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 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.

31
Oct
UNCSA Symphony Orchestra
UNCSA Symphony Orchestra

Expansive sound, bold soloists and high-stakes musical energy unite in a Symphony Orchestra program built to thrill. Hailed by Fanfare as a "rising young conductor," Ian Passmore returns to lead a dynamic evening of contrast and power.

1
Nov
Wind Ensemble
UNCSA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds: Classics!

From rhythmic vitality to neoclassical precision, the UNCSA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds trace a wide musical range across contrasting tones. Dmitri Shostakovich's "Folk Dances" opens the program with driving energy and spirited motion, drawing themes from the Russian ballet tradition. Richard Strauss' Serenade, Op. 7 follows with youthful grace, revealing the composer's early command of elegance and line. Igor Stravinsky's Octet introduces a shift in texture and form, offering crisp neoclassical writing defined by wit, clarity and inventive structure. Vincent Persichetti's Symphony No. 6 closes the program with sweeping contrast and rich detail in transformation -- inviting audiences to listen for musical form in addition to melody. Under the direction of Mark Norman, the ensembles move between energy, refinement and growing musical architecture within a single program.

1
Nov
Going for Baroque
Going for Baroque: Vocal Treasures of the 17th-18th Centuries and Beyond

The UNCSA Voice Department will present an afternoon of solos and ensembles reaching back to the Renaissance and Baroque periods, while also sampling more contemporary composers who emulate Early Music styles. Of course there will be Bach and Handel, but keep an ear out for surprises from Lully, Strozzi, Purcell, Caccini, and Betinis as well. Featuring high school and undergraduate students from the studios of Marilyn Taylor, Glenn Siebert, Phyllis Pancella, and Jodi Burns.

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Kenan Institute for the Arts awards 2022-2023 Faculty Leadership Grants

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts is pleased to announce its 2022-2023 Faculty Leadership Grants, which provide UNCSA faculty support to develop projects that provide extraordinary creative development and interdisciplinary opportunities beyond the curriculum.

The Kenan Institute invited UNCSA faculty to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support projects led by the faculty member that provide opportunities to explore new approaches to creative learning challenges; impact student learning outcomes; foster the capacity of faculty to lead; engage diverse stakeholders; and produce creative ideas and initiatives for further study or implementation. Since 2016, the Kenan Institute has awarded over 99 Faculty Leadership Grants totaling more than $301,463 in direct project support.

“The Kenan Institute for the Arts is committed to providing transformational learning opportunities for the campus community,” says Kevin Bitterman, executive director, “The Faculty Leadership Grants represents our long-term investment to create conditions where UNCSA faculty can have the freedom to explore, innovate, and take risks on creative projects that have the potential to produce new ideas and approaches for the benefit of the campus community.”

Recipients of the 2022-2023 Faculty Leadership Grants are instructors in the Schools of Dance, Drama, Design and Production, Filmmaking, and Music.

School of Dance

  • Taryn Griggs, Modes of Capture Conference at the at the University of Limerick, Ireland

Professor Taryn Griggs received a grant to attend the 2023 Modes of Capture Symposium at the University of Limerick, where she presented a piece choreographed by herself and Chris Yon from UNCSA Preparatory Dance. The work was co-presented by Dance Limerick and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. Photo Credit: Dance Limerick

School of Design and Production

  • Yoon-Jung Bae, Prague Quadrennial USA National Exhibit and lecture/workshop at Jan Evangelista Purkyne University in the Czech Republic
  • Will Taylor, “The Deep South: Drawings, Prints and Photographs” exhibition

In 2023, the Kenan Institute provided funds to send Professor Yoon Bae and nine Design & Production students to the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design in the Czech Republic. Professor Bae was part of a team that designed the US exhibition at the PQ.

School of Drama

  • Jason Bohon, “The Art of the Mask in Commedia dell'Arte” at the Museo Internazionale della Maschera Amleto e Donato Sartori in Abano Terme, Italy
Papier-mâché mask by Jason Bohon created under the tutelage of three generations of mask makers at the Museo Internazionale della Maschera Amleto e Donato Sartori in Abano Terme, Italy. Photo Credit: Jason BohonCarving a wood form for molding a leather mask. Photo Credit: Jason BohonMolding the leather to the wood form. Photo Credit: Jason Bohon


School of Filmmaking

  • Amit Bhattacharya, documentary film “The Idolmakers”
  • Robert Gosse, international exchange with the Konrad Wolf Film School in Baselberg, Germany
  • Jeffrey Hammer, documentary film “The Runt: Cutting Ankles with Wendi Furguson”
  • Shahin Gorgani, multi-media installation “The Tree I Carry” (working title)

School of Music

  • Jared Miller, world premiere of “Sto Lat” at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada
  • Janet Orenstein, “Yoga Therapeutics for Performing Artists” course development
  • Stephanie Patterson, “Reimagining the Classical Canon Starting with Bassoon” curriculum
  • Maria Serkin, world premiere of “Shelter” at the 55th International Horn Symposium at the University of Montreal, Canada
  • Robert Young, UNCSA Alumnus Tyson Davis saxophone commission and masterclass

More information about the 2022-2023 recipients’ projects can be found on the Faculty Leadership Grants page.


About the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts (TSKIA) at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) was established in 1993 to strengthen the arts by initiating and incubating new ideas within the various constituencies and settings of UNCSA. By leveraging the extraordinary talents and creative energies of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to bring distinction to the University, the Institute acts as a springboard to the broader creative community. In the local community, the Kenan Institute forges alliances aimed at strengthening the arts ecosystem and increasing the contributions that artists make to develop social and economic capital. Regionally and nationally, the Kenan Institute collaborates with leading artists, and partners with exemplary arts organizations, to advance the creative community.

July 18, 2023