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Monday 9am - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Gateways Music Festival

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Gateways Music Festival

Celebrating Black classical artistry! The Festival has been based in Rochester, New York since 1995 when Ms.

Gateways Music Festival's mission is to connect and support professional classical musicians of African descent and enlighten and inspire communities through the power of performance. The annual week-long Festival celebrates the participation and contributions of professional classical musicians of African descent through more than 50 solo, chamber and orchestra performances in concert halls and c

ommunity venues throughout the host city.

125 musicians from across the United States (and a few from Canada, Europe, South America and the Caribbean) participate in the Festival and perform for a large and diverse audience. Gateways Music Festival was founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina by Juilliard-trained pianist Armenta (Hummings) Dumisani in 1993. Dumisani joined the faculty of the Eastman School of Music, from which she is now retired.

06/12/2026

This June, during , we’re launching something new. 🤩

Our inaugural campaign honors founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani, who turns 90 on June 27.

For more than 30 years, Miss Armenta’s vision has shaped Gateways into more than a festival: an artistic home, a gathering place, and a stage where Black classical musicians can create, perform, and thrive in community.

Now, through our 90 for 90 campaign, we’re inviting 90 donors to make a gift of any amount by June 27. When 90 donors give, a friend of Gateways has pledged an additional $5,000 gift.

90 donors.
90 years of legacy.
One powerful way to carry the work forward.

The campaign is live.

Support Gateways today → https://www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org/donate-now

Artwork: Portrait of Armenta Hummings Dumisani, 2026; Bobby K. Hill (b. 1973) Commissioned by Gateways Music Festival

06/07/2026

GATEWAYS TOOK TIMES SQUARE. 💫

The Gateways Brass Collective brought the full force of Gateways to the heart of New York City — and Times Square felt every note!

From the first downbeat, the ensemble had the crowd locked in, delivering one of the most phenomenal performances of our season.

We’re grateful to our friends at and for making this moment possible, and to .school’s for sitting in with the ensemble.

Here’s a taste of GBC’s take on Chick Corea’s Spain.

05/31/2026

🍎 Friends in New York City — meet us in Times Square. ✨

This Thursday @ 4PM, the Gateways Brass Collective brings the living legacy of Gateways to one of New York City’s most iconic cultural attractions.

Presented as part of Carnegie Hall Citywide, join us for a free outdoor performance and experience the virtuosity, versatility, and expressive power of the GBC — right in the heart of Times Square.

When brass, brilliance, and Black artistry in classical music meet on the street… the whole city will feel it. 🎺

📌 Gateways Brass Collective: Carnegie Hall Citywide
🗓️ Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 4:00 PM
📍 Times Square | New York, NY

Free and open to the public.

05/28/2026

Today, we’re proud to announce Gateways Giving Day. 🎶

Black artistry in classical music has always been here — in our sound, our stories, our discipline, our imagination, and in the artists who continue to expand what this tradition can hold.

In honor of founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani’s 90th birthday on June 27, we’re inviting 90 donors to help us turn 90 years of legacy into lasting support for the future of Black artistry in classical music.

For over than 30 years, Gateways has been more than a festival. We have been a gathering place, an artistic home, and a reminder that Black classical musicians belong at the center of the story.

🖤 Now through June 27, we invite you to be part of what comes next.

Support Gateways Today →https://www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org/donate-now

05/21/2026

Gateways Music Festival stands in solidarity with the Black Orchestral Network and its third “Dear American Orchestras” letter. 🖤

In its third “Dear American Orchestras” letter, BON calls on orchestras and funders to reimagine fellowship programs as true investments in Black classical musicians — not symbolic gestures, but meaningful pathways to professional growth, belonging, and long-term employment.

This call is deeply aligned with Gateways’ mission.

Since its founding, Gateways has created space for Black classical musicians to gather, perform, collaborate, and be recognized in the fullness of their artistry. We know that access alone is not enough. Support must be sustained. Opportunity must be meaningful. Belonging must be real.

We affirm BON’s recommendations and stand with its call for an orchestral field that invests in Black musicians with the seriousness, care, and accountability they deserve.

We encourage our community to read the full letter and reflect on what true investment in the future of American orchestral music requires .

04/28/2026

Outtakes from a very special closing event in Winston-Salem that still has us in our feelings. 🫶🏾

From a full house of eager, supportive Winstonians, to presentations honoring the family of Armenta Hummings Dumisani, award recognitions, and unforgettable performances by Amadi Azikiwe and Marcus Thompson…

From sensuous solos by Jas Ogiste and Damien Sneed, to the brilliance of Coleridge-Taylor, Bach, and George Walker brought to life by Lady Jess, Timothy Holley, Prudence McDaniel, Samantha Powell, Caroline Jones, Court Wynter, and Daeshon Lawson…

And the unmistakable vibrancy of the Gateways Brass Collective…

It was more than a special night of music. It was a historic evening for Gateways Music Festival. 🖤

❣️ To everyone who joined us in Winston-Salem for the 2026 Spring Festival—thank you. Truly. Whether you attended a concert, traveled from out of town, supported a young musician, volunteered your time, or helped make our artists and audiences feel at home, you brought this homecoming to life in a powerful way.

04/22/2026

Coming home never felt so sweet, y’all ❣️

Winston-Salem, after three special days—and with just two days left in the 2026 Spring Festival—you’ve welcomed Gateways’ return with packed houses and truly generous Southern hospitality.

As we prepare to welcome young brass students for today’s Young Musicians Institute, we’re sharing a few of the week’s most magical moments.

…and it’s not over yet.

Tomorrow evening, join us for a culminating celebration honoring the extraordinary legacy of Gateways founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani, featuring her son Amadi Azikiwe, Dr. Marcus Thompson, Damien Sneed, Jas Ogiste, the Gateways Brass Collective, members of the Gateways chamber ensemble, and more.

If you’ve been waiting to jump into this exhilarating homecoming, this is your last chance.

Come on home to the music. ✨

📸 Larry Brown Photography

04/20/2026

It’s good to be home. 🖤

Gateways has returned to Winston-Salem for our 2026 Spring Festival, and we’re just getting started.

Yesterday, the Gateways Brass Collective kicked things off with performances at Centenary Methodist Church and Arbor Acres, while Damien Sneed previewed tonight’s piano recital during worship at Union Baptist Church. Trumpeter and educator Herb Smith also led a masterclass with students of the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestra.

🎼 Today at 2 PM
Experience a piano lecture-recital exploring the legacies of four extraordinary Black women composers—Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Betty Jackson King, and Irene Britton Smith—with pianist Mira Walker.

🎹 Tonight at 7 PM
Don’t miss Emmy Award-winning pianist, composer, and educator Damien Sneed in an expansive recital spanning Beethoven and Strauss to Tw***ie Clark, Richard Smallwood, and original compositions.

Winston-Salem, come home to the music. ✨

Address

26 Gibbs Street, # 58
Rochester, NY
14604

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+15852326106

Website

http://www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org/

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