The Art of What's Happening

HICKORY CHORAL SOCIETY CONCERT

The Hickory Choral Society will open its 49th season, “Still We Sing,” with a concert centered on remembrance and renewal at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at First Baptist Church in Hickory.

The program reflects on challenges that have shaped the first 25 years of the 21st century, including Sept. 11, political polarization, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hurricane Helene. The concert explores themes of grief, uncertainty, division, and loss, as well as the power of gathering, remembering, and standing together.

The Hickory Choral Society will be joined by Asheville-based bluegrass band Aubrey Eisenman & The Clydes for music centered on community, faith, loss, and perseverance.

The 3 p.m. concert will be preceded by a pre-concert talk with Hickory Choral Society Artistic Director Dr. Ryan Luhrs, all at First Baptist Church, 339 Second Ave. NW, Hickory.

Reserved seating is available for contributing members. Limited open seating will be available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn more about Hickory Choral Society at hickorychoralsociety.org.

BLUEGRASS AT CHAPEL OF REST

The Chapel of Rest will host a fall concert by bluegrass musicians Darin and Brooke Aldridge at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.

The North Carolina natives tour nationally, performing bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music.

Darin Aldridge is a singer and multi-instrumentalist who previously toured with The Country Gentlemen. Brooke Aldridge is a vocalist who won the International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Award four consecutive years, from 2017 through 2020.

The Chapel of Rest is about 8 miles north of Lenoir on N.C. 268 in Happy Valley, adjacent to the historic Patterson School campus and the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center and Park.

Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger, payable by cash or check.

Reservations are requested. To reserve a seat, email info@chapelofrest.org or call 828-455-2575.

CYANOTYPE WORKSHOP

The Rock School Arts Foundation is hosting an Introduction to Cyanotype Workshop with instructor/artist Kat Evans on Friday, Oct. 23, at its space in the Old Rock School, 400 Main St. W.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to create traditional blue-and-white cyanotype prints using sunlight and light-sensitive iron salts. Developed by British scientist Sir John Herschel in the mid-1800s, this fascinating photographic process is where art meets science.

Participants will experiment with fresh and dried botanicals, as well as personal objects, to create unique imagery. Each participant will make several frameable prints on a variety of substrates, along with a one-of-a-kind cyanotype design on a canvas tote bag.

The $80 cost includes all materials. The workshop is limited to 12 participants, and the registration deadline is Thursday, Oct. 22. For more information, call RSAF at 828-838-9806.

— AKC