There are amazing indoor performances happening every month at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center through April! Below are all of the shows to expect and how to purchase tickets to each.
Bill Leslie: Exploring Paradise
Sunday, February 23 | 4 p.m. |$25
Beloved local musician and broadcaster Bill Leslie returns to the Page-Walker will a preview of his album “Paradise,” due for release in Fall 2025. He will play songs inspired by places of incredible beauty and charm, including “Autumn in Vermont,” “Tuscan Trilogy,” and “April in Asheville.” He will also perform some of his most popular songs from earlier albums.
Leslie is the two-time winner of the Peabody Award, the nation’s highest honor in broadcasting. Composer of more than a dozen music albums, including” Scotland – Grace of the Wild,” which was named World Music Album of the Year in 2013, Leslie is also a popular landscape photographer.
Tickets are on sale now through ETIX and at The Cary Theater box office.
Rebecca Kleinmann, Ingrid Nora Knight & Courtney Crumpler: Into Brazil
Sunday, March 30 | 4 p.m. | $25
Connected by a deep love of Brazilian culture and music, these three brilliant world-traveling artists pay tribute to the glorious spectrum and history of Brazilian music. Join us for a journey into Brazil featuring music from traditional Forró to delicate, sophisticated Choro, to modern and inspired original compositions. Flutist and singer Rebecca Kleinmann, recently returned from her twelfth time visiting Brazil says, “This music draws us in and inspires us with its unique flavor and way of integrating delightfully complex rhythms with gorgeous harmonies and melodies.”
Rebecca Kleinmann started synthesizing her diverse musical interests as a flutist and vocalist at Indiana University, where she historically graduated as the first Jazz Flute major in the history of the school’s Jazz Studies program. She then moved to California where she lived for 20 years, performing widely and teaching music. She began her yearly pilgrimages to Brazil where she cultivated her love and understanding of various Brazilian musical genres. Now newly based in her home state of North Carolina, Rebecca leads her quintet RKQ, which was awarded the 2024 Chamber music America Performance Plus grant, Brazilian Choro groups Noites Carolinas and Forró Triangulo, and is a professor at UNC Chapel Hill as the director of Charanga Carolina.
Ingrid Nora Knight is a pianist from rural North Carolina. Growing up in Appalachia, she was surrounded by a rich musical tradition of bluegrass and old-time music, but it was when she discovered jazz in high school that she decided to pursue music full-time. Ingrid was self-taught as a jazz pianist for many years, but owes most of her formal jazz training to North Carolina Central University. She has also found a deep love of Brazilian music and founded and leads her group Também featuring Brazilian-inspired original compositions.
Courtney Crumpler is a percussionist, multi-disciplinary movement artist, organizer, and translator working between Durham, North Carolina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was a founding member of the Rio-based forró band Flor de Manacá, a member of the Grande Companhia Brasileira de Mysterios e Novidades and a performer in Rio de Janeiro street carnaval.
Tickets are now on sale through ETIX and at The Cary Theater box office.
Roadhouse Storytellers
Saturday, April 26 | 7 p.m. | $25
Roadhouse Storytellers, presented by the North Carolina Storytelling Guild, returns to the Page-Walker Arts & History Center for an evening of engaging stories from local tellers. Featured performers are Phyllis Dodd, Peg Helminski, Willa Brigham, and Sam Pearsall.
In her previous life, Phyllis Dodd was a PE teacher, sports massage therapist, competitive triathlete, and marathon runner. After losing her leg in an accident, her life took an abrupt detour. With encouragement from her therapist, Phyllis ventured into stand-up comedy. She has evolved into an inspirational humorist, comedic storyteller, motivational speaker and advocate for the uniquely abled. www.phyllisdodd.com
Peg Helminski has been telling stories forever! She won her first writing contest in 7th grade and sold her first national magazine story two years later. A Distinguished Toastmaster, she has won awards in writing, public speaking, and leadership development. Peg believes that self-empowerment begins with knowing one’s own stories! www.peghelminski.com
Will Brigham is the two-time Emmy Award Winning host of “Smart Start Kids” an inspirational speaker, storyteller, writer, and performing artist. Will has five CD’s and two books to her credit. She has entertained and inspired audiences across the country, including on the Exchange Place Stage in Jonesborough, Tennessee. www.willabrigham.com
Sam Pearsall is a retired ecologist and tonight’s fourth storyteller and emcee, as well as founder of Roadhouse Storytellers. Sam believes we are all made of stories! Stories are what we remember and dream and how we think of each other. Every story is a whole world. Sam believes that with any good story, the further you go the bigger it gets. www.samstories.org
Tickets are now on sale through ETIX and at The Cary Theater box office.