All event details are at the bottom of this page.
Artists MIKI SAWADA and CHRIS THOMPSON travel across North Carolina with a piano for the 8th installment of Gather Hear Tour. Their unique new show melds together classical piano and rap/spoken word, with the epic, physical, and dramatic Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Sonata as the anchoring work. Chris’ featured original composition SPIRA will close the show.
Through music, Gather Hear seeks to connect with the people who call this land home, and find what we have in common as humans across the divides in this nation.
Please explore this website for stories, videos, and photos of people we’ve met in 7 states ranging from Alaska to Louisiana in past tours.
We thank the leading sponsor of Gather Hear North Carolina, ARTS COUNCIL OF MOORE COUNTY, for commissioning SPIRA and making this tour possible. We also thank the Nationtal Performance Network for awarding us their Documentation Fund.
About Miki: As the founder of Gather Hear, pianist Miki has organized and performed 100 concerts across 7 states. She is based in Boston and performs internationally in places such as Carnegie Hall, Joe's Pub at the Public Theater NYC, and Helsinki Music Center.
About Chris: Multi-talented musician Chris is a composer, percussionist, and spoken word/rap artist. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in composition at Peabody Institute, and is a proud alum of NC A&T's internationally acclaimed Cold Steel Drumline, having served as Drum Captain.
*ALL events are free, unticketed, and public unless noted otherwise*
Show runtime: 70 min, no intermission
All ages welcome
Our tours depend on donations from people like you.
Please consider making a gift to Gather Hear:
Oct 20 7:30pm Music School of Roanoke Rapids event link
1100 Roanoke Ave., Roanoke Rapids
Oct 21 5:30pm Whirligig Park event link
301 Goldsboro St. S, Wilson
guest featuring Dexter Ruffin
Oct 22 6pm Seven Sounds Brewing Company
112 Water St., Elizabeth City
presented by Elizabeth City Downtown event link
Oct 23 7pm Larema Beverage Company event link
1121 Falls Rd., Rocky Mount
Oct 24 7pm Two Streams Community Building
16 Rosie’s Dr., Maxton
in partnership with Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina & UNC Pembroke, guest featuring Mark Tollefsen and Lindsey Jacob event link
Oct 26 3pm Alleghany Jubilee
562 N Sparta Hwy, Sparta
presented by Alleghany Arts Council event link
Oct 27 at 3pm and 4pm (2 shows) East Side Immigrant Center, UNCG Center for New Carolinians
500 Banner Ave, Greensboro
with guest performers from UNC Greensboro School of Music
Oct 28 3:30pm Winston-Salem State University
*this event is primarily for students at WSSU. E-mail us if you’d like to attend!
Oct 29 5:30pm Burton Street Community Center
134 Burton St., Asheville
presented by LEAF Global Arts, with a special performance by Burton Street Music Students & LEAF Lights
Oct 30 6pm Valley Hope Church
115 Rockdale Ave., Swannanoa
presented by LEAF Global Arts
Nov 1 7pm Greene County Museum
107 NW 3rd St., Snow Hill
Nov 2 3pm 219 ELM
219 Elm St., Lumberton
presented by Friends of Main Street Lumberton event link
Nov 3 7:30pm Sunrise Theater
250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines presented by Arts Council of Moore County event link*
*This event is ticketed, and not free. If you would like to attend and need financial assistance, please email us for complimentary tickets