9-"Spirit of the Brush: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting," Ackland Art Museum, UNC-CH. Through Nov. 25.
Abegg Trio (presented by Raleigh Chamber Music Guild), Fletcher Opera Theater, Progress Energy Center.
"States of Mind: Dan Perjovschi and Lia Perjovschi," Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University. Through Jan. 6, 2008.
"How I Got That Story," black comedy, Deep Dish Theater, University Mall, Chapel Hill. Through Sept. 15.
"Intimate Apparel," drama set in turn-of-the-century New York's Lower East Side, Raleigh Little Theatre. Through Sept. 23.
"Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes," musical, Temple Theatre, Sanford. Through Sept. 30.
"SPoT!: The Southeastern Photography Triennial," with "Juror's Work: The Photography of Joyce Tenneson," Gregg Museum of Art & Design, NCSU, Raleigh. Through Oct. 7.
"New Acquisitions," NCCU Art Musuem, Lawson Street, Durham, Through Oct. 5.
10-"Bending Space: Georges Rousse and the Durham Project," documentary, Carolina Theatre, Durham.
Soprano Terry Rhodes and pianist Jane Hawkins, Hyde Hall, UNC-CH.
11-Peter Bjorn and John, indie pop, Cat's Cradle, Carrboro.
12-Andrew Bird with Augie March, indie pop, Carolina Theatre, Durham.
"When the Bulbul Stopped Singing," one-man show set in Palestine, Playmakers Repertory Company, Center for Dramatic Art, UNC-CH. Through Sept. 16.
"Hang It Out to Dry: Katrina's Spun Tales," Hurricane Katrina narratives, Department of Communication Studies, Swain Hall, UNC-CH. Through Sept. 14.
Clayton Harvest Festival, downtown, Clayton. Through Sept. 16.
www.claytonchamber.com.13-Soul -Al Green, Memorial Hall, UNC-CH.
Aretha Franklin canceled out on this gig, but her replacement is more than worthy. Green has spent his whole career bouncing back and forth between sacred and secular, and he's great in both guises. Jazz singer Lizz Wright makes a great opening-act bonus on this soldout show.
13-Pops
N.C. Symphony with Elvis Costello, Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary.
Since his early punk days, Costello has collaborated with everybody from New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint to classical singer Anne Sofie von Otter. At this stage, he needs an orchestra to do justice to all facets of his back catalog.
"Hamlet," Burning Coal Theatre, St. Mary's School, Raleigh. Through Sept. 30.
Stephen Thomas Moore, flute, plus electronic music, Arts Now Series, Tally Student Center Ballroom, NCSU.
John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension, with Gary Husband, Mark Mondesir, & Hadrien Feraud, Carolina Theatre, Durham.
David Harrington, musical talk by the Kronos Quartet founder, Nasher Museum of Art.
14-Kronos Quartet, "Awakening: A Musical Meditation on the Anniversary of 9/11," Page Auditorium, Duke University.
Old School Freight Train, acoustic band, Stewart Theatre, NCSU.
Augustana, rock, with Grayson Hill, McIver Amphitheater, Meredith College.
"Enlightened Patronage: Art in Service to Humanity," and "The Healing Arts: Sickness and Social Impact," Ackland Art Museum, UNC-CH. Through Jan. 13.
Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, Louisburg College Auditorium, Louisburg.
"Veronica's Room," thriller, Neuse Little Theater, Smithfield. Through Sept. 22.
Cary Town Band, Sertoma Amphitheatre, Bond Park, Cary.
"Max and the INDEXICON," youth theater from Open Dream Ensemble, Sertoma Amphitheatre, Bond Park, Cary.
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears," Carolina Puppet Theater, Holly Springs Cultural Center, Holly Springs.
15- N.C. Symphony, 75th anniversary gala with mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and music director Grant Llewellyn, Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center.
CenterFest Arts Festival, Foster Street near Durham Central Park.
www.centerfest.durhamarts.org.Kronos Quartet, "'Round Midnight" suites, Reynolds Theater, Duke University.
Choreo Collective Classic Collection, repertory performance, Chapel Hill High School. Also Sept. 16.
"Sculpture in the Garden," N.C. Botanical Garden, UNC-CH. Through Nov. 16.
Transactors Improv, theater, ArtsCenter, Carrboro.
