UNCSA Media releases Stravinsky’s “Firebird Ballet Suite,” conducted by Mark A. Norman

UNCSA will release the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Stravinsky’s “Firebird Ballet Suite,” conducted by Director of Instrumental Ensembles Mark A. Norman, through its media publishing arm UNCSA Media on May 16. The album will also be released in Dolby Atmos. 

The recording is part of a new partnership between UNCSA, the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts,  and Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), which began in spring 2024 with North Carolina performances of DTH’s iconic “Firebird,” originally choreographed by John Taras in 1982, featuring UNCSA student dancers, two DTH dancers, and live musical accompaniment by the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra. In the next phase of the partnership, “Firebird” will return to DTH’s repertoire in 2026, using this recording as accompaniment and featuring UNCSA student dancers as guests in the corps de ballet on select engagements. 

“This recording of ‘Firebird Ballet Suite’ is a powerful example of the artistry and collaboration that define UNCSA,” said Chancellor Brian Cole. “As the third release on our new label, UNCSA Media, it is the first to reflect the remarkable work of our student musicians and recording engineers, and the creative possibilities that come from giving students real-world experiences. I’m proud to see our community continuing to raise the bar through projects like this.”

He continued, “We are especially proud that this recording is an element of a multitiered partnership with Dance Theatre of Harlem as they bring their storied ‘Firebird’ ballet back to life, and that this recording will be a part of that historic moment.”

“Stravinsky’s seminal ‘Firebird’ offered our students an invaluable opportunity to engage with professional-level production from start to finish,” said Saxton Rose, dean of the School of Music at UNCSA. “From the rehearsal process and live performance of the ballet last spring, through the recording process, they were at the center of a real-world creative collaboration.

UNCSA’s “Firebird Ballet Suite” is also being released in Dolby Atmos, an advanced audio technology that places sound in a three-dimensional space, creating a more immersive and lifelike listening experience.

“There’s something truly magical about hearing Stravinsky’s dynamic ‘Firebird’ in Dolby Atmos,” said UNCSA Media Project Director Michael Winger. “It’s not just a recording — it’s an immersive journey. Unlike traditional stereo mixes, Dolby Atmos allows sound to move above, below, and around the listener with remarkable realism and detail, bringing Stravinsky’s world to life in a new way.”

The orchestra is composed of students from the School of Music at UNCSA including its high school, undergraduate and graduate programs. The recording was engineered by School of Music faculty member Chris Heckman; it was produced by School of Music faculty members Ksenija Komljenovic and Frazier Smith as well as staff member Ken Wilmot, who also served as stage manager. Heckman and Norman are executive producers. 

UNCSA Media is a mission-driven media publishing arm that features the creative projects of faculty and alumni from UNCSA across all disciplines and offers curricular opportunities for students to gain practical career skills in intellectual property and entrepreneurship. With two to three releases per year, UNCSA Media features music, film and video, plays, dance, and more, leveraging the conservatory’s five disciplines on one campus and its extensive worldwide network of talented alumni and faculty. UNCSA launched UNCSA Media in September 2023 with the release of “Windows,” a contemporary classical recording featuring UNCSA faculty members performing works by Valerie Coleman, Jessie Montgomery and Reena Esmail, as well as a world premiere commission by Kamala Sankaram, followed by alumna and singer/songwriter Cashavelly’s “Meditation Through Gunfire” in October 2024.

UNCSA Media and the “Firebird Ballet Suite” performance and recording, along with the multiyear partnership with DTH and UNCSA , are made possible with funding and programmatic support by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

For more information about UNCSA Media and future releases, visit http://www.uncsa.edu/uncsa-media.

For physical review copies please contact Amanda Sweet, Bucklesweet, amanda@bucklesweet.com.

About UNCSA 

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a top-ranked arts conservatory and America’s first state-supported arts school. The nation’s only public university of five arts disciplines on one campus, UNCSA prepares emerging artists for careers in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music at the undergraduate through post-graduate levels, as well as through a specialized high school with free tuition for in-state residents. UNCSA provides industry-leading instruction in an inclusive environment where students are encouraged to leverage the arts as a mechanism for change. Interdisciplinary opportunities arising from the unique arts ecosystem on campus at UNCSA prepare artists to enter an evolving global arts and entertainment industry. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina System when it was formed in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu. 

About Dance Theatre of Harlem 

Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim, encompassing a world-class company, a professional studio school, a leading arts education program - Dancing Through Barriers®, and community engagement activities.  Each component of Dance Theatre of Harlem carries a solid commitment towards enriching the lives of young people and adults around the world through the arts. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem was considered “one of ballet’s most exciting undertakings” (The New York Times, 1971). Shortly after the assassination of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mitchell was inspired to start a school that would offer children — especially those in Harlem, the community in which he was born — the opportunity to learn about dance and the allied arts. Now in its fifth decade, Dance Theatre of Harlem has grown into a multicultural dance institution with an extraordinary legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts.  For more information about Dance Theatre of Harlem, please visit www.dancetheatreofharlem.org. Follow Dance Theatre of Harlem on Instagram and Facebook:@DanceTheatreOfHarlem; and YouTube: Dance Theatre of Harlem.  

About the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts 

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts was established in 1993 to strengthen the arts by initiating and incubating new ideas within the various constituencies and settings of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).  By leveraging the extraordinary talents and creative energies of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to bring distinction to UNCSA, the Kenan Institute acts as a springboard to the broader creative community. For more information visit www.uncsa.edu/kenan. 

Contact Media Relations

Get the best news, performance and alumni stories from UNCSA.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)