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Gateway’s Music Festival 2026 Spring Season to Spotlight Historic Firebird Collaboration with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani
- Marshelle Sanders
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Gateways Music Festival’s 2026 Gateways Spring Festival honors the Festival’s visionary founder, pianist and educator Armenta Hummings Dumisani, in celebration of her 90th birthday on June 27.
Dumisani, a hidden figure in both Black and Women’s history whose leadership built one of the most vital communities for Black classical musicians in America, founded the festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the festival will return this April. The 2026 Gateways Spring Festival is presented in association with the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music.
MAKING MAGIC WITH DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM ON FIREBIRD
The spring season launches with a historic first: the Gateways Festival Orchestra, the Festival’s flagship ensemble comprised of 58 Black professional classical musicians drawn from leading symphony orchestras, elite conservatory faculties and the international freelance community, will perform Igor Stravinsky’s iconic score for FIREBIRD live for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s acclaimed production, April 16–19 at New York City Center.
The collaboration marks a rare and significant artistic convergence between two legacy institutions — the musicians’ collective artistry elevating Stravinsky’s masterpiece with cultural resonance and depth, amplifying the power and brilliance of DTH’s dancers. Renowned award-winning conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson will conduct the Orchestra on April 16, 18 and 19. Tania León, Pulitzer Prize-winning conductor, composer and first music director of Dance Theatre of Harlem, will conduct the Orchestra on April 17.
THE 2026 GATEWAYS SPRING FESTIVAL: A TRIUMPHANT HOMECOMING
In Winston-Salem, the 2026 Gateways Spring Festival will thread legacy and community into five days of artistic programming and events anchored by Gateways in Celebration, a concert honoring Dumisani’s singular contributions and featuring the Gateways Chamber Orchestra and Brass Collective, with performances by Amadi Azikiwe, Marcus Thompson, Damien Sneed and Jas Ogiste. Included will be works by Black composers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Margaret Bonds and George Walker as well as Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This program embodies the Festival’s ethos: bridging generations, illuminating lineage and celebrating artistry shaped by heritage and lived experience.
Throughout the week, the Festival will present free public programming designed to inspire audiences of all ages. This includes Young Musicians Institute: Brass Day, a high-impact community workshop led by the Gateways Brass Collective; Masterclasses for strings, brass and piano at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; and a piano recital with Damien Sneed, whose multifaceted career as an Emmy-winning conductor, composer, pianist and professor of music at Howard University has earned recognition across classical, operatic and interdisciplinary circles.
Additional festival offerings include the Dr. Paul J. Burgett Lecture and Community Conversation, led this year by National Association of Negro Musicians’ 2025 Competition winner Mira Walker, Gateways Brass Collective in concert, and The Family Dinner: A Gateways Reunion, an intimate gathering celebrating the community of artists and supporters first envisioned by Dumisani. The Festival also launches with a pre-festival livestream, Prelude to Spring, featuring archival performances by Sneed, Rochelle Sennet, David Berry and Dumisani herself.
MORE THAN AN ORCHESTRA
Groundbreaking from its inception, Gateways Music Festival has stood as a powerful testament to the living tradition of Black artistry in classical music and to the enduring fellowship that sustains it. Founded in 1993 by Dumisani, a concert pianist, as a space where Black classical musicians could gather in affirmation, artistry and shared culture, Gateways has grown into one of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to celebrating and amplifying Black classical artistry. For more than thirty years, it has brought together generations of artists — not only to perform at the highest level, but to enlighten, collaborate, connect and inspire while honoring the composers and traditions that shape their artistic lives. By convening this community year after year — and welcoming audiences of all backgrounds into that shared expression — Gateways affirms the essential and ongoing contributions of Black artists across the classical music landscape.
“At Gateways, Black culture and classical music are not in conversation from a distance — they’re inseparable — and you don’t just hear it, you feel it. It moves through the room, connecting people across time, tradition and lived experience,” said Gateways Music Festival President and Artistic Director Alex Laing. “That spirit began with Miss Armenta — her vision, her insistence on excellence and her belief that Black classical artists deserve a home in this music. We are honored to pay tribute to her because every time Gateways convenes, we’re carrying her legacy forward, building community and showing what Black artistry makes possible across generations.”
