Sunday, November 8, 2026 • 2:00 p.m.
Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College • Wye Mills, Maryland
Tickets: $25 per person  

Youth/Student discount: $10 for students 18+, $5 kids 5-17, under 5 free

WYE MILLS, MD – Carpe Diem Arts presents Grammy-winning musician, historian, co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and American Banjo Hall of Famer Dom Flemons, “The American Songster®,” in a special performance at the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College on Sunday, November 8 at 2:00 p.m.

More Than a Concert

Dom Flemons brings American roots music to life through powerful songs, fascinating stories, historical insights, and an array of traditional instruments. His November 8 performance offers audiences a unique opportunity to explore the history and evolution of American music through the lens of Black artists and traditions that helped shape the American musical landscape.

The performance unfolds in two distinct acts.

ACT I – Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys

The first half of the program, “Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys,” features a live performance of songs from Flemons’ GRAMMY-nominated album Black Cowboys, interwoven with scenes from the iconic 1939 film The Bronze Buckaroo.

Released during the Golden Age of Hollywood Westerns, The Bronze Buckaroo was groundbreaking as an all-Black-cast Western, offering rare representation of Black cowboys on the silver screen.

For this special presentation, the film has been re-edited by Vania Kinard using material drawn from the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Through music and film, Flemons brings the stories of Black cowboys and their place in American history and popular culture to the stage.

ACT II – A Century of American Roots Music

In the second half, Flemons takes audiences on an entertaining journey through a century of American roots music, exploring the rich tapestry of Black country music traditions alongside his own original music, including songs from his Grammy-nominated album Traveling Wildfire.

A gifted multi-instrumentalist and music historian, Flemons draws on his extensive knowledge of American musical traditions and his own experiences as a traveling musician. His carefully curated repertoire spans folk, blues, country, bluegrass, and early American music, offering audiences a broad perspective on the roots of American music.

Throughout the performance, Flemons weaves songs together with personal stories, historical insights, and demonstrations on traditional instruments, providing context for the music and its cultural significance.

Audiences will experience the evolution of American music through the stories and sounds of Black artists who helped shape these traditions, and gain a deeper appreciation for the enduring power of roots music to inspire, uplift, and connect us.

Listen. Learn. Discover.

More than a concert, Flemons’ performance invites audiences to listen, learn, and see American music from a new perspective.  From the history of Black cowboys and the early days of Hollywood Westerns to the evolution of folk, blues, country, and bluegrass, Dom Flemons brings together music and history in an engaging experience for audiences of all ages.

A Special Eastern Shore Performance

The November 8 performance is part of a five-day Eastern Shore residency, presented by Carpe Diem Arts, that brings Flemons to communities, schools, and audiences throughout the region. The residency includes 3 public performances as well as 5 community and educational engagements designed to connect audiences with American roots music and the history and cultural traditions behind it.

About Dom Flemons

Known as “The American Songster®” Dom Flemons is a GRAMMY Award-winning musician and music historian whose work celebrates the African American roots of American folk and roots music. A former member and co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Flemons has built a celebrated solo career exploring the connections among traditional music, history, and storytelling.

His acclaimed work highlights the diverse people and traditions that contributed to American musical history, including the stories of African American musicians and Black cowboys whose contributions have often been overlooked. Learn more at The American Songster website.

About Carpe Diem Arts

Carpe Diem Arts is a Maryland nonprofit dedicated to bringing people together through high-quality, culturally diverse visual, literary, and performing arts experiences. Through creative partnerships with artists, schools, community organizations, and cultural institutions, Carpe Diem Arts engages people of all ages and backgrounds while supporting the livelihoods of professional teaching and performing artists. Its programs include concerts, community dances, artist residencies, school programs, cultural celebrations, and other shared arts experiences in Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Carpe Diem Arts’ mission is to inspire creative self-expression that empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and builds better futures, while supporting the livelihoods of master teaching and performing artists who reflect the diversity of the communities it serves. Learn more at Carpe Diem Arts’ website.

Funder Acknowledgement

This engagement of Dom Flemons is made possible in part through the Mid Atlantic Presenter Initiatives program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information about Mid Atlantic Arts and its programs supporting artists, presenters, and arts organizations throughout the region, visit the Mid Atlantic Arts website.

Performance Information

Dom Flemons: The American Songster
Sunday, November 8, 2026
2:00 p.m.
Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College
1000 College Circle
Wye Mills, MD

Tickets: $25 per person, 

Youth/Student discount: $10 for students 18+, $5 kids 5-17, under 5 free

Planning to attend with a group? Carpe Diem Arts welcomes organizations, community groups, schools, and other groups to attend Dom Flemons’ Todd Performing Arts Center performance together. For information about group ticketing and coordinating a group visit, contact Leslie Adelman at Carpe Diem Arts. [email protected]  or #240-203-8908

The performance is presented by Carpe Diem Arts in partnership with the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College.

For tickets and additional information, visit: our ticketing website for this event.

Media Contact:
Leslie Adelman, Shore Program Manager
Carpe Diem Arts, Inc.
[email protected]

#240-203-8908