Davidson College Symphony plays Sunday in the first Concert on the Green. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net file photo)

The Davidson College Symphony and Davidson College Jazz Ensemble play the first Concert on the Green of the 2011 season this Sunday, May 1, from 6-8 p.m. on the Davidson Village Green. Their performance wraps up this weekend’s Davidson Art on the Green, a two-day festival of arts and crafts on the Green.

The concerts are back for another season, returning to a Sunday schedule this year – the first and third Sundays of the month – in front of Davidson public library at Main Street and Concord Road.

Schedule below.

Other acts on the schedule this season will include a mix of popular cover bands playing beach music, the Beatles and Billy Joel as well as Davidson-based groups, including Rusty Knox Band, Billy Jones & The Pocket, and Sunday Union.

Last year, Concerts on the Green included some Friday and Saturday evening dates. Kim Fleming, Davidson’s downtown manager, said organizers decided to shift back to a Sunday-only schedule to ensure the concerts don’t interfere with a big night for local businesses.

“It was actually hurting businesses, when we would have concerts on Fridays or Saturdays,” Ms. Fleming said. “A lot of people go out to dinner on Friday or Saturday night, but if they were at a concert, they weren’t going to dinner or to the movies.”

Meanwhile, this year’s concerts will also feature sales of food by local restaurants, she said.

The concerts are free and open to the public. Here’s the full schedule of dates and performers and the style of music they play:

2011 Concerts on the Green

Davidson, N.C.

(all concerts 6-8 p.m.)

May 1 – Davidson Symphony & Jazz Ensemble (classical and jazz)

May 15 – Band of Oz (beach)

June 5 – Blue Chip Jazz Band (jazz)

June 19 – The Back Beat (Beatles tribute band)

July 3 – Rough Draft (variety)

July 17 – The Stranger (Billy Joel tribute band)

Aug. 7 – Billy Jones & The Pocket (rhythm & blues/folk)

Aug. 21 – Rusty Knox Band (Americana)

Sept. 4 – Sunday Union Band (variety)

Sept. 18 – Davidson Symphony & Jazz Ensemble (classical and jazz)

See also the official Concerts on the Green page on the Town Website.