Schubert’s dramatic and powerful “Quartettsatz.” Their program also includes Nicky Sohn’s imaginative new composition, “Galaxy Back to You,” and Eleanor Alberga’s driving Quartet No. 2. Finally, the quartet will be joined by members of the UNCSA string faculty for Johannes Brahms’ beautiful Sextet No. 1. January 13.
You Had Me at “Cello”
WDAV is excited to welcome extraordinary cellist Anita Graef to the first Small Batch concert of the new year on Thursday, January 15th, 7 p.m. at Free Range Brewing (2320 N. Davidson Street, Charlotte). Winner of the 2022 Gheens Young Artist Award and the 2021 American Prize, Ms. Graef will be performing works by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Gaspar Cassadó, Johann Sebastian Bach, and more. Come as you are for a casual and convivial evening of music and libation. As always, your $20 ticket includes a souvenir pint glass filled with a Free Range beverage of your choice. Plus, you can fill out your music collection with LPs and CDs from our mobile record store. January 15.
Abracadabra
Blumenthal Arts’* presentation of The Magicians Table at Blume Studios (904 Post Street, Charlotte) continues through Sunday, February 15th. Direct from London, this elevated and immersive experience offers an evening of close-up magic and handcrafted cocktails presented in memory of the great, and fictional, illusionist Dieter Roterburg. You’ll be amazed by the variety of illusionists who visit your table, and it’s an ideal date night or group activity. 18+ only. Through February 15.
Troll Takeover
Here’s a great excuse for a road trip. The North Carolina Arboretum (100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville) is currently hosting Trolls: A Field Study through Tuesday, February 17th. The exhibit features 12 larger-than-life wooden troll sculptures produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo. Crafted from materials including fallen branches and wooden pallets, these whimsical creatures stand up to nine-feet tall. Through February 17.
Visit our WDAV Events Calendar for even more fun stuff that may pop up, and I’ll check back with you next week!
FanFare is made possible in part by:
*Disclosure: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Organ at Davidson, UNCSA, and Blumenthal Arts are WDAV underwriters.