Announcing ‘UNCSA Presents,’ the 2024-25 performance season
UNCSA has unveiled its 2024-25 performance season, “UNCSA Presents.” Tickets go on sale this Friday, Aug. 16, for a robust and varied season of dance, drama, film and music events performed by gifted UNCSA students, world-class faculty, distinguished alumni and celebrated guest artists. “UNCSA Presents” offers a broad range of free events and low-cost regular tickets, giving local residents and visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy the works of both acclaimed professionals and professional-caliber student work. Tickets also go on sale Friday for UNCSA’s beloved annual production of “The Nutcracker,” which returns to the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro Dec. 6-8.
Coming to our performances at UNCSA is like having a window into the future.
CHANCELLOR BRIAN COLE
“Coming to our performances at UNCSA is like having a window into the future,” said Chancellor Brian Cole. “You are going to see the absolutely most talented artists of the next generation, today. This year we again offer an incredible array of productions that showcase the immense talent of our students, faculty and guest artists. And we are excited to reach new audiences around the Triad as we perform in new venues while our Stevens Center undergoes its much-needed renovation. We look forward to connecting with our community through inspiring performances and events this season.”
The “UNCSA Presents” season begins Aug. 25 with “Of River and Field,” a musical journey inspired by North Carolina’s red clay with the Mallarmé Chamber Players (cello, piano and soprano) performing works by alumnus Kenneth Frazelle, Amy Beach and Jennifer Higdon. Then, on Aug. 29, bring your lawn chair to Daniels Plaza for an evening of toe-tapping tunes by the UNCSA Wind Ensemble with "Pops on the Plaza!" Enjoy iconic movie scores, show-stopping musicals and beloved classical works, from John Williams' rousing themes to Disney's vibrant melodies as the season officially gets underway.
Ticket information
Tickets for all season performances go on sale to the general public at noon Friday, Aug. 16, at uncsa.edu/performances or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945. Tickets to most events start at $25; non-UNCSA student tickets start at $20 with valid ID. Group rates and gift certificates are available. Film screenings and student recitals — among other events — are free of charge. Selected events are priced individually as noted. Patrons can also purchase an Arts Card to secure a package of multiple tickets with a discount over single non-student ticket prices.
Tickets for “The Nutcracker” begin at $39 and can be purchased at TangerCenter.com. Optional upgrades will include on-site VIP parking, Lee & Wrangler Lounge access and the Tanger Center’s pre-event Prelude Dining experience for select performances. More information about “The Nutcracker” can be found at uncsa.edu/nutcracker.
UNCSA Spring Dance 2024 / Photo: Luke Jamroz
School of Dance Highlights
The School of Dance season kicks off with Fall Dance, which features a contemporary showcase with students performing new and established works followed by the popular Emerging Choreographers Concert, featuring senior contemporary dance students, and Winter Dance, showcasing the talents of students from both the contemporary and ballet programs performing works that highlight the breadth of the dance training.
The School of Dance returns to the Tanger Center stage with the timeless holiday classic “The Nutcracker,” as choreographed by faculty artist Ilya Kozadayev and conducted by Chancellor Brian Cole.
In celebration of 100 years of the Martha Graham Dance Company, this year’s Spring Dance will feature highlights from Graham's evocative “Dark Meadow Suite.” The abstract piece explores life’s journey and the search for connection with one’s self and one’s community. The performance will feature a score by Mexican composer and conductor Carlos Chávez.
Spring Dance also offers a dazzling collection of new works by Dance faculty members Kozadayev and Cherylyn Lavagnino, who will feature new contemporary ballet works, while Associate Dean Brenda Daniels presents a new contemporary piece, for which Music graduate student Bruno Coz Núñez performs classical guitar live.
The UNCSA production of Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night, or What You Will” / Photo: Luke Jamroz
School of Drama Highlights
The School of Drama presents a season that continues its tradition of showcasing impactful theatrical voices. This year’s lineup will engage and inspire audiences with stories that resonate deeply in today's world including Cuban American playwright María Irnene Fornés’ “Fefu & Her Friends,” a searing exploration of gender in 1930s America; Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Fairview,” about a middle-class family getting ready to celebrate their grandmother’s birthday in a whole new way; Andrew Lippa’s “Wild Party,” a jazzy dark comedy about an intense love match which fizzles out only to be reignited through the thrilling bash; Terrence McNally’s “Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” about the complexities of love after a first date; and Dave Malloy’s pop-opera “Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812,” based on Tolstoy’s 1869 “War and Peace,” set to a thrilling score blending classical, Russian folk and indie rock music.
Concluding the season is Lucy Kirkwood’s “The Welkin,” a gripping drama following Sally Poppy, whose fate rests with a jury of “matrons” (who have given birth themselves) after discovering the truth behind her pregnancy.
