When everything looks bleak, look to the creatives. This week, catch a classical music performance in Greenville, one of two shows by alt-country star Jason Isbell, or view the lights at Biltmore.
I know we all hoped that the magic of the new year would make for a nice, clean slate. Unfortunately, we’ve run into a dark time rather quickly in 2026. I’m not here to wallow in the headlines, however, I’m here to present opportunities for fun.
There’s so much going on around the state this week, so much so that it was sort of rough to pick just three, but I’ve done just that below. Whenever you need a break from the doom-scrolling, a respite from the news cycle, there’s always something to do … and we have artists to thank for that.
Musicians, painters, filmmakers…these are the folks who hold us up and give us a reason to disconnect. In some cases they ask us to engage further. In others, they allow us to simply escape. I suggest you make a promise to yourself to engage with some creativity this week, including two performances from rock and alt-country star Jason Isbell. The muse is all around you!
For past editions of “3 things happening,” click here.
Discovery in Greenville
$40; Fletcher Music Center, 102 A. J. Fletcher Music Center, Greenville
This is a perfect event both for folks who know classical music well and those who know nothing about it (like me). The string quartet, thought of as the most storied type of ensemble in chamber music, features prominently in Dmitri Shostakovich’s graceful, seasonal “String Quartet No. 1 in C Major” and Hugo Wolf’s lovely “Italian Serenade.”
Rebecca Clarke’s “Prelude, Pastorale, and Allegro” is a great complement to the above-mentioned pieces, playing on the juxtaposition of the similar voice ranges but dissimilar instrumental sounds of clarinet and viola.
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All five musicians close out the concert together with a performance of Johannes Brahms’s iconic “Clarinet Quintet in B Minor,” the work that brought Brahms out of retirement thanks wholly to his love for the clarinet. This performance features clarinetist Alan Kay alongside violinists Daniel Phillips and Todd Phillips, violist Ara Gregorian, and cellist Ani Aznavoorian.
Jason Isbell in Durham & Charlotte
Since leaving the Drive-By Truckers in 2007, Jason Isbell has become an icon in his own right in the world of alt-country tunes. The heartfelt artist has shared his nuanced style of storytelling over tracks like “Hope the High Road,” but it’s his deep cuts that truly prove the belief that he is one of the best singer/songwriters of our time.
Isbell’s 2025 LP Foxes in the Snow is an acoustic, stripped-down set of songs about the shaded peaks and valleys of human relationships, informed by his split with wife and collaborator Amanda Shires. His surprisingly good role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon showed how he’s more than just a musician, too.
Jason Isbell’s latest tour is coming through North Carolina this week, with a show at the Durham Performing Arts Center on Wednesday and another at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte on Friday.
Antler Hill Illumination at Biltmore Estate
So many events in my recent “3 Things Happening” columns have been about holiday displays and I know we’re all looking at our neighbors who still have their lights up with a side eye. But Biltmore does things differently and this is your last chance to see it.
You have one more week to check out Illumination at Antler Hill, an area on the Biltmore Estate grounds that you pass through after seeing the mansion itself. I was there in December and it was truly beautiful. I highly recommend Biltmore Winery, and if you do show up there, please get the charcuterie board. Just be very cautious with the spicy mustard; it’s amazing but it will clear your sinuses real quick. I promise.
