Raleigh’s fall performing arts calendar is already moving, with ballet, opera, and orchestral concerts sharing the downtown stages at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St. The complex brings together Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Meymandi Concert Hall, the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater, and Kennedy Theatre, making it possible to plan several different kinds of nights out in one familiar setting. Since today is Saturday, October 10, the season is shifting from its early October openings into a busy run of performances through the holidays and into spring 2027.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Raleigh and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
For ballet, Carolina Ballet opens its season with Dracula, a new two-act version of Bram Stoker’s story, running October 15 through November 1 at the Fletcher Opera Theater. Jewels, George Balanchine’s work, follows November 19–22 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. The company’s holiday production of The Nutcracker runs December 10–24, with live music and Tchaikovsky’s score. Later in the season, the schedule includes Giselle from February 4–14, The Little Mermaid from March 4–21, The Rite of Spring from April 22–25, and Sleeping Beauty from May 13–16, 2027. Carolina Ballet’s box office can be reached at 919-719-0900; online Ticketmaster purchases include an added fee.
Opera gets an early spotlight with NC Opera’s Carmen on Friday, October 16 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, October 18 at 2:00 PM in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. The production is sung in French, with English translations projected above the stage, and runs about two hours and 45 minutes including a 20-minute intermission. Denyce Graves directs, Joseph Mechavich conducts, and Gina Perregrino sings the title role. A pre-show talk, “Seduction and the Body in Carmen,” begins with doors opening at 6:00 PM on Friday. The season continues with Puccini’s Turandot on February 5 and 7, 2027, followed by Gluck’s Orfeo & Euridice in concert on April 18 at Meymandi Concert Hall. NC Opera’s box office is 919-792-3853, and college student tickets are $15 for eligible performances with a valid student ID at will-call.
The North Carolina Symphony, led by Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto, fills Meymandi Concert Hall with both standard repertoire and screen-and-stage crossover programs. The fall lineup includes Mendelssohn Violin Concerto tonight, October 10, at 8:00 PM; Rhapsody in Blue October 16–17; The Music of John Williams: Star Wars & More October 23–24; and Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 November 6–7. The orchestra also presents How to Train Your Dragon: In Concert November 13–14, pairing John Powell’s score with the film, plus Handel’s Messiah December 4–5 and several holiday programs later in December. The 2027 calendar moves through Mozart, Beethoven, Dvořák, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Saint-Saëns, including Carnival of the Animals on May 8. Tickets are available through the symphony, by phone at 919-733-2750, or in person at its Glenwood Avenue office.
A few practical details are worth keeping in mind before heading downtown. Martin Marietta Center event parking is $10 per car, although NC Opera notes that construction of the Omni Raleigh Hotel has closed the lots directly in front of the center. The venue uses security screening, and bags must be no larger than 12" x 12" x 10". Children under 2 are not allowed, while children 2 and older generally need tickets. With three major resident organizations sharing the same complex, Raleigh’s season offers a straightforward way to compare a full ballet, a staged opera, and a symphony program without leaving downtown.
Published Date
10 October 2026
