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GREENSBORO — Get ready for 17 days of eye-opening fun.

From Sept. 22 to Oct. 8, Greensboro will become the stage for the South’s new annual arts and culture festival — appropriately called 17 Days.

Local arts groups and artists will present more than 85 events to entertain all ages and tastes.

New music, art and dance will debut.

The Greensboro Symphony will premiere a new orchestral work by violinist/fiddler and composer Mark O’Connor. Titled “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” it focuses on the legendary 18th-century pirate Blackbeard and his sunken flagship in Beaufort Inlet.

The Greensboro Historical Museum will display artifacts recovered from the Queen Anne’s Revenge from Sept. 23 to Oct. 30.

The Avett Brothers, Orla Fallon and the Indigo Girls will perform.

Theater groups will present plays on stages across the city.

A new Oaktoberfest will offer beer from sponsor Red Oak Brewery, bratwurst, music and children’s art activities on Oct. 1 at downtown Festival Park.

“We are trying to create a large number of events that feature internationally renowned artists, interesting projects and exhibitions, hosted by our local arts community,” says Tom Philion, president of the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, the festival’s coordinator.

He envisions 17 Days eventually attracting attention similar to the annual Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C., one of the country’s top performing arts festivals.

“We have high aspirations of drawing cultural tourists to Greensboro in the way that Spoleto draws cultural tourists to Charleston,” Philion says.

The 17 Days festival began in 2008 as ArtBeat Greensboro. For several days each spring, arts groups planned their own events and promoted them as a festival. ArtBeat organizers asked the arts council to take over coordination of the festival. It moved ArtBeat to the fall, expanded it and renamed it.

The new dates boost visibility for arts groups as they launch their seasons and encourage more participation by the area’s 50,000 college students.

The arts council is not producing festival events, many of which already had been planned as part of presenters’ seasons. But it has obtained funds to help some presenters and to promote 17 Days.

The News & Record, Clear Channel Radio, Our State magazine, WFMY (CBS, Channel 2), Graphic Visual Solutions, Pace Communications and Fairway Outdoor Advertising donated advertising or air time valued at more than $400,000.

Another $100,000-plus in grants came from American Express, the News & Record, the Cemala Foundation, Lincoln Financial Group, Wells Fargo, Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation, Target, Piedmont Music Center, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels, Downtown Greensboro Inc., Red Oak Brewery, an anonymous individual and the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The CVB promoted 17 Days in Charlotte, the Triangle, southern Virginia and western North Carolina.

Philion and arts groups hope that audiences cultivated during 17 Days return to patronize arts and entertainment in months and years to come.

The festival also can fuel long-lingering efforts to build a downtown performing arts center.

“Part of what we are trying to do with 17 Days is to hit a home run about the perception of the arts and the impact they can have on the economy and health of this community,” Philion says. “That enhances our ability to have discussions about a performing arts center and the need for facilities.”

Here are some festival highlights in each genre. Some events are free; others range in price from $5 to $45. Visit 17daysgreensboro.org for a complete schedule and for links to ticket information.

Music

• The Greensboro Symphony’s Sept. 22 and 24 premiere of the orchestral work “Queen Anne’s Revenge ” marks the start of 17 days of a mix of music across town. (Composer Mark O’Connor will attend on Sept. 22 but will not perform.) Info: 335-5456, Ext. 224.

• The orchestra also will accompany Broadway singers Alli Mauzey and Nicole Parker in a “Wicked Divas” concert Sept. 30 at White Oak Amphitheatre. Info: greensborocoliseum.com.

• The 10th annual Greensborofest features four nights of free local music Sept. 22-25 at various venues. Info: greensborofest.org

• On Sept. 23, the Eastern Music Festival brings the Philidor Percussion Group to Mack and Mack clothing, 220 S. Elm St. Info: 275-6225.

• The Piedmont Blues Preservation Society will hold its Blues Challenge on Sept. 25 at Zion Bar & Grill, 5601 Roanne Way. Info: piedmontblues.org.

• The Carolina Theatre will host three concerts during 17 Days: Orla Fallon of Celtic Woman on Sept. 29, Big Head Todd and the Monsters on Oct. 6 and the Indigo Girls on Oct. 7. Info: carolinatheatre.com.

• From Sept. 26 to 30, UNCG’s eighth annual New Music Festival brings in musicians, including Laurent Estoppey and Lukas Ligeti. Info: uncgnmf2011.org.

• The choral ensemble Bel Canto Company sings Oct. 1 and 3 at Christ United Methodist Church. Info: belcantocompany.com.

• Thanks to efforts by Marta Richardson and her violin students at Peeler Open School for the Performing Arts, the Detroit-based Sphinx organization’s Virtuosi chamber orchestra will perform Oct. 7 at UNCG’s Aycock Auditorium. The orchestra is composed of young black and Latino string players. Info: 334-4TIX or boxoffice.uncg.edu.

