As the sun sets over Durham this summer it will be the gardens, rather than the hills, that come alive with the sound of music.
The Sarah P. Duke Gardens begins hosting Duke Performances’ sixth Music in the Gardens series this June, which features a variety of renowned local bands performing among the flora.
“It’s really about a beautiful summer evening in the middle of the week, when its getting a little cooler and a little darker outside, and hearing some great music in a beautiful place,” said organizer Aaron Greenwald, executive director of Duke Performances.
“Everything has a kind of good summertime vibe to it.”
Starting in 2008, the series began as a means of fulfilling an emptiness that Greenwald perceived within the local music scene.
“One of the reason we started the series was that there’s a whole lot of people who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s who grew up locally on indie rock and now have families, and so it’s hard for them to get out of the house to get to a 10 o’clock gig at Cat’s Cradle on a weeknight,” Greenwald said.
However, the series’ appeal branches beyond this group to a mass audience as well.
“I think it’s a really great venue and I think they’ve done a really great job,” said Marshall Ahearn, a student in the UNC School of Medicine.
Ahearn also said that the outdoor setting is a nice break from the indoor venues of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
A multitude of popular local bands make up the series, and this allows the series to draw crowds ranging from 600 to 1,000 people, Greenwald said.
The bands chosen for the performances, mostly from the Triangle, tend to have light rock or folksy sounds that mix well with the summery garden atmosphere.
“The local music scene, and the support of the local music scene, is really remarkable and it’s really grown over the last decade,” Greenwald said.
“The music generally has kind of a regional North Carolina focus, and I’d definitely say that we have more success in terms of drawing audiences with bands that are local than with bands that are touring or have a larger national following.”
Jason Kutchma, of JKutchma & The Five Fifths, is one such local artist. His band will take the stage for the first concert of the series on June 5, which incidentally coincides with the release of two new albums by the band.
Kutchma expressed nothing but enthusiasm about getting to be a part of the Music in Gardens.
“How many times do you get to see shows in an environment like this?” Kutchma said.
“The sun is starting to set, there’s the gorgeous garden — and that sets your mood, what you take away from the show,” he added.
“It’s a different and unique experience, it’s not one you’re going to be able to have many days of the year.”
Kutchma said that the series allows for artists to make the setting and stage fit their own personalities, and he reveled in the uniqueness this gives performances. And though he hasn’t played the event in the past, he does know some of the bands that have.
“I have many close friends that have played it, and everyone was like, ‘Oh God, we love it,’” he said.
In hopes of epitomizing summertime, while also keeping with the idea of a more accessible musical experience, Music in the Gardens encourages people to enjoy the shows with picnics. Individuals can bring their own food and beverages, or they can purchase those provided by The Palace International catering company of Durham. The company offers patrons beer and wine, as well as assorted African bites to eat.
Despite the past popularity of the event and the blooming local music scene, Greenwald said that he’s content with what the series has evolved to become, and does not look to make it any bigger in the future.
“I want to keep it as a kind of a gem,” he said.
“My hope is that this is a place where musicians want to play in the summertime and where folks want to hang out with their friends and family.”
Contact the desk editor at diversions@dailytarheel.com.
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