UNCSA Presents: September and October performance highlights

The UNCSA 2026–27 performance season, “UNCSA Presents,” continues this September and October with highlights including the opening concerts of the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds, Fall Dance, Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Ruined,” the School of Filmmaking Symposium Series, the 10th UNCSA Chamber Music Festival, celebrations marking the 25th anniversaries of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and Collaborative Piano program and performances spanning jazz, roots music, organ, guest artists and more.

Tickets to most events are $25 per event for adults and $20 for non-UNCSA students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945.

UNCSA Symphony Orchestra: Steven Banks, Billy Childs and Brahms – Sept. 19

The UNCSA Symphony Orchestra opens its season with internationally acclaimed saxophonist and UNCSA alumnus Steven Banks (H.S. Music ’11), who joins the School of Music faculty this year as professor of saxophone. Banks takes center stage in Billy Childs’ “Diaspora Concerto.” Structured as a three-part symphonic poem inspired by Black poets, the work traces a journey from ancestral homeland through trauma and resistance to resilience and triumph, blending vivid orchestral color with a deeply expressive solo voice. 

Conducted by A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Music Director James Allbritten, the program concludes with Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. Together, the works launch the Symphony Orchestra season with a program centered on history, identity and emotional intensity. 

The performance will take place Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall on the Wake Forest University campus, 1775 Wake Forest Road in Winston-Salem.

UNCSA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds: “Cuentista!” – Sept. 20

School of Music performances continue with “Cuentista!,” featuring the UNCSA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Winds under the direction of Mark A. Norman.

The program draws on Latin American and Spanish musical traditions and features oboist Rachel Messing. Repertoire includes Arturo Márquez’s “Marcha Sonora,” arranged by Messier, and “Caminandes Llamigos” by UNCSA student composer Aarush Bothra, presented with film. 

The concert takes place Sunday, Sept. 20, at 3 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall on the Wake Forest University campus, 1775 Wake Forest Road in Winston-Salem.

School of Filmmaking Symposium Series: “A Page of Madness” – Sept. 25

The School of Filmmaking continues its Symposium Series with “A Page of Madness,” a 1926 Japanese silent film presented with an original live metal score by The Silent Light. The event pairs the experimental silent film with contemporary live music. It is part of the School of Filmmaking’s Symposium Series, which provides free public access to filmmakers, artists and creative thinkers discussing filmmaking and contemporary storytelling. 

The presentation is free to attend and will take place Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. in the ACE Exhibition Complex on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St.

Fall Dance – Sept. 29-Oct. 3

The School of Dance kicks off its season with its annual Fall Dance, featuring five contemporary works created by alumni, faculty and guest choreographers for high school and undergraduate dance students. The program brings returning alumni together with current students through shared training, mentorship and the creation of new contemporary work. 

UNCSA alumni Kevin Tate (H.S. Dance ’96) and Ian Spencer Bell (H.S. Dance ’96) return to create new works for undergraduate students. Bell’s “Half-light” is set to movements from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” and is inspired by pioneering dancer Isadora Duncan ahead of the 150th anniversary of her birth and 100th anniversary of her death in 2027. Tate’s “Hunger for Control” explores the tension between control and surrender.

Alumna and faculty member Kate Jewett choreographs “Each Other” for high school contemporary dance students, featuring original music by pianist and composer Randall Love. Faculty member Britt Juleen Gonzalez contributes “Becoming,” set to music by acclaimed American composer Philip Glass, while guest choreographer Neta Pulvermacher presents the world premiere of “Shemesh,” set to “Shakara” by Nigerian musician and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

Performances will take place Tuesday through Saturday, Sept. 29-Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m., and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. All performances will take place in Agnes de Mille Theatre, located on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St. 

“Ruined” – Oct. 1-8

The School of Drama opens its season with “Ruined” by Lynn Nottage, directed by faculty member Cliff Odle. Set during civil war in Congo, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama follows Mama Nadi, a businesswoman whose bar becomes a refuge for women affected by violence and loss. She must navigate the power struggles surrounding her while protecting those who rely on her. 

Performances will take place Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 1-3, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m.; and Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 6-8, at 7:30 p.m. All performances will take place in Catawba Theatre on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St. 

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

The UNCSA Improvised Music and Jazz Studio presents its Fall Showcase under the direction of Steve Alford. The program highlights spontaneity, groove and creative risk as student performers explore a wide range of jazz and improvised traditions, from structured charts to fully open-ended creation. The performance features individual voice, ensemble listening and real-time musical decision-making, offering a snapshot of emerging artists shaping style, sound and collaboration in the moment. 

The performance takes place Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. in Freedman Theatre on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St.