UNCSA Film Masterclass / Photo: Wayne Reich
School of Filmmaking Highlights
The School of Filmmaking will showcase a dynamic lineup of guest artist appearances
and film screenings that highlight the program’s evolution to embrace a wide range
of filmmaking. This season, the film school launches a new series of Legacy Celebration
Screenings celebrating its early years. The fall screening, which honors founding Dean Sam Grogg and the Winston-Salem community that
helped make the film school a reality, includes selections of student films from the
first decade, 1993–2003. A spring screening, honoring former Dean Dale Pollock, will feature films from 2004-14. The curated program highlights a multitude of genres
and styles from innovative filmmakers who first pursued their art here.
Additional offerings include the “Panorama Screening,” a collection of short films made by student filmmakers that illustrate the variety and depth of their talent; a tour of the “The Cube” at the Center for Design Innovation, to explore the home of the Media and Emerging Technology Lab (METL); and the annual end-of-year third-year and fourth-year films, created by students as part of their curriculum.
The School of Filmmaking is also introducing “Symposium,” a new weekly guest artist series for students throughout the fall semester which will also be open to the public. The series will feature filmmakers, poets, alumni, musicians, activists and educators as they demonstrate to students how their creative output has cultural impact. As part of the series, the School of Filmmaking presents a screening of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” (1927) accompanied by a roaring live metal score by The Silent Light band.
UNCSA Symphony Orchestra / Photo: Wayne Reich
School of Music Highlights
The School of Music's standout performances will include several by the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Music alumnus and conductor Robert Franz. Its season opening concert at Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem will feature a program of iconic works by composers who defied expectations to express their unique voices including Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon's stirring "Spirit," Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and Duke Ellington's groundbreaking "Black, Brown and Beige."
The annual UNCSA Chamber Music Festival continues this season, beginning with the fall installment featuring three evenings of intimate chamber music as students, faculty and renowned guest artists come together in this collaborative event. Music alumnus and hornist Stefan Jezierski, a longtime member of the esteemed Berlin Philharmonic, will be featured in Brahms’ rhapsodic Horn Trio. Violinist Dmitri Berlinksy and pianist Orion Weiss will perform in Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, the most frequently played of the German composer’s chamber masterworks. The spring installment will include two evenings of chamber music performed by students, faculty and guest artists as well as former Music faculty member and cellist Zvi Presser.
For the second year in a row, the acclaimed UNCSA Jazz Ensemble will appear in the new Improvised Music and Jazz Festival presented by the School of Music. Under the direction of Steven Alford, jazz and contemporary department chair, audiences will experience the group’s catchy riffs, electric instrumentation and experimental sound. This daylong mini-festival features many facets of improvised music including big band dance music and modern jazz performed by multiple jazz combos composed of UNCSA students, as well as guest student ensembles. Last year’s event was held at the Millennium Center in downtown Winston-Salem.
In an electrifying contemporary music program, the Vesna Duo, featuring Liana Pailodze Harron, piano, and Music faculty member Ksenija Komljenović, marimba, will perform reconfigured, reimagined and transcribed folk-inspired works. The concert will highlight their versions of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”; Piazzolla’s iconic “La Muerte Del Ángel”; Tigran Hamasyan’s haunting “Lilac”; and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s music for the soundtrack of the film “Women Talking.”
In the spring the renowned Canadian Brass will bring their trendy tennis shoes and engaging stage presence for a high-energy show featuring a complete musical range, from Baroque to new compositions and unique arrangements served up with lively dialogue and theatrical effects.
Additionally, the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute will present Johann Strauss II’s “Die Fledermaus,” a comedic masterpiece with timeless melodies pairing laughter and romance with sparkling wit and infectious charm, as part of its Winter Opera performances, and Richard Wargo’s “Ballymore,” an opera in two parts, which follows the complicated romances of two couples living in Northern Ireland in the 1960s, as part of its Spring Opera performances.
Many concerts will have the option to be livestreamed for free.
UNCSA Photona / Photo: Wayne Reich
School of Design & Production Highlights
In addition to providing all of the design, technical and production support for performances and productions in the schools of Dance, Drama, Filmmaking and the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, the School of Design and Production (D&P) also presents its annual “Photona,” the dazzling multimedia show of lighting, projection and sound displayed with state-of-the-art equipment generously provided from the leading lighting companies in the industry. Audience members engage with this mesmerizing show through Q&A sessions with each student designer. At the night's end, the audience votes for its favorite show.
Holiday Suite
This holiday season, audiences will once again have the chance to experience Holiday Suite, an immersive journey showcasing the sights, sounds and flavors of winter festivities celebrated across diverse cultures and communities. The event offers a guided tour through campus, accompanied by twinkle lights and festive decorations while experiencing joyful dance performances and the sounds of celebration. This one-of-a-kind holiday experience enlivens campus in unique and imaginative ways while harmoniously blending the talents and magic of student artists through interdisciplinary collaboration from all of the UNCSA conservatories.
Tickets and information including dates and times of all performances are available at uncsa.edu/performances.
Photos for download available here.
August 14, 2024