Off the Deep End Ensemble, 10th anniversary celebration with improv, music and more, FIrst Baptist Church, Raleigh; also Sept. 16, Quail Hollow Swim Club, Raleigh.
St. Francis Brass Band and Triangle Brass Band, Herbert C. Young Community Center, Cary.
16- Rock
Interpol, Disco Rodeo, Raleigh.
Anybody looking for a minimum yearly dose of doomy, droney European-styled electronic rock will find it with this New York quartet. Black attire is not required, but it's highly recommended. With Liars.
Eric Bibb with Balan Kora, "Africa and the Blues," Sertoma Amphitheatre, Bond Park, Cary.
18-Rock
Dave Matthews Band, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh.
The man is a dinosaur, maybe the last mainstream arena-rock headliner we'll ever see. And it wouldn't be summer without him performing at Walnut Creek. With Robert Earl Keen.
Do Make Say Think, instrumental rock, ArtsCenter, Carrboro.
19-Ciompi Quartet, concert and Fred Raimi talk on George Crumb's "Black Angels" for electric string quartet, Duke Gardens, Duke University.
"A Doll House," Peace College Theatre, Leggett Theater, Peace College, Raleigh. Through Sept. 26.
20Paul Jeffrey, Leroy Williams and John Ore featuring Jason Moran, "Thelonious Monk's Homecoming: Raleigh's Frog & Nightgown, 1970" Reynolds Theater, Duke University.
SparkCon, panels, performances and other events, various locations. Through Sept. 23.
www.sparkcon.com."Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman," Dario Fo's satire, Stillwater Theatre, Studio Theatre, Meredith College. Through Sept. 30.
"Blue/Orange," sharp-edged comedy, Manbites Dog Theater, Durham. Through Oct. 13.
Boys From Carolina Bluegrass Band, Town Square, Clayton.
Brass at Bond, Sertoma Amphitheatre, Bond Park, Cary.
Benson Mule Days, downtown, Benson. Through Sept. 23.
www.bensonmuledays.com.21-N.C. Symphony, "The Magical Music of Disney," pops, with guest conductor Erich Kunzel. Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center. Through Sept. 23.
John Waters, talk by the filmmaker behind "Hairspray," Page Auditorium, Duke University.
Night of Dreams Presents, Pillow Fight for Life Show, Koka Booth Amphitheater, Regency Park, Cary.
Little Windows, Appalachian and Irish music, American Tobacco Campus Amphitheatre, Durham.
Apropos Vocal Quintet, Hill Hall Auditorium, UNC-CH.
"Twelfth Night," Bare Theatre, Holly Springs Cultural Arts Center, Holly Springs. Also Sept. 22, then Sept. 27-30, Common Ground Theatre, Durham.
Jaafar, jazz-Arabic-funk, ArtsCenter, Carrboro.
"Twain by the Tracks," skits and scenes from Cary Players, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary. Through Sept. 23.
Cirque Le Masque, dance and mime, Louisburg College Auditorium, Louisburg.
Hoppin' John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention, Shakori Hills, 1439 Henderson-Tanyard Road, Silk Hope. Through Sept. 22.
22-Ciompi Quaret with Scott Rawls, viola, and Brooks Whitehouse, cello, Reynolds Theater, Duke University.
"Live Rhythms," Footnotes Tap Ensemble, Chapel Hill High School.
Phoenix Festival, Fayetteville Street, Durham.
23- Classical
Mallarme Chamber Players, First Presbyterian Church, Durham.
Mallarme, an ensemble that went global before the Web was even invented, had reached the end of the road last season when an anonymous benefactor stepped in. Returning for their 24th season, the players pick up with "Gypsy Caravan," a typically intriguing program featuring works by Eastern European composers and Petra Berenyi on cimbalon, the dulcimerlike instrument that flavored Gollum's "Stinker" theme in the "Lord of the Rings" films.
"Hairspray," Broadway musical tour, Page Auditorium, Duke University.
"La Boheme," live simulcast of Washington National Opera, Memorial Hall, UNC-CH, and Reynolds Theater, Duke University.
Free Spirits Ensemble, chamber music, Holly Springs Cultural Center, Holly Springs.
Clifford Tretick, flute, Carswell Recital Hall, Meredith College.
24-Harry Belafonte, lecture by the singer-actor, Memorial Hall, UNC-CH.