• For young children, “Freckles and the Great Beach Rescue” pairs the children’s book with classical music on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Music Academy of North Carolina. Info: musicacademync.org.

• Music for a Great Space has added a free concert by the local Relevents Wind Quintet on Oct. 8 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Info: musicforagreatspace.org.

• The Avett Brothers’ Oct. 8 concert at White Oak Amphitheatre has sold out.

Theater

• Triad Stage, 232 S. Elm St., continues the suspense-filled “Dial M for Murder” through Sept. 25. Then its UpStage Cabaret opens the manic comedy “The Mystery of Irma Vep” Sept. 29-Oct. 8. Info: triadstage.org.

• Down the street at 520 S. Elm St., the Broach Theatre Company will open its 25th season with the comedy “Tuna Does Vegas” Sept. 21-Oct. 1. Info: broachtheatre.org.

• Community Theatre of Greensboro takes the Broach stage Oct. 7-16 to present “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Info: ctgso.org.

• The Greensboro Playwrights’ Forum will present its 25th showcase of original short plays Sept. 22-25 at the City Arts Studio Theatre, Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St. Info: thedramacenter.com.

• Enjoy the comedy “The 39 Steps” at Open Space Cafe Theatre, 4609 W. Market St., Sept. 29-Oct. 8. Info: osctheatre.com.

• Jabberbox Puppet Theater will present the original puppet comedy for adults “Little Town, Big Stars” on Oct. 1 and 2 at Mack and Mack clothing, 220 S. Elm St. Info: jabberboxpuppettheater.com.

• For kids, the Greensboro Children’s Theatre will present “Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp” Oct. 7-9 in Greensboro College’s Huggins Performance Center. Info: thedramacenter.com.

Visual art

• “Pianos Paint the Town” will feature 17 pianos decorated by artists for display and play in high-traffic areas across the city. Info: 17daysgreensboro.org.

• See the city’s newest public art installation when the Public Art Endowment of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro unveils “Standing Vase With 5 Flowers” by modernist sculptor James Surls. The big reveal will be at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Green Valley Road median between the Proximity Hotel and Davenport Marvin and Joyce.

• Artists and their creations will line the Greensboro Arboretum’s pathways on Oct. 2 for Art in the Arboretum. Info: greensborobeautiful.org.

• More than 60 artists will open their studios and galleries for the 14th annual Artstock studio tour on Oct. 8 and 9.

• This year’s Artstock offers a new event. The Interactive Resource Center at 407 E. Washington St., which helps those who are homeless or facing homelessness, will host a Community Art Show Sept. 26-Nov. 11. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7. Info: artstocktour.com.

• UNCG’s Weatherspoon Art Museum will display works focusing on the African American presence in art, “Persona: A Body in Parts” featuring six artists, as well as works by Henri Matisse, Fritz Janschka and UNCG faculty. It will hold its Fall Community Day from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 24.

• In the Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St., check out “Grind: A Skate Art Show” at the Center for Visual Artists, “ReLocations: Artists Interpreting the Urban Experience” at Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art and “Celebrating Creative Teaching” at the African American Atelier. The Atelier also will hold a VIP Art Auction Gala on Sept. 25 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel. Info: africanamericanatelier.org.

Dance

• Ballroom dance will take the Carolina Theatre stage on Sept. 24. Greensboro’s Fred Astaire Dance Studio will present “Hooray for Hollywood,” with moves, music and costumes inspired by American cinema. Info: carolinatheatre.com.

• On Sept. 29-Oct. 1, Greensboro’s Cyrus Art Production will present its Vital Grace Project performance at the UNCG Dance Theatre, 1408 Walker Ave. Info: cyrusartproduction.com.

• On Oct. 5, Cyrus Art Production and Greensboro Ballet will bring “Stars of American Dance” to the Carolina Theatre to showcase local and national talent, new choreography and an array of dance styles. Maurice Chestnut, considered one of tap’s brightest young stars, will join Tony Award-nominee Karine Plantadit, Broadway dancer Summer Broyhill and other New York, UNCG and Greensboro Ballet dancers in a show featuring tap, new ballet, modern and contemporary dance. The audience will see works choreographed by Duane Cyrus, a teacher at UNCG who has performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Martha Graham Dance Company. Info: carolinatheatre.com.

• Dancesport athletes from across the country will compete in cha-cha, waltz and a variety of other dances in the Carolina Fall Classic Dancesport Championships on Oct. 7-8 at the downtown Greensboro Marriott, 304 N. Greene St. Info: carolinafallclassic.com.

Contact Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at 373-5204 or dawn.kane@news-record.com