Kenan Institute for the Arts and UNCSA to host Black Sacred Music Symposium, March 19-22

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts (Kenan Arts) and UNCSA are hosting the second regional gathering of the celebrated Black Sacred Music Symposium, March 19-22 on the UNCSA campus. The Black Sacred Music Symposium XIX will feature a theme of “FELLOWSHIP” and marks the second time the symposium has been held away from its home at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where it began in 1991.

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

The culminating concert, which is open to the public as well as symposium attendees, will take place on Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m. in the Gerald Freedman Theatre at Performance Place at UNCSA. A reception will follow. The concert will feature works performed by the symposium community choir and instrumentalists as well as soloists and featured performances from the University of Illinois Black Chorus, the Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams, Winston-Salem Inspirational Voices, Wake Forest University School of Divinity, and UNCSA conservatory students in music, drama and dance.

Davis, who serves as 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 35 years. The symposium has become a major event at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, uniting local communities and the university in a joyful celebration of the artistry and rich tradition of Black sacred music.

Symposium XIX at UNCSA with the Kenan Institute for the Arts is an opportunity for anyone in the greater Winston-Salem community with a passion for and interest in choral music, specifically Black sacred music, to learn about and perform music by visiting instructors, Grammy-nominated artists and scholars.

Dr. Ollie Watts Davis

“I am excited to return the Black Sacred Music Symposium to Winston-Salem,” Davis said. “Symposium XIX at UNCSA with the Kenan Institute for the Arts is an opportunity for anyone in the greater Winston-Salem community with a passion for and interest in choral music, specifically Black sacred music, to learn about and perform music by visiting instructors, Grammy-nominated artists and scholars.”

UNCSA and the Kenan Institute for the Arts are committed to forging deeper creative connections among regional communities through this partnership.

“For more than 30 years, Kenan Arts has brought artists and communities together in meaningful ways,” Executive Director Kevin Bitterman said. “This year’s theme of ‘FELLOWSHIP’ reflects the transformative power of coming together through the study of music and communal artmaking. Rooted in the rich tradition of Black sacred music, the symposium creates space to overcome isolation; deepen connection; and cultivate understanding, healing and belonging.”

This year’s theme of ‘FELLOWSHIP’ reflects the transformative power of coming together through the study of music and communal artmaking.

Kenan Arts Executive Director Kevin Bitterman

Tickets to the Sunday concert are $20, and the cost to attend the four-day symposium is $35. For full details about the symposium and concert and to register, including group registration discounts, visit uncsa.edu/bsms.

Additional presenting partners for the Black Sacred Music Symposium XIX include Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Winston-Salem State University Department of Music and the City of Winston-Salem.

In February 2024, the Kenan Institute for the Arts and the UNCSA School of Music presented Black Sacred Music Symposium XVII HAVEN to sold out audiences, which included guest artists Dr. Davis, Berris Bolton, Rev. Dr. K. Edward Copeland, Kimberly Fullerton-Smith, Dr. Alonza Lawrence and L’Tanya Moore-Copeland.

Black Sacred Music Symposium XIX: FELLOWSHIP Conference

Participants in the three-day Black Sacred Music Conference (March 19-21) leading up to the culminating concert (March 22) will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and performance of the music as well as reach a deeper understanding of its message. Attendees learn from distinguished guest artists and perform with them in concert. Seminar topics range from the history and development of African American sacred music traditions, including congregational singing, folk and concert spirituals, metered and improvised hymns, anthems, and traditional and contemporary gospel expressions to choral conducting and vocal and instrumental techniques.

Distinguished artists who honor the Black sacred music traditions through their achievements in the arts, education, ministry, business and law comprise the teaching faculty. Symposium XIX faculty include Dr. Davis, Endalyn T. Outlaw, Rev. Dr. K. Edward Copeland, Berris Bolton, Walter Owens, Jr., Quandra Clark, Joshuah Campbell, Dr. Myron D. Brown and D’Walla Simmons-Burke.

For a complete symposium schedule including plenary sessions, rehearsals and more,  visit www.uncsa.edu/bsms.

About the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts (Kenan Arts)

Artists change the way we see the world. At the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, we make space for that change to happen. From our home at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, we support artists, spark collaboration, and connect creative communities across the Southeast and beyond. For more than three decades, Kenan Arts has backed bold ideas, nurtured partnerships, and helped the arts thrive in times of challenge and transformation. By expanding pathways to creativity for artists, students, and communities, we continue that work with a clear vision for a world where artists are valued and creativity is a driving force for change. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu/kenan.

About the Black Sacred Music Symposium

The Black Sacred Music Symposium was founded by Dr. Ollie Watts Davis in 1991. This three-day conference and culminating concert is dedicated to the study of Black Sacred Music traditions. The conference provides participants with methods necessary to expand both their performance of the music and understanding of its message. Participants learn from a distinguished group of guest artists and perform with them in the classroom and in concert. In creating the curriculum for this conference, Dr. Davis envisioned an intensive training forum for university students and a continuing education opportunity for members of the community. The symposium attracts participants from across the nation. For more information, visit blacksacredmusicsymposium.com.

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