Kick off the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra season with a program of powerful storytelling and musical depth. Internationally acclaimed saxophonist and UNCSA alumnus Steven Banks (H.S. ’11), who joins the faculty this year as saxophone professor, 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, an emotionally-charged masterpiece that unveils itself through quiet tension and sudden bright bursts of energy before intensifying into a powerful, unresolved conclusion. Together, these works launch the season with a compelling exploration of history, identity and the enduring power of the human spirit.