Cross Currents Festival Starts This Sunday

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Story by Lindsey Chester.

Cary, NC – Starting this Sunday, downtown Cary will be alive with music, dining and art in collaborations like never before.

The Cary Cross Currents Chamber Music and Arts Festival will take place over the first two weeks in July in the new Cary Arts Center. Festival Director, Carrie Knowles, has been working tirelessly since the Fall to bring many different elements together. Music, art, and dining experiences will combine to awaken our night time streets in downtown Cary.

Students Side By Side – Chance of a Lifetime

On Sunday, July 3, the Brussels Chamber Orchestra will begin a week long intensive program with students who were specially selected to participate in side by side instruction with the chamber musicians.

This is the chance of a lifetime for these Wake County students .  The practice of side by side instruction is very popular in Europe for students as they prepare themselves for conservatory auditions.  The first concert in the series on July 8 will include these students on several of the pieces playing beside the musicians they worked with that week.

Watch Open Rehearsals

The orchestra is holding open rehearsals for the public to attend and listen (not participate in, Carrie was quick to point out) on the following dates:

At the Cary Arts Center, auditorium:

  • July 5, 6, and 7th from 2-4 pm
  • July 12 from 10-2pm
  • July 14th from 10-2pm

First Baptist Church 218 S Academy St in downtown Cary.

  • July 11 from 10-2pm

Cary Senior Center at 120 Maury O ‘ Dell Place in Bond Park off High House Rd.

  • July 13 from  11:30-2pm

These represent an unusual opportunity for anyone who appreciates classical music, or especially wants to listen to chamber music in a relaxed environment to really see these artists at work.

Fine Dining Downtown

On four of the concert nights, partner restaurants are staying open late. Patrons will be able to mingle with the Chamber orchestra musicians. Several are planning special tasting menus or Prix fix dinners for diners who show their concert ticket stubs.

Here is a listing of who is planning to open and when:

  • July 8- Chatham Street Café, on East Chatham Street
  • July 10- Klara’s Restaurant in Ashworth Village
  • July 14- Maximillian’s on East Chatham Street – they will create a special after concert Prix Fix menu.
  • July 15- Havana Grill on West Chatham Street has a great outdoor patio where patrons can enjoy the only Cuban food in the area.

Each restaurant will also offer pre-concert specials for concert goers- please call for reservations in advance.

Art Events

Two concert evenings will begin with art receptions in Ashworth’s Village at the Cary Gallery of Artists. These wine and cheese receptions will feature member artists showcased in the gallery from 4:30-6:30. The location is a short walk up Academy Street to the Arts Center.

Home Sweet Cary

Another partnership was forged with Cary Visual Arts. On each concert date there will be viewings of the recent art installation on Academy Street known as Home Sweet Cary. Cary Visual Arts has a book for sale that documents this installation and for 30 minutes before each concert and at each intermission a short video about the project will be projected.

For the Town of Cary, the Cary Cross Currents Chamber Music Festival is an opportunity to open the new arts building to the public prior to the Grand Opening  (set for August 12 & 13). For the public, this will be the first peek inside a building that has been under construction for more than a year and sat empty for about 4 years before that. The music festival has officially moved the entire 2 weeks from Raleigh to Cary, and we are lucky to have it.

The Town of Cary has made a major commitment downtown and the arts unlike any other town in Wake County. The festival has facets for any age, budget or artistic interest.

See you downtown!