Gateways Music Festival Unveils 2025–2026 Season Featuring Terence Blanchard and More
Season highlights include a fall festival in Rochester, a return to its birthplace in North Carolina, and national appearances by the Gateways Brass Collective.
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 13, 2025
Gateways Music Festival, in association with the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, will launch its 2025–2026 season with a Fall Festival in Rochester, NY, from October 13–16, and conclude with a Spring 2026 homecoming to Winston-Salem, NC.
Known for its mission to connect and support professional classical musicians of African descent, the festival will present orchestral and chamber concerts, community events, and educational programming.
The Fall Festival centerpiece will feature seven-time Grammy Award-winner Terence Blanchard and The E-Collective performing Film Scores Live! with the Gateways Festival Orchestra, conducted by Damon Gupton.
The program—presented in partnership with the inaugural Soundtrax Film Festival—will include music from Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman, and Inside