Organist Iain Quinn in Recital – Oct. 4

The School of Music welcomes internationally recognized organist, composer and scholar Iain Quinn for a recital on UNCSA’s Fisk Op. 75 pipe organ. Quinn’s program will showcase the range of the instrument, from quiet, sustained tones to more expansive and powerful sonorities. A professor of organ and coordinator of sacred music at Florida State University, Quinn’s work spans performance, composition and musicological research in the United States and Europe. He is also a research fellow in the arts and humanities, director of Florida State University’s annual Festival of the Creative Arts and an Honorary Research Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

The performance takes place Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. in Crawford Hall on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St.

10th UNCSA Chamber Music Festival – Oct. 17, 20 and 24

The UNCSA Chamber Music Festival returns for its 10th edition with three concerts bringing together guest artists, faculty and students for performances that explore the joy of making music. The festival features landmark works of the chamber repertoire, including Antonín Dvořák’s String Sextet, Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet and Johannes Brahms’ Horn Trio, alongside additional works showcasing the breadth and intimacy of ensemble performance.

The Oct. 24 concert features returning guest artist Paul Neubauer on viola, who also participated in the first festival in 2023, joined by violinist Amy Moretti and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan. The Oct. 17 and 20 concerts will feature additional guest artists performing alongside UNCSA students and faculty in dynamic collaboration.

Performances will take place Saturday, Oct. 17; Tuesday, Oct. 20; and Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Watson Hall, 1533 South Main St. in Winston-Salem. A livestream option is also available with registration. 

A 25th Anniversary Collaborative Piano & Opera Celebration! – Oct. 25

The School of Music marks the 25th anniversaries of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and graduate Collaborative Piano program with “A 25th Anniversary Collaborative Piano & Opera Celebration!”

The recital brings together faculty and alumni of the Collaborative Piano program with their musical partners, including artists from the Fletcher Opera Institute, highlighting the collaborative work at the heart of both programs. The performance is part of the yearlong silver anniversary celebration marking 25 years of the Fletcher Opera Institute and graduate Collaborative Piano program.

The performance takes place Sunday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. in Watson Hall on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St. 

Nashville Trio – Oct. 28

School of Music performances continue with the Nashville Trio, featuring Music alumnus Eddie Barbash (H.S. Music ’07), Jeff Picker and Mark Raudabaugh. Barbash is known for his work with Cory Wong and Jon Batiste; Picker has performed with Nickel Creek and Ricky Skaggs; and Raudabaugh has collaborated with Sierra Hull. The trio combines fiddle tunes, jazz standards, improvisation and roots music. 

The performance is part of a new series connected to UNCSA’s American Roots Music Institute, which focuses on the preservation and advancement of bluegrass, folk and other roots music traditions. 

The performance will take place Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Watson Hall on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St. 

“Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches” – Oct. 29-Nov. 7

The School of Drama continues its season with Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches,” directed by Drama student Gianna Marullo as her senior thesis project. Set in 1980s America amid the AIDS crisis and political upheaval, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows a group of interconnected characters whose lives collide through surreal encounters and shifting realities. As relationships fracture and transform, the characters confront questions of identity, love, loss and what it means to keep moving forward in a world undergoing profound change. Blending heartbreak, humor and moments of transcendence, “Angels in America” moves between the intimate and the fantastical as its characters navigate personal and political upheaval. 

Performances will take place Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 29-31, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m.; and Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 5-7, at 7:30 p.m. All performances will take place in Patrons Theatre on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St. 

“Macbeth” – Oct. 29-31

The School of Drama presents Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” in an all-female production directed by alumna Acadia Barrengos (B.F.A. Drama ’22).

Set against the play’s familiar world of prophecy, betrayal and the supernatural, the production examines ambition, power and fate through a contemporary lens. With an all-female cast, Barrengos’ staging also brings questions of gender and authority to the forefront while preserving the central conflict of Shakespeare’s tragedy. The production follows Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as a series of predictions sets in motion their pursuit of power and the consequences that follow. As alliances shift and violence escalates, the play traces the unraveling of relationships, loyalty and control.

Barrengos returns to UNCSA as an alumni director with support from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

Performances will take place Thursday and Friday, Oct. 29-30, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. All performances will take place in Catawba Theatre on the UNCSA campus, 1533 South Main St.

UNCSA Symphony Orchestra: Mazzoli, Nielsen and Prokofiev – Oct. 31

The UNCSA Symphony Orchestra welcomes back guest conductor Ian Passmore for a program spanning contemporary and 20th-century orchestral music by American composer Missy Mazzoli, Danish composer Carl Nielsen and Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. Hailed by “Fanfare” as a “rising young conductor,” Passmore leads an evening of expansive sound, bold solo performance and high-stakes musical energy. 

The concert opens with Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres),” characterized by glowing textures and driving rhythm. UNCSA alumnus and 2025–26 Concerto Competition winner Ilya Perepelitsa (B.M. ’26) is featured in Nielsen’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, a work combining lyricism, wit and contrasting passages for flute and orchestra. The program concludes with Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.

The performance will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall on the Wake Forest University campus, 1775 Wake Forest Road in Winston-Salem. 

Tickets and information about additional “UNCSA Presents” performances can be found at uncsa.edu/performances.

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