We received our notice on February 25th that the City of Raleigh has found us to be a 'Prima Facia Business' which is illegal in our zoning district. This means that we are not a business, but we look, at first glance, to be a business. Since it's illegal to be a 'Prima Facia Business' (find THAT in the dictionary!), we are limited to having three 24 hour events (house concerts) in our home per year. SO, don't think that this limits us from having only 3 shows per year!!! We have generously been offered other homes and venues to host our shows so the concert series will continue! You can read more about our situation here .  We will have some shows in our home as well as other places, thanks to several people who have graciously offered their homes. We will keep having music in a wonderful listening environment. Also, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh  offered a tremendous space. Our May 15th show at UUFR with Karan Casey and her band proved successful and a wonderful benefit for Hospice of Wake County (via UUFR).

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.