UNCSA Presents

08/19/2026

The wait is over: The full 2026-27 Performance Season is here, and single tickets are officially on sale! 🎟️

Choose from more than 100 performances across Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music. Experience the next generation of artists making their mark, see acclaimed faculty at work, and enjoy guest artists from across the country and around the world.

Get your tickets today at uncsa.edu/performances. We’ll see you in the audience!

08/18/2026

The full line-up for the Aug. 28-29 Arts & Emerging Technology Residency is here ✨.

Made possible by the Kenan Institute for the Arts, this event brings together artists, technologists, and thought leaders (and you!) for an artist-centered dialogue around one of the most important conversations in the arts today. Here's what's scheduled:

➡️ Arts & Conscience: The Ethics of AI with Cézanne Charles, co-creator of rootoftwo, a hybrid art, design and technology studio that investigates how invisible digital systems, automation and emerging technologies shape civic life, privacy and public spaces.

➡️ Arts & Rights: Intellectual Property and AI with Dave Hansen, Executive Director of Authors Alliance, an organization that creates resources to help creators understand and enjoy their rights and promote policies that make knowledge and culture available and discoverable.

➡️ Arts & Livelihoods: Creative Labor in the AI Era with Jillian Arnold, President and Labor & Technology Intelligence Officer, IATSE Local 695.

➡️ A conversation with Xin Ying on use of technology in artistic practice: An in-depth conversation with choreographer Xin Ying and her creative partner Mimi Yin about “Letter to Nobody” and how emerging technologies may open new creative possibilities in dance and performance. A moderated talkback with the artists will follow a complete presentation of the work, including audience response and questions.

➡️ “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist" film screening in partnership with /perture, including a talkback with editor Davis Coombe, Chancellor Brian Cole, and Kenan Arts Technologist-in-Residence Koven J. Smith.

All events are free and open to the public. Register at uncsa.edu/performances

08/18/2026

Back to school means back to Winston-Salem, and this year, it also means looking ahead to the return of a beloved holiday tradition. 🩰

This December, UNCSA’s “The Nutcracker” comes home to Reynolds Auditorium, bringing generations of music, artistry and holiday magic back to Winston-Salem.

Celebrate the homecoming with the whole family: Buy two tickets and get two free for the Thursday, Dec. 3, and Friday, Dec. 4, performances at 7:30 p.m.*

Use promo code FAMILY at checkout by Sept. 14. 🎟️

08/14/2026

Choose your own adventure this performance season! Arts Cards are on sale now — a flexible, customizable and cost-effective way to explore a year of extraordinary performances.

Discover new contemporary dance works with Fall Dance, step into the provocative Kit Kat Club in "Cabaret," or get ready to swing dance with the UNCSA Jazz Ensemble: Big Band In Full Force. Simply select your Arts Card tier and redeem your tickets for the performances that interest you the most.

Learn more at uncsa.edu/performances 🩰

08/12/2026

What kind of performance season are you craving?

A little drama? An evening at the symphony? Boundary-pushing dance, big-screen storytelling or music that makes you want to move? With seven curated performance packages, you can choose the lineup that speaks to you and save on tickets while you’re at it.

Explore Dance, Drama, Classics in Rep, Filmmaking, Symphony & Winds, Jazz & Roots and Music Sampler packages at uncsa.edu/packages — and get ready for a performance season to remember.

08/03/2026

Save the date for the UNCSA Emerging Technology in the Arts Residency, a thought-provoking afternoon exploring how emerging technologies such as AI are reshaping artistic practice!

Hosted by UNCSA and the Kenan Institute for the Arts, the residency will bring together artists, technologists, legal scholars and industry leaders to examine the ethical, legal, technical and creative implications of AI for the arts.

The residency will feature a deep dive into acclaimed choreographer Xin Ying’s AI-inflected work "Letter to Nobody," discussions with leading experts on AI's role in artistic practice, and a free public screening of “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” in partnership with a/perture cinema.

Whether you are an artist, educator, student, researcher or arts leader, this event offers an opportunity to engage with one of the most important conversations shaping the future of creative work.

📅 When? Aug. 29, 1-4 p.m.
📍 Where? Performance Place, UNCSA
🎟️ Tickets? Free: https://bit.ly/uncsa-emerging-technology-residency

📸: Isabella Pagano

07/02/2026

Experience the energy, creativity and artistry of the next generation of dancers at DANCE | CONNECTION NOW.

This culminating performance showcases original works created during an intensive two-week residency by choreographers from the UNCSA Choreographic Institute, directed by UNCSA alumnus Juel D. Lane. The evening also features new creations by guest choreographer Mark Caserta and Summer Dance Director Ilya Kozadayev, performed by advanced summer intensive participants alongside select UNCSA students.

📅 July 10
🕖 7 p.m.
📍 Freedman Theatre
🎟 Tickets available starting at $20

Don't miss this exciting evening of innovative new dance and extraordinary emerging talent.

Join us as UNCSA Summer Dance proudly presents the culminating performance of DANCE | CONNECTION NOW. DANCE | CONNECTION NOW is a two-week intensive program designed for advanced dancers. This culminating performance features original works created specifically for the program by an outstanding rost...

06/24/2026

Join us for the inaugural North Carolina Piano Festival at UNCSA, a three-week celebration of extraordinary piano performance featuring internationally acclaimed guest artists, distinguished faculty and talented young pianists from across the country.

From Mozart and Beethoven to Chopin, Liszt and Schumann, audiences will experience a rich repertoire performed by renowned artists including William Wolfram, Arthur Greene, Dmitri Shteinberg and Dmitri Vorobiev, along with outstanding student musicians.

All performances are free and open to the public.

📍 UNCSA
📅 June 25–July 10
🎹 Faculty concerts, guest artist recitals, student showcases and a finale performance

Come discover the artistry, virtuosity and timeless beauty of the piano this summer!

The inaugural North Carolina Piano Festival brings three weeks of extraordinary music-making to the UNCSA campus, showcasing internationally acclaimed guest artists, distinguished faculty performers and rising young pianists from across the country. From virtuosic solo recitals to dynamic student sh...

06/22/2026

Experience the harp like you've never heard it before.

Join us tomorrow, June 23, for a free recital by Noel Wan, Gold Medalist of the 2022 USA International Harp Competition, presented as part of the American Harp Academy's week of activities at UNCSA. Known for her expressive artistry and innovative programming, Wan brings a fresh perspective to one of music's most captivating instruments.

🗓 June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
📍 Watson Hall
🎟 Free admission

Reserve your tickets today!

The American Harp Academy presents Gold Medalist of the 2022 USA International Harp Competition Noel Wan in recital during the American Harp Academy’s exciting week of activities at UNCSA. Come and experience Noel’s celebrated artistry and hear the harp in a fresh new way!

06/10/2026

A spring season standout!

Our School of Drama’s production of Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida” directed by Dean of Drama John Langs brought love, war and betrayal to the stage as part of the Classics in Rep series.

Click through for a look back at the striking performances, dynamic design and unforgettable moments from this bold reimagining of Troy.

This production was presented in partnership with the UNCSA School of Design and Production.

Photos: Tony Spielberg