What goes into planning every season and what to expect on the stage
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When considering this part of North Carolina, Classical music and Grammy-winning acts aren’t the first things that come to mind. But, for nearly 30 years, the Pamlico Musical Society has provided exactly that.
Established in 1997, the Pamlico Musical Society (PMSO) was created to bring classical music to Pamlico County. Over the years, its scope and its following have grown. Its priorities – securing top musical talent and extending these artists into the community through outreach events– are what differentiate it from other live music presenters around town.
“There used to be only about a hundred classical enthusiasts here in Oriental,” PMSO President Sue Duclos said. “But now, classical has taken over. People are really screaming for that. It’s just interesting, the change over the years.”
Originally, the society staged all its shows at The Old Theater in Oriental. Soon, it was booking small performances at River Dunes, as well. Those shows started with fewer than 100 seats, but grew as the society learned how to leverage the venue.
While PMSO is still the only organization bringing classical music to the county, it has expanded to include other genres. And getting these acts to a couple of the smallest theaters in North Carolina is a concerted effort involving over a dozen players.
The cycle of a music season
At any given time, there are actually two overlapping seasons in the works.
More than a year before an act rolls into town, PMSO is setting the stage for its arrival. Each December, members of PMSO get together for a listening session. They review clips from potential acts while board members track popular acts and genres.
While they can’t always get the acts featured at the listening party, the board looks for performers in the same musical genres. The board aims to feature a range of musical acts throughout a season while ensuring the artists they bring will pull the audience they need to survive.
“There’s a lot of music in Oriental,” Duclos said. “A lot of it is local. It’s not that they’re not quality, but they’re always available. They can come in moments. (Our acts) are booked a year, a year and a half in advance. You have to, because they’re in high demand and they’re coming from somewhere else.”
Part of how PMSO is able to book performers from farflung locales is by coordinating with other North Carolina venues. For example, when booking international acts, splitting airfare with other venues means they can cut costs and extends the society’s reach, Duclos said.
More scouting is done at ArtsMarket Southeast, an annual showcase where more than 150 acts perform every year.
Booking Manager Paul Baker said finding acts for PMSO’s shows at The Old Theater and River Dunes is different from booking for big venues.
“Some of our counterparts we talk with say, ‘Oh yeah, we have a 360-seat theater. … We do 89 shows a year,’” Baker said.
PMSO books eight or nine shows a year at a theater that seats 160.
But the small size has not been an impediment. “Everybody knows Pamlico Musical Society has the smallest venues, here in Oriental, North Carolina,” Duclos said. “But artists run to us.”
Meanwhile, artists scouted and booked over the past year are getting ready to arrive for their shows. “While they’re at ArtsMarket thinking about the art of the possible, we’re all here executing what’s already been put in place,” said Sandi Von Drateln, PMSO Vice President and Ticket Chair.
Sophisticated budgeting tools help calculate the full cost of a concert, including expenses such as meals, lodging and performer fees. The society has relationships with local hotels to put up artists during their visit. Graphic artist Patty Rosenkranz creates ads for local publications. Publicity Chair Carol Flood places the ads, writes press releases, and posts on social media.
When the show is near, Hosting Chair Sharon Morgan talks to artists to see all their needs are met.
“Artists run to us.”
Duclos said artists are eager to come to Oriental. “We love shrimp,” Duclos said, referring to past musicians.
“We do have beautiful scenery in our parts, and you’re right, shrimp,” von Drateln said. “Sometimes people volunteer to take them out on a boat.”
Board members agree that tending to artists’ needs is paramount. Most have reasonable requests: water, fruit, tea or honey. One recent performer notably had no requests besides dinner from Barco’s.
Reaching beyond the stage
PMSO does more than hold concerts at The Old Theater and River Dunes. Most artists also participate in their outreach programs at local elementary and high schools, HeartWorks, Holt’s Chapel Community Center, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, and in partnership with PrimeTime, performances and educational sessions at Oriental United Methodist Church.
“The ‘informances’ are great, because that was my first exposure,” said Outreach Coordinator Katherine Hudson. “I love that it’s this free performance and also a kind of lecture on what they do.”
No one is sure who coined the term “informance,” the portmanteau used for these educational performances.
The informances were haphazard in the early years. “I remember one in particular, it was a flashmob at Walmart,” Booking Chari and past President Anne Manganaro said.
“It didn’t really come off so well,” Duclos interjected. “There was no flash.”
Hudson’s connections with the music director at a local elementary school helped build a program that was better designed.
“It just clicked so that we could be much more intentional about making sure the kids or the PrimeTime people have a great time, but there’s also a little bit of an education component to it,” she said.
The outreach events enable us to extend our reach to individuals who do not or cannot come to the concerts, enriching their lives with music as well. Grants help to make these performances and outreach events possible as do member and sponsor donations and ticket sales.
Members, sponsors and volunteers all contribute to the organization’s success. Some join for the discounted pre-season tickets; some contribute each year while never catching a show. Still others volunteer as greeters or even join the board to help create each intricate concert season.
A cultural legacy, a spirited future
PMSO attracts artists that are internationally known, including Grammy nominees and winners. One recent high profile act was world-renowned violinist Midori, a 2021 Kennedy Center honoree who offers grants and performances through her foundation Partners in Performance. PMSO was one of just 30 PiP grant winners of her grant.
Although PMSO has a strong sense of what people will enjoy in the local community, the group is often surprised by the strength of the artists' reception.
The first concert of the 2026 season will be classical pianist Solomon Eichner, a returning artist who creates entire shows around a single composer’s work.
Even audiences from different genres happily welcome Eichner. “During my pre-concert remarks for the John Jorgensen Quintet, I mentioned that the first concert of the season was Sol Eichner, who would be celebrating the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Jorgensen was jazz, gypsy jazz, totally completely different. But that audience that night was clapping for Sol Eichner, classical pianist,” Duclos said. “It was amazing.”
The upcoming season, starting in October, has even more to offer. Classically based bluegrass group the DePue Brothers will take the stage in mid-December. Country will make an appearance on the Old Theater stage when the Jenny Tolman Trio visits for the first concert of 2027.
Tickets can be purchased on PMSO’s website (https://www.pamlicomusic.org) anytime after Sept. 1, at both locations of Nautical Wheelers, and at the box office on the day of the show.
