Aug 28 - Nov 13
School of Filmmaking Symposium
School of Filmmaking: Symposium

The School of Filmmaking's "Symposium" series opens a door into the world behind the screen, offering audiences a chance to engage with filmmakers, artists and creative thinkers from myriad disciplines who are shaping contemporary storytelling. Through screenings, conversations and engaging dialogue, each event becomes a unique space to come together and explore how art is made, why it matters and what it reveals about the world we live in.

Oct 17-24
UNCSA Chamber Music Festival
UNCSA Chamber Music Festival

Join UNCSA to celebrate the 10th Chamber Music Festival! Three days of extraordinary music bring together guest artists, faculty and students for performances of the highest caliber that explore the joy of making music.

25
Oct
Collaborative Piano & Opera Celebration
A 25th Anniversary Collaboration Celebration!

Witness the power of musical partnership in a festive program highlighting the silver anniversary of two esteemed programs. Collaborative piano faculty and alumni join partners from the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute for an evening showcasing the wide range of possibilities in shared performance. The recital highlights a yearlong celebration for both the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and the graduate program in collaborative piano -- honoring 25 years of artistic growth, mentorship and performance excellence.

28
Oct
Nashville Trio
Nashville Trio

What happens when fiddle tunes meet jazz improvisation? The Nashville Trio delivers a sound that feels both familiar and completely unexpected.

Oct 29 - Nov 7
Angels in America
"Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches" by Tony Kushner

In a world of surreal encounters and shifting realities, lives collide in 1980s America as friends, lovers and strangers navigate beautiful and challenging transformations in Tony Kushner's "Angels in America," the Pulitzer Prize-winning play that was also adapted into an acclaimed HBO miniseries.

Oct 29-31
“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
"Macbeth" by William Shakespeare

Chilling premonitions drive this story of ambition, power and fate. Each scene is charged with suspense and despair in one of Shakespeare's most celebrated tragedies. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" when blood, betrayal, and dark magic collide in this daring, all-female production. Alumna Acadia Barrengos (B.F.A. Drama '22) directs, bringing a bold, contemporary perspective to the Scottish tragedy. The cast challenges traditional gender roles while playing amongst the dangerous allure of power and collision with destiny. Step into a visually striking world where nothing is as it seems -- promising a gripping experience of theatrical thrills. Just don't say the name of the play out loud! Barrengos returns to UNCSA as an alumni director with support from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

See All Events

The Artist as Leader: An Introduction

We’d like to start a conversation about how artists lead – through their creative practices and beyond.

Over the coming months the Kenan Institute for the Arts, through a series of interviews published here on our website, will invite artists with diverse careers and experiences to reflect on how the creative process has helped them develop attributes of leadership such as vision, empathy, authenticity, persistence, patience, as well as the ability to listen deeply and to empower others.

We’ll ask emerging and established artists to explore the mediums in which they work to help us create a better shared understanding of how the arts influence and shape our society.

We hope to draw on the experiences of those working in the field to further develop the opportunities we offer for artists to strengthen the impact of the arts through leadership, entrepreneurship and innovative creativity. We believe these experiences can inform our programming. 

We also want to engage diverse leaders working beyond the arts to help identify where creative and artistic skills might translate to other settings. Professionals of all kinds — from the fields of business, medicine, law, education, social services and the nonprofit sector — lead and serve their communities in myriad ways, helping them to address the complex economic and social challenges of our times. Why aren’t more artists called upon to envision opportunities in economic and community development, urban planning and civic engagement? How about creative solutions to poverty and unemployment?

These are important questions for artists to answer. We have invited Rob Kramer of Kramer Leadership, which provides coaching and leadership training to a variety of social impact sectors, to serve as a guest expert to guide some of our discussions.

At the Kenan Institute for the Arts, we’re devoted to helping artists strengthen the impact of the arts through leadership, entrepreneurship and innovative creativity. We believe in enabling artists to be creative leaders who contribute to the economic and social well-being of our communities.

Ideally, this conversation will draw diverse voices, spur debate, inspire action and become a valuable resource for working artists and communities everywhere.

We hope you’ll join in the conversation.