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‘Music in the Gardens’ Series Explores N.C. Roots

Duke employee and student tickets are $5; $10 general admission

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The "Music in the Gardens" summer series begins June 3 with Mipso, a Chapel Hill-based bluegrass band. Photo courtesy of Duke Performances

When it comes to natural beauty, summer celebration and North Carolina artists, the annual “Music in the Gardens” series has it all. Duke Performances this week announced the lineup for its summertime concert series in Sarah P. Duke Gardens, where Duke employees, students and the general public can bring picnic baskets and blankets and enjoy Piedmont blues to Appalachian harmonies. The series, which runs June 3 to July 29, focuses on North Carolina-inspired Americana, blues and bluegrass music; Duke Performances chose this genre after five years of bringing locally based, internationally acclaimed indie rock to Duke Gardens.

“We’re offering world-class music in a setting that almost could not be more beautiful,” said Aaron Greenwald, Duke Performances’ executive director. “It’s a welcomed cultural option when things slow down a little bit here in Durham during the summer and after the academic year is done.”The calendar begins with Mipso, a Chapel Hill-based bluegrass band that traveled as far as Japan to play shows, and includes a 3-day music revue featuring American folk musician Phil Cook.  Duke Performances is also partnering with the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit working to preserve Southern musical traditions, to present three shows: Electric blues artist Cool John Ferguson with blues singer Sam Frazier Jr. on June 10; Boo Hanks, John Dee Holeman, Ironing Board Sam and Williette Hinton on July 15; and Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen and acoustic blues artist Big Ron Hunter will play the last “Music in the Gardens” concert on July 29.Tickets can be purchased on the Duke Performances website or by calling (919) 684-4444 beginning April 28. Prices have been reduced this year to $5 for Duke employees and students and $10 general admission. The concerts are free for ages 12 and under. Julie Grundy, an information architect with Duke Web Services, has attended about eight “Music in the Gardens” concerts in the past two years. Last summer, Grundy saw indie-pop band “The Rosebuds” with her neighbors, and she said the number of people on her picnic blanket continued to grow as she ran into friends in Duke Gardens. They brought along a basket of cheese and crackers, fruit, and wine. “I just really love seeing live music, especially outside,” Grundy said. “The ‘Music in the Gardens’ series is unique. It’s a special experience to hear quality music in the beauty of the gardens.”

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