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.

Sep 29 - Oct 3
Fall Dance
Fall Dance

The past and present collide as the School of Dance opens its performance season with a dynamic exploration of movement across generations. Contemporary dancers take center stage to perform works shaped by shared training, mentorship and creative exchange.

Oct 1-8
Runied
"Ruined" by Lynn Nottage

Amid the upheaval of civil war in Congo, Pulitzer Prize-winning "Ruined" follows the formidable Mama Nadi, whose bar becomes a haven for women marked by violence, loss and survival. She must skillfully navigate violent power struggles while protecting those who rely on her courage and cunning.

3
Oct
Ksenija Komljenović
Percussionist Ksenija Komljenović in Recital

Engage your imagination and enjoy a bold exploration of sound and identity as faculty artist Ksenija Komljenović presents a solo recital of newly created works. New works by European composers Bartek Miler, Ana Krstajić and Miloš Branisavljević highlight rhythmic precision, tonal color and expressive range. Rooted in Komljenović's heritage, the music draws on a wide spectrum of influences -- folk traditions, blues, jazz, film scoring, and video games -- blending them into a contemporary musical language shaped by agility and invention.

4
Oct
UNCSA Improvised Music and Jazz Studio Fall Showcase
UNCSA Improvised Music and Jazz Studio Fall Showcase

A night of spontaneity, groove and creative risk unfolds as the UNCSA Improvised Music and Jazz Studio presents a smooth showcase of sound. Student performers explore a wide range of jazz and improvised traditions, from structured charts to fully open-ended creation - highlighting individual voice, ensemble listening and real-time musical decision-making.

4
Oct
Iain Quinn
Organist Iain Quinn in Recital

An intimate opportunity to hear a distinctive instrument at the hands of a world-renowned musician and cultural historian, Iain Quinn gives a recital on UNCSA's Fisk, Op. 75 pipe organ. Set within the power and subtlety of the organ, the program explores a full range of emotion -- from quiet, sustained tones to emboldened sound -- highlighting the instrument as much as the performer. Quinn is an award-winning organist, composer and scholar whose work spans performance, composition and musicological research across Europe and the United States. He is professor of organ and coordinator of sacred music at Florida State University, research fellow in the arts and humanities and director of the annual Festival of the Creative Arts in the Office of the Vice President for Research. Quinn is also an Honorary Research Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

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Black Sacred Music Symposium XVII – HAVEN

Click Here For information about the 2026 Symposium 

February 15-18, 2024
University of North Carolina School of the Arts

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) hosted the first regional gathering for the celebrated Black Sacred Music Symposium, Feb 15-18 on the UNCSA campus.

Founded in 1991 by Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, the Black Sacred Music Symposium is a four-day conference dedicated to the study and performance of Black sacred music traditions, culminating in a large-scale community choral performance to celebrate the music, the methods and the message behind the impactful genre.

Black Sacred Music Symposium XVII marked the first time that the Symposium was held away from its home at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where it was founded. Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and Suzanne and William Allen Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has directed the Symposium biennially for 32 years.

Black Sacred Music Symposium XVII Concert Rehearsal / Photo: Allison Lee IsleyBlack Sacred Music Symposium XVII Concert Rehearsal / Photo: Allison Lee IsleyDr. Ollie Watts Davis, Black Sacred Music Symposium XVII Concert Rehearsal / Photo: Allison Lee IsleyCombined Choirs, Black Sacred Music XVII Concert / Photo: Allison Lee IsleyCombined Choirs, Black Sacred Music XVII Concert / Photo: Allison Lee IsleyUNCSA string quartet and student dancer, Black Sacred Music XVII Concert / Photo: Allison Lee IsleyConcert Attendees, Black Sacred Music XVII Concert / Photo: Allison Lee Isley

Participants in the Black Sacred Music Symposium expanded their knowledge and performance of the music and gained a deeper understanding of its message from distinguished guest artists Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, Berris Bolton, Rev. Dr. K. Edward Copeland, Kimberly Fullerton-Smith, Dr. Alonza Lawrence, and L’Tanya Moore-Copeland. Seminar topics ranged from the history and development of African American sacred music traditions, including its relevance to society and its global impact, to building an engaged music ministry, choral conducting, and vocal and instrumental techniques. 

The concert program in the Freedman Theatre at UNCSA on February 18 featured works performed by the symposium choir and band including soloists and featured performances from the University of Illinois Black Chorus, the Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams, a UNCSA String Quartet, and student artists from the UNCSA School of Dance.

Additional presenting partners for the Black Sacred Music Symposium XVII included Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Winston-Salem State University Department of Music, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, Union Baptist Church, Triad Cultural Arts, Inc., and the City of Winston-Salem Human Relations/Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department.

Download the BSMS XVII Program (PDF)