ADDITIONAL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Taking Center Stage at 2026 ASTA/SAA National Conference
In late February, another highlight was serving as collaborative artist at the collocated American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) Conferences, the premier annual event for string educators and performers; Gateways Music Festival Artistic Director Alex Laing delivered a keynote address and the Gateways Chamber Players was featured in two showcase concerts performing works by Coleridge-Taylor and featuring GRAMMY-nominated violist Jordan Bak, Harlem Quartet founding member violinist Melissa White and more.
Gateways Brass Collective: National Highlights
A resident ensemble of Gateways Music Festival and the nation’s only all-Black professional brass quintet, the Gateways Brass Collective continues its trajectory of powerful artistry and national impact. This season, the Collective will appear at the HBCU National Band and Orchestra Directors’ Consortium Convention, the International Trumpet Guild Conference and Carnegie Hall Citywide, in addition to its featured Spring Festival concert in Winston-Salem.
Drawn from leading orchestras and ensembles across the country, GBC’s members — Herbert Smith, Courtney Jones, Larry Williams, Isrea Butler and Jerome Stover — are celebrated for their dazzling technique, stylistic versatility and dynamic presence on stages nationwide.
For more information about Gateways, visit: www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org.
For details about the 2026 Gateways Spring Festival, including tickets, visit: https://www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org/spring-festival-2026.
Follow Gateways Music Festival on Instagram @Gateways_Music_Festival and Facebook @GatewaysMusicFestival.
2026 SPRING SEASON AT-A-GLANCE
Thursday, February 26–Saturday, February 28
ASTA/SAA National Conference Keynote and Showcase Concert
Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Keynote Address: Alex Laing | Feb 26 8:00am
Showcase Concert: Gateways Chamber Players | Feb 27 | Free
Gateways appears as the collaborative artist for the joint American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference, engaging the nation’s leading community of string educators and performers.
Wednesday, March 25, Saturday, March 28, 2026
Gateways Brass Collective: HBCU National Band and Orchestra Directors’ Consortium Convention
Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort | Atlanta, GA
The Gateways Brass Collective will present masterclasses and perform at the Conference Finale Concert of the HBCU National Band and Orchestra Directors’ Consortium Convention, engaging directly with HBCU educators and student musicians.
Thursday, April 16–Sunday, April 19
Dance Theatre of Harlem Presents FIREBIRD
New York City Center | New York, NY | Tickets from $50
Live performance by the Gateways Festival Orchestra
Dance Theatre of Harlem’s production of Stravinsky’s FIREBIRD features the Gateways Festival Orchestra performing the complete score live — a historic collaboration between two legacy institutions.
Monday, April 6
Prelude to Spring: Celebrating The Gateways Piano Legacy
Livestream | www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org/watch | 7:30 p.m. ET | Free
A pre-festival livestream featuring archival performances by Damien Sneed, David Berry, Rochelle Sennet and Armenta Hummings Dumisani celebrating the pianistic lineage that anchors its founder’s artistry.
2026 GATEWAYS SPRING FESTIVAL - PUBLIC EVENTS
Winston-Salem, North Carolina | April 19–23 | All events free with RSVP unless noted
Sunday, April 19
Gateways Brass Collective at Centenary United Methodist Church
Centenary United Methodist Church - Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 11:00 a.m.
The Gateways Brass Collective joins Centenary for the worship service, bringing vibrant artistry and expressive power to this special Sunday morning gathering.
Monday, April 20
Dr. Paul J. Burgett Lecture and Community Conversation: Mira Walker, Piano
Forsyth County Central Library - Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 2:00 p.m.
Presented in partnership with the National Association for Negro Musicians, pianist and 2025 NAMM Scholarship Competition Winner Mira Walker offers a lecture-recital exploring the Chicago Black Renaissance through works by Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Betty Jackson King and Irene Britton Smith.
Piano Recital: Damien Sneed
Winston-Salem State University - Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 7:00 p.m.
Emmy Award–winning pianist, composer and conductor Damien Sneed presents a recital reflecting his expansive musical voice, including selections from his forthcoming Apple Music Classical release.
Tuesday, April 21
Gateways Brass Collective in Concert
United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church - Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 6:30 p.m.
The Gateways Brass Collective presents a dynamic program tracing the impact of Black artistry across the musical landscape, performing works by Margaret Bonds, Dizzy Gillespie, Anthony Barfield, Jeff Scott and more.
Wednesday, April 22
Young Musicians Institute: Brass Day
Centenary United Methodist Church - Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 3:30–6:30 p.m.
In this public Brass Day experience, the Gateways Brass Collective leads young musicians through technique workshops, ensemble playing and collaborative music-making in a dynamic, inspiring environment.
The Family Dinner: A Gateways Reunion
Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 7:00 p.m. | Closed to the Public
An intimate gathering for Gateways artists, alumni, volunteers and supporters celebrating shared history, fellowship and the enduring spirit of the Festival.
Thursday, April 23
Gateways in Celebration: A Concert Honoring the Legacy of Armenta Hummings Dumisani
Centenary United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 7:00 p.m.
A culminating concert featuring violists Amadi Azikiwe and Marcus Thompson performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto as well works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Margaret Bonds, alongside a special musical offering by Damien Sneed, honoring the vision and legacy of Gateways’ founder.
Saturday, May 30
Gateways Brass Collective: International Trumpet Guild Conference (ITG 2026)
Eastman School of Music - Rochester, New York | 10:00 a.m.
The Gateways Brass Collective performs at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the premier global gathering of trumpet professionals, educators and artists.
Thursday, June 4
Gateways Brass Collective: Carnegie Hall Citywide
Times Square - New York | 10:00 a.m. | Free
As part of Carnegie Hall’s Citywide initiative, the Gateways Brass Collective brings its signature artistry to one of New York City’s most iconic cultural landscapes.
ABOUT ARMENTA HUMMINGS DUMISANI
Armenta Hummings Dumisani is an acclaimed concert pianist, educator and the visionary founder of Gateways Music Festival. A former Associate Professor of Music at the Eastman School of Music and the school’s Distinguished Community Mentor, she founded Gateways in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1993 as a gathering place for Black classical musicians — a space rooted in affirmation, artistic excellence and fellowship.
A Juilliard graduate and international concert artist, Dumisani performed across five continents, appearing at major venues including Carnegie Hall, Town Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her career included performances under U.S. State Department sponsorship and numerous national and international honors.
At Eastman and in communities throughout Rochester, she was known for bringing music directly to churches, schools, senior centers and neighborhood spaces — expanding access to classical music while nurturing the next generation of artists.
Through Gateways, Dumisani created what has become one of the nation’s leading artistic homes for Black classical musicians, shaping generations of performers whose impact continues to resonate across the field.
ABOUT GATEWAYS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Gateways Music Festival celebrates Black artistry in classical music and inspires communities through the power of performance.
For more than thirty years, Gateways has created opportunities for Black classical artists to gather, connect and perform at the highest artistic level — creating programming for all backgrounds uniquely infused with occasion and excellence.
Through festivals, residencies, ensembles, broadcasts and education initiatives, Gateways uplifts and sustains the living tradition of Black classical artistry, and affirms the essential contributions of Black artists across the classical music landscape.
Founded in 1993 by concert pianist Armenta Hummings Dumisani in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Gateways began as a local convening rooted in affirmation, artistry and fellowship. In 1995, the festival relocated to Rochester, New York, following Dumisani’s appointment to the faculty of the Eastman School of Music — establishing a home for the organization in Rochester and expanding its impact.
In 2016, while remaining an independent nonprofit organization, Gateways formalized its longstanding partnership with the University of Rochester and the Eastman School of Music and appointed its first professional staff. This milestone strengthened Gateways’ organizational infrastructure and expanded its capacity to serve artists and audiences locally and nationally.
Each year, Black classical musicians from across the field come together through Gateways’ festivals and programs. United by artistic excellence and shared lived experience, these artists form a vibrant community grounded in collaboration, mentorship and cultural legacy.
The Gateways Festival Orchestra is the organization’s flagship ensemble which convenes the community of artists and anchors its artistic vision and amplifies its impact across the field. Drawing leading players from the nation's symphony orchestras, conservatory faculties and the international freelance community, each presentation of the Festival Orchestra is shaped by a unique constellation of musicians — creating performances marked by celebration, artistic excellence and cultural significance.
From this foundation, Gateways has advanced a growing portfolio of residencies and programs, including the Gateways Brass Collective, the nation’s only all-Black professional brass quintet; the Gateways Chamber Players; education and youth engagement initiatives, including the Young Musicians Institute; and Gateways Radio, a nationally syndicated program amplifying Black classical artistry across the United States.
Rooted in three decades of impact, Gateways is tradition in motion, guided by artistic brilliance, a vibrant community of support and the commitment to be a lasting home for Black artistry in classical music.
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