Apple Music Country radio host and journalist Hunter Kelly continues his series of conversations with the industry’s most influential artists.

Country music is beginning to look more like America, but it still has many a road to travel. Hunter Kelly shifts his focus from Nashville’s mega-artists and songwriters to lead a panel on diversity in country music — what has needed to change, what has been gained, and the work still to be done.

Joining Hunter is a roundtable of artists, journalists, academics, and all-around stakeholders in country music. Among them are two standout performers: Rissi Palmer — singer, host of Apple Music Radio’s Color me Country, and a passionate voice for artists who have been marginalized in mainstream country music — and formidable emerging artist D’orjay The Singing Shaman, a Black queer Canadian forging her own path in the genre. Also on the panel: Country Queer founder Dale Henry Geist, lead researcher on the SongData project Jada Watson, and UCLA doctoral candidate Amanda Marie Martinez, completing her dissertation on race and the country music industry. Together they’ll discuss the need for showcasing diverse voices in country music, the platforms required to promote them, and all that needs to evolve in the industry. The talk will also include performance videos from Rissi and D’orjay.

Here's how it works: you reserve your party package and invite your guests, and we do the rest. Depending on the ticket package you choose, we’ll provide the supplies you need to treat your guests at your party: wine or bubbly, cupcakes, and savory treats! We’ll even provide a digital invitation that you can send out to your friends. And of course, we’ll provide the link to the exclusive streaming content that will go live at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 20.

Then you just sit back and enjoy the party at home with your friends! We hope you're planning to join us on Thursday, May 20, and we hope you're as excited as we are to celebrate 30 years of permanently affordable housing opportunities in Orange County. You can find all the details about the party on our website.

We’re going offstage and into the galleries with Music at the Museum! This series showcases a diversity of North Carolina bands that represent our state’s rich musical landscape. Presented with Come Hear North Carolina, this free livestreamed concert series kicked off September 1, 2020, and is coming back for season two on April 13, 2021. Check out the livestream event pages below and keep your eye out for the TV re-edit, which will be broadcast on PBS NC in the coming months.

The Carolina Theatre of Durham welcomes everyone “Back To The Theatre!” Though, not quite yet… Since January 1, 2021, the historic venue has been temporarily closed due to the ongoing pandemic. The Board of Trustees of Carolina Theatre of Durham, Inc. and president & CEO, Randy McKay are working on plans for a safe reopening. In the meantime, the theatre is hosting an online fundraiser on Wednesday, May 26 at 7:00 p.m. Funds raised will be used to support theatre operations as we move toward a safe and swift reopening. We encourage the community’s support, including sponsorship opportunities, of what promises to be a unique evening of entertainment.

“I am excited and hopeful as we begin to see our community opening back up, vaccines are rolling out and case numbers are continuing on a decline,” McKay said. “While our closure has been difficult, the Carolina Theatre has always triumphed hardship. We can’t wait to welcome back the many team members who make the Carolina Theatre such a special place to attend or hold an event and we look forward to safely ushering our community through our doors soon.”

The big event is online only and features a live and silent auction, hosted by auctioneer extraordinaire Ben Farrell of Custom Benefit Auctions, and performances by local favorites Chatham Rabbits, John Howie, Nnenna Freelon and many more! Catering partners NanaSteak and Parker & Otis will be providing heat and eat dinners and fun snack packs available for pick up on the day of the event.

“We are excited to bring our community together to celebrate everything that makes Durham special and unique,” Ashley Pieraccini, Event Chair and member of the Board of Trustees, said. “Our auction is going to be filled with local treasures. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to be a part of the event.”