Composer and performer of Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" to perform live demonstration at the Stevens Center

University of North Carolina School of the Arts guest artist Colin Wolfe, a renowned music producer, composer, and bassist who wrote the music and played bass and keyboards on Dr. Dre’s iconic solo debut album “The Chronic,” will perform a live demonstration at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, at the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem.

The demonstration will involve Wolfe using Moog keyboards and a bass guitar to show how he created those legendary songs. A Q&A, emceed by UNCSA 2016-17 Student Body President Tareake Ramos, will immediately follow the demonstration.

The demonstration is free and open to the public; however, tickets are required. Call the UNCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945 or visit the event page to reserve tickets.

The demonstration also will be streamed live at moogfest.com. A three-day music, art and technology festival in Durham, Moogfest is a tribute to Dr. Robert Moog and the profound influence his inventions (including the analog synthesizer) have had on how we hear the world. Its mission is to grow a global community of futurists who explore emerging sound technologies and design radical instruments for change.

Wolfe’s demonstration will be recorded by UNC-TV, and televised at a date to be announced.

The world of music is so very big, and the only limits are those that we impose on it. The future of the music industry requires us all to consider many new forms of music-making in the digital age. But most of all, musicians will need to consider their audiences as they create their own careers and forge new paths.

Music Dean Brian Cole

Wolfe will be a guest artist in residence at UNCSA during the week of May 1-5, performing songwriting, music production and music technology workshops for students from the School of Filmmaking’s film music composition concentration as well as students from the School of Music. The workshops will be held on the film school’s Scoring Stage.

Wolfe will also travel to Durham as a headline guest artist, in partnership with UNCSA, at Moogfest, from May 18-21.

Colin Wolfe’s residency, in collaboration with the UNCSA School of Music, is made possible through a Faculty Leadership Grant from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts. Wolfe’s visit is being coordinated by UNCSA School of Filmmaking faculty member Wade Wilson, who teaches editing and sound. He received the Kenan Faculty Leadership Grant.

“We are grateful to the Kenan Institute for seeing the value in this unique opportunity,” Wilson said. “Colin’s visit provides UNCSA students with exclusive learning opportunities from a top professional and, at the same time, it positions UNCSA statewide as a forward-thinking and innovative campus.”

Wilson’s sentiments were echoed by UNCSA School of Music Dean Brian Cole. “The world of music is so very big, and the only limits are those that we impose on it. The future of the music industry requires us all to consider many new forms of music-making in the digital age,” Cole said. “But most of all, musicians will need to consider their audiences as they create their own careers and forge new paths. We are thrilled to collaborate with the School of Filmmaking and Wade’s initiative to make Colin’s residency possible for our students.”

In addition to Dr. Dre, Wolfe has worked with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, George Clinton, TLC, N.W.A., Black Eyed Peas, Boyz II Men, Ben Folds, Janet Jackson, and Snoop Dogg, among others. 

by Marla Carpenter