![]()
It's been a long, wonderful, but recently a rocky road. You can read the entire
details here.
Please check in from time to time to see how time, concerned people and luck
will change this. Please visit
here
to see the history of the shows at Little Lake Hill House Concerts.
The concept of house
concerts (also known as 'House Parties') is not a new
one. Originally called salons centuries ago, patrons of fine music opened up
their homes to musicians for performances. The idea was put away for some time
as musicians began performing for large audiences and needed a stage and
amplification. Now, singer/songwriters and bands alike are welcoming the idea of
performing ‘unplugged’ in a cozy living room. It gives an opportunity to look
the audience at eye level and the ambience and attention more relaxed and
inviting. Little Lake Hill (read more on the Little Lake Hill link) is located
right off of Wade Avenue on Dixie Trail in Raleigh and very near the beltline and I-40, very
convenient to folks from everywhere! There is one item to be leery of if you or
a member of your party is allergic to dogs. There are (at present, June2009)
three Border Collies who live here. They will NOT be present for the concerts (they
would like to steal the show!), but some folks are highly sensitive to dog
dander no matter HOW clean the area is....so please keep this in mind.
This is the way it works: we throw the party and invite people to come listen to some wonderful music. Many of the folks who come are guitar students as this is a wonderful way to see an up-close extraordinary musician(s) and the students can benefit greatly from the experience. People RSVP if they can come and the night of the party folks come and bring food to share and also donations for the artist.
Little Lake Hill opened its doors to its first house concert in July, 2000, presenting Leslie Ritter and Scott Petito in a wonderful and highly successful show! Little Lake Hill provides an elegant and intimate setting for such performances. The home built in 1932 sits on 3 acres of land in the center of Raleigh. It rests on a hill overlooking a pond (to be restored) thus, the name Little Lake Hill. Lush gardens, stone walls and steps, rock gardens cultivated many years ago grace the area. You can learn more about the home on the Little Lake Hill link.
We host an array of entertainment … many genres and many
performers that are well known, and many that are not, but rest assured, are
very deserving of being heard! There will always be an assortment of goodies on
hand, but sharing is welcomed also. Not heard of Little Lake Hill and the House
Concerts? It was voted one of the top places for
entertainment by Independent Weekly in 2002! We attribute much of the success of the
Little Lake Hill House Concerts to our vast array of contacts (via music,
conservationist, artisan and political), but mostly the enthusiasm of the guests.
It takes an enormous amount of work to bring artists and guests together. It's
the wonderful response from the audience that really make the
musicians feel appreciated. We put a lot of time and energy into the Little Lake
Hill shows. This includes booking the artist; building & maintenance of the
email and snail mail lists; information about the artist
including music selections which gives everyone a chance to preview; house
rearranged (and cleaned!), chairs and sound set up, and torn down, food bought
and prepared, etc. I estimate that we spend 48 hours getting ready for the
party. Our rewards are great: we see the satisfaction of a happy
guests & happy artists and a chance to promote great music & the arts.
Yes, many of the artists lead a hard (but creative) life on the road and
struggle to make ends meet. Many folks have come to nearly every show here, so it's like
being with family! What
we hope to achieve is that the audience will get a warm setting for music, a
chance to for artist and audience to share an intimate evening with music and
for the artist to explore and take risks where other venues would feel
comfortable in doing so. The people who come here make these evenings special for the artist and the artist often gives some of
their best and most creative performances here. Each show is the BEST!
Please visit to learn of our previous shows and if you are interested in helping our cause!