25-Songs by Women Composers, with Elisabeth Harrington, soprano, Hill Hall Auditorium, UNC-CH.
26-Three Days Grace/Breaking Benjamin with Seether and Skillet, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh.
"Misterioso," jazz-infused theatrical production, Duke University Department of Theater Studies, Smith Warehouse, Duke University. Through Sept. 29.
Rumi 800th Birthday Celebration: Universal Harmony, ArtsCenter, Carrboro.
www.rumifest.com."Romeo and Juliet," PlayMakers Repertory Company, Center for Dramatic Art, UNC-CH. Through Oct. 14.
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, bluegrass- jazz-fusion, Carolina Theatre, Durham.
The Sea and Cake, pop/rock, Cat's Cradle, Carrboro.
27-Classical
N.C. Symphony and Opera Company of North Carolina, "The Marriage of Figaro," Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center.
It has been a decade since the N.C. Symphony's last full-length opera presentation. This semi-staged co-production gives conductor Grant Llewellyn the first local opportunity to show off his operatic leadership. Through Sept. 29.
Alonzo King's LINES Ballet Company, ballet, Reynolds Theater, Duke University.
Carnivalito, salsa, American Tobacco Campus Amphitheatre, Durham.
UNC Jazz Band, Hill Hall Auditorium, UNC-CH.
Duke Wind Symphony, Baldwin Auditorium, Duke University.
Wiyos, Old-Timey American music, Long View Center, Raleigh.
28- Dance
Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan, Memorial Hall, UNC-CH.
In 2003, American Dance Festival audiences saw the first brush strokes of what would become Cloud Gate's "Cursive" trilogy in Durham. Now, Carolina Performing Arts brings choreographer Lin Hwai-min back for the final notes. Lin's 2005 creation "Wild Cursive" is inspired by free-form "wild calligraphy." As ink flows down streams of rice paper, Lin's dancers will echo the flow with their movements, their own breaths and percussive steps augmenting a natural soundscape. Also Sept. 29.
"Les Miserables, School Edition," musical, Memorial Auditorium, Progress Energy Center. Also Sept. 29.
Uprooted: The Katrina Project, collaboration of Gulf Coast musicians, dancers and poets, Carolina Theatre, Durham. Also Sept. 29.
K. Sridhar, carnatic and hindustani music, ArtsCenter, Carrboro.
Old Habits, bluegrass, Holly Springs Cultural Center, Holly Springs.
Duke Jazz Ensemble with Johnny Griffin, saxophone, Baldwin Auditorium, Duke University.
UNC Jazz Combos, Room 107, Hill Hall, UNC-CH.
29- Music
Carrboro Music Festival, Various venues, Carrboro.
Here's the best one-day crash course on the local music scene, with 100-plus acts playing for free at venues all over Carrboro. Start with the kickoff concert Sept. 29 at Cat's Cradle with Tres Chicas, then check carrboromusicfestival.com for details on the Sept. 30 lineup.
Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, Reynolds Theater, Duke University. Sold out.
Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya, santoor, and Shri Anurag Harsh, vocals, Indian classical duets, Fletcher Opera Theater, Progress Energy Center.
Ava Gardner Museum Fest, films, music and more, Ava Gardner Museum, Smithfield. Also Sept. 30.
Triangle Uncorked, Wine tastings and music, Koka Booth Amphitheater, Regency Park, Cary.
Seals & Seals, pop, Paul A. Johnston Auditorium, Smithfield.
Faith Festival, Johnston County Arts Council, Neuse River Amphitheater, Smithfield.
Barn Dance! Even Exchange Dance Theater fundraiser, Tucker Carriage House, Raleigh.
PlaySlam! one-minute play competion, ArtsCenter, Carrboro.
Improv Comedy Night, Applause! Cary Youth Theatre, Cary Senior Center, Cary.
Jugalbandi-Anurag Harsh & Tarun Bhattacharya, classical Indian, Fletcher Opera Theater, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh.
30Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, jazz, Reynolds Theater, Duke University.
Dashboard Confessional, rock, Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center.
"The Art of Looking: Selections From the Collection of Charles Millard," Ackland Art Museum, UNC-CH. Through Dec. 30.
Susan Dunn & David Heid, chamber music, N.C. Museum of Art, Raleigh.
Carolina Wind Quintet, Hill Hall Auditorium, UNC-CH.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.