University of North Carolina School of the Arts

10/16/2026

UNCSA High School Fall Preview Day is just around the corner! Join us Wednesday, Nov. 11 and discover your artistic future. ✨

High School Preview Day is your chance to experience the arts programs offered in our High School up close. Spend the day getting to know our campus, our community and the conservatory programs in our high school that make this place unlike anywhere else.

There will be:

✅ Campus tours
✅ Student panel discussions
✅ Information stations with school staff
✅ Conservatory programming

Reserve your spot: https://www.uncsa.edu/admissions/visit-meet-connect/high-school-preview-day.aspx

10/09/2026

There’s something pretty special about seeing so many generations of Fighting Pickles together in one place. 💚

UNCSA Homecoming: Family & Alumni Weekend 2026 was an absolute blast. With conservatory meetups, performances, a block party, a parade, the Alumni Beaux Arts Ball, Golden Pickles ceremony and so much more, it was a weekend of old friends, new connections and a whole lot of artistry.

To everyone who celebrated with us, near and far: thank you for making this Homecoming such a memorable one. We can’t wait to see you next year!

10/02/2026

The UNCSA School of Music Symphony Orchestra was on NPR's Morning Edition today!

NPR's Michel Martin spoke with Robert Garland, artistic director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, about the company’s return to Africa and the revival of its landmark production of “Firebird.” Woven throughout the interview? The UNCSA Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Ballet Suite,” conducted by Mark A. Norman.

And the recording’s journey doesn’t stop there. Released on the UNCSA Media label, it's also providing the musical accompaniment for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s “Firebird” tour performances featuring UNCSA School of Dance students, part of a multiyear partnership made possible by Kenan Institute for the Arts.

Following last weekend’s performances in Washington, D.C., UNCSA dancers will join the company in Chicago on Oct. 17 and Seattle on Oct. 30–31. The recording will also accompany DTH’s Nov. 7 performance in Tempe, Arizona.

Listen to the NPR story below, then hear the full UNCSA Media release of the "Firebird Ballet Suite" at https://www.uncsa.edu/uncsa-media/releases/firebird.aspx

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Robert Garland, artistic director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a company where he was once principal dancer and that he is taking back to the African continent for the first time since the 1990s.

10/01/2026

Join us for Fall College Preview Day on Tuesday, Oct. 27!

Whether you're a student imagining your future or a family member looking for answers, Preview Day is your chance to experience UNCSA up close. Spend the day getting to know our campus, our community and our top-ranked conservatory programs.

✅ Campus tours
✅ Student panel discussions
✅ Information stations with staff from admissions and across the university
✅ Conservatory programming from each school

Seats are limited! Reserve your spot at https://bit.ly/4rFOZVZ

09/30/2026

Four recent graduates of the UNCSA School of Dance have been selected as the 2026-27 Kenan Arts Fellows at Limón2, the second company of the internationally renowned Limon Dance Company.

The fellowship, developed and funded by the Kenan Institute for the Arts, provides each artist with tuition-fee participation in Limón2 for the season and a monthly stipend for nine months, reducing financial barriers while transitioning to the city and providing intensive professional training, mentorship and performance opportunities.

Congratulations to this year's fellows Paisley Kupka, Jiamingyue “Glo” Li, Jackson Menard and Candace Vann!

Four recent graduates of the School of Dance at UNCSA have been selected as 2026-27 Kenan Arts Fellows at Limón2, continuing a partnership between the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts (Kenan Arts) at UNCSA and the José Limón Dance Foundation designed to support emerging artists ...

09/24/2026

What does it take to build a career in the arts? According to School of Drama alumnus Chris Grace, it's time, persistence and a willingness to keep showing up.

You might know Grace from NBC’s “Superstore,” Netflix’s “The Residence,” Dropout or his acclaimed solo comedy shows. But his path from UNCSA to a career spanning television, film, theater, improv and stand-up was anything but overnight.

Grace reflects on the training that continued to “click” years after graduation, the creative relationships that shaped his career and why he encourages young artists to think less about immediate success and more about the long game.

“As long as you don’t quit,” he says, “you’ll find a place.”

For actor and comedian Chris Grace, success did not arrive overnight. It came through persistence, curiosity, collaboration and a willingness to keep showing up long after many others might have given up.

09/22/2026

Where did the creatives behind the 2025-26 Broadway season go to school? 🎭

UNCSA is among the top seven universities for Broadway creatives in a new ranking from Playbill! The article notes alumni working across directing, choreography, design, and stage management on productions including "Wicked," "Hamilton," "Hell’s Kitchen," "Gypsy" and more.

I guess you could say we’re a pretty big “dill.” 💚

Check out the full list: https://playbill.com/article/where-did-the-creatives-of-the-2025-26-broadway-season-go-to-school

09/15/2026

The costume design & technology concentration in the UNCSA School of Design and Production (D&P) at UNCSA is among the Top 10 of its kind worldwide, according to the annual list published by The Hollywood Reporter.

This is the ninth consecutive year the program has been in the Top 10 since the publication began keeping the list in 2018. The university is one of only two public universities on the list.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/3TqtNGS

09/04/2026

The Winston-Salem Dash game on Saturday was a blast! 🎉

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni showed off their UNCSA spirit, Chancellor Cole threw the first pitch, and A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute student Darby Schmidt wowed the crowd with her rendition of the national anthem.

You could say the semester is officially in full "swing" ⚾