Please Note: The CPA box office hours will be from 10 AM - 3 PM tomorrow, Friday, April 19 due to the University holiday.

Did you know that the legendary Duke Ellington had a collaborator who helped define the Ellington Sound? Billy Strayhorn—who began his lifelong dedication to music right here in North Carolina—wrote some of Ellington’s most popular songs. On April 23, the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra will pay tribute to the musical trailblazers with a special concert featuring none other than Branford Marsalis. Last chance for tickets for this one-of-a-kind evening celebrating the Ellington big band sound!

April 23 at UNC’s Memorial Hall >> carolinaperformingarts.org/ncjro19

Tomorrow: Toshi Reagon will host a free gathering, featuring members of BIGLovely and the many change-makers she’s collaborated with during her time as a CPA Mellon Foundation DisTIL fellow. This community song circle will feature music based on Toshi’s folk opera, Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, as well as new original songs inspired by her time in the Triangle. Join us at CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio for this very special convening, starting at 3 PM.

And still to come tonight: The Alchemy of Change: Short Film Series AND Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely in concert!

CPA Mellon Foundation DisTIL fellow Toshi Reagon’s festival is officially underway! Join her tomorrow at 6:30 PM for the Alchemy of Change: Short Film Series. These beautiful short films created by Toshi and local filmmaker Katina Parker highlight the often invisible but passionate change-makers at UNC and in the Triangle. Check out the full roster of events for The Alchemy of Change: A Parable Becoming Three-Day Festival.