PNC: Raleigh on the cusp of becoming music festival destination

This fall, a number of large and small music festivals will take over Raleigh, and PNC Bank - a main sponsor for some of these events - is feeling the momentum.

Last year, when the International Bluegrass Music Association announced Raleigh as the new destination for the World of Bluegrass festival, PNC jumped at the chance to sponsor the event.

'I didn't wait for the proposal to come across my desk,' says Rebecca Quinn Wolf, foundation management and sponsorship executive at PNC. 'We knew that it was something new and original to the city of Raleigh.'

Wolf explains that PNC has an objective of building community partnerships that focus on bringing down socioeconomic barriers so that all members of the public can appreciate and take part in the arts. That's why PNC has since been involved in a number of music festivals that are free to the public. That means getting behind festivals' organizations, helping with monetary resources and assisting with making connections.

'Sometimes just giving a person on the street access to or a taste of what an art form might be could make them say, 'I love this, I didn't know what bluegrass is and I really enjoy it,'' says Wolf.

Now, after a series of these festivals, Wolf says Raleigh is growing its name in the music industry as a festival destination.

'I think this is just the beginning,' she says. 'I think this is putting this region on the map that is going to be attractive to other kinds of music outlets. We've only scratched the surface and from the momentum, I can tell we'll continue to grow that as a region.'

PNC is also involved with supporting the upcoming Hopscotch music festival, and recently supported the Art of Cool jazz festival in Durham.

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