Gateways Music Festival Returns to Winston-Salem

Honoring Founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani’s 90th Birthday

In a powerful homecoming more than three decades in the making, the Gateways Music Festival returns to Winston-Salem April 19–23 for its 2026 Spring Festival—bringing five days of free concerts, community programs, and celebrations honoring its visionary founder, Armenta Hummings Dumisani, who turns 90 on June 27, 2026.

Dumisani, described in the festival’s announcement as “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 Gateways in Winston-Salem in 1993. What began as a local gathering for Black classical musicians has since grown into one of the nation’s leading artistic homes for Black classical artistry.

This year’s festival marks a return to the city where it all began.

“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,” said Alex Laing, Gateways Music Festival President and Artistic Director. “That spirit began with Miss Armenta… every time Gateways convenes, we’re carrying her legacy forward.”

Presented in association with the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, the 2026 Spring Festival centers Dumisani’s legacy through concerts, masterclasses, youth engagement, and community conversations—all free with RSVP.

A Triumphant Homecoming

The festival’s anchor event, Gateways in Celebration, brings together the Gateways Chamber Orchestra and Brass Collective with guest artists Amadi Azikiwe, Marcus Thompson, Damien Sneed, and Jas Ogiste. The program includes works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Margaret Bonds, George Walker, J.S. Bach, and W.A. Mozart—reflecting the festival’s commitment to lineage, heritage, and artistic excellence.

Throughout the week, audiences can attend:

• A lecture-recital on the Chicago Black Renaissance
• A piano recital by Emmy-winning artist Damien Sneed
• A community Brass Day for young musicians
• A Gateways Brass Collective concert
• A reunion gathering celebrating the Gateways community

The festival opens earlier in the month with Prelude to Spring, a livestream featuring archival performances by Sneed, Rochelle Sennet, David Berry, and Dumisani herself.

About Armenta Hummings Dumisani

A Juilliard-trained pianist and international concert artist, Dumisani performed across five continents, appearing at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She served as Associate Professor of Music at the Eastman School of Music and was known for bringing classical music directly into churches, schools, senior centers, and neighborhood spaces.

Her founding vision for Gateways—“a space rooted in affirmation, artistic excellence and fellowship”—continues to shape generations of Black classical musicians.

2026 Gateways Spring Festival Schedule

All events free with RSVP unless noted.

Sunday, April 19
Gateways Brass Collective
A vibrant musical offering during Sunday worship.
11:00 a.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem, NC

Monday, April 20
Dr. Paul J. Burgett Lecture & Community Conversation: Mira Walker, Piano
A lecture-recital exploring the Chicago Black Renaissance.
2:00 p.m. at Forsyth County Central Library, Winston-Salem, NC

Monday, April 20
Piano Recital: Damien Sneed
Selections from Sneed’s forthcoming Apple Music Classical release.
7:00 p.m. at Winston-Salem State University

Tuesday, April 21
Gateways Brass Collective in Concert
Works by Margaret Bonds, Dizzy Gillespie, Anthony Barfield, Jeff Scott, and more.
6:30 p.m. at United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC

Wednesday, April 22
Young Musicians Institute: Brass Day
Technique workshops, ensemble playing, and collaborative music-making for youth.
3:30–6:30 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem, NC

Thursday, April 23
Gateways in Celebration
A Concert Honoring the Legacy of Armenta Hummings Dumisani
Featuring Amadi Azikiwe, Marcus Thompson, works by Coleridge-Taylor and Bonds, and a special offering by Damien Sneed.
7:00 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem, NC

About Gateways Music Festival

Founded in 1993, Gateways celebrates and amplifies Black artistry in classical music through festivals, residencies, broadcasts, and education programs. Its flagship ensemble, the Gateways Festival Orchestra, brings together leading Black classical musicians from across the country.

Today, Gateways stands as “tradition in motion,” committed to being a lasting home for Black classical artistry.

For more information or to RSVP for events, visit www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org/spring-festival-2026.