PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music in Raleigh, NC, has introduced Courtney Wheeler as their new Executive Director. This is a return for Wheeler who had previously served as the organization’s membership coordinator from 2012 to 2021.
Working since 1984 to preserve, present, and promote traditional folk music and dance in North Carolina, Pinecone is also responsible for the city’s Raleigh Wide Open music festival, which regularly draws as many as 200,000 people downtown to hear free roots music performances of every kind. The festival got its start during the 12 years that the IBMA hosted its World of Bluegrass convention in Raleigh, from 2013 to 2024.
Wheeler’s experience includes working with IBMA and the Wide Open event, as well as MerleFest, the Blue Ridge Ukulele Festival, and the Boonerang Music & Arts Festival. She has also served as executive director of Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music and director of membership and communications for the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce.
Set to step in as of August 17 to take the position vacated by David Brower, who will retire at the end of this month, Courtney says that she is eager to get to work for Raleigh’s traditional music scene.
“I am honored to be returning as executive director and grateful for the opportunity to bring everything I’ve learned during my previous time with PineCone and at Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music back to an organization that helped shape my career and passion for traditional music.
I couldn’t be more excited to continue the mission-focused work of preserving these traditions and bringing people together through shared cultural experiences. PineCone has a remarkable way of creating lifelong connections, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be living proof of them. I look forward to leading the organization into its next chapter.”
In addition to overseeing the Pinecone staff and reporting to its Board of Directors, Wheeler will manage the Down Home Concert series, and the many workshops, jam sessions, and youth camps the organization holds each year.
You can find out more about Pinecone and its work in central North Carolina online.
