Southern Village’s Live Music on the Village Green series concluded this Sunday, but the open mic and karaoke night on September 22 will be the final music event of the year.
Like all events in the series, the open mic and karaoke night is free.
The series wrapped up the last of their professional performances on September 18 with a performance by the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra.
This year’s music series began in April and took place on Sunday evenings. The series began in 2002 with current Southern Village music director Danny Gotham performing live music before the start of outdoor films, but was then moved to Sunday nights in 2003 and has remained on that schedule ever since.
Gotham said he likes using the music series to educate people and introduce them to music they may not be familiar with. Acts in this year’s series included a range of performances including a ukulele orchestra and
“I want people to be entertained, but I also want to open people’s eyes to different kinds of music,” he said.
Gotham said one reason musicians and visitors might enjoy the Southern Village is the physical space itself, as well as the easy accessibility of food and drink.
“There’s a lot of space to dance, and then if you want to go eat or have a drink, there are places to go here on Village Green,” he said.
Gregg Gelb, founder and musical director of the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra, said their Sept. 18 concert at the Southern Village was great and drew a lot of people. He said the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra has performed at Live Music on the Village Green events for more than a decade.
“It’s in the middle of the city, which is beautiful,” said Gelb. “It’s in the middle of the village and seems like a perfect meeting point.”
Gelb said that as a jazz band, it can be difficult to find venues that play jazz. He said he was grateful that Southern Village gave the band the opportunity to play in front of an audience.
“There are a lot of jazz musicians and not that many venues that play jazz,” he said. “So whatever venue there is, it’s really good.”
While the Live Music on the Village Green series has ended, Southern Village will continue to host live music events throughout the fall.
One of these upcoming events is the UNC Clef Hangers concert on the Village Green on October 30th. This will be the Clef Hangers’ third time performing in the Southern Village, said Scott Gilliam, Clef Hangers music director.
Gilliam said Southern Village is different from other concert venues the group performs in because it’s more laid back and relaxing.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a very relaxing, low key venue. You can really connect with the community there.”
Gilliam said that performing in the Southern Village allows the Clef Hangers to reach audiences they might not otherwise reach.
“We were very fortunate to be able to perform there and meet with a completely different group of people who live so close to the university but may just not have seen us on campus,” he said.
Open mic and karaoke night starts at 7pm on September 22nd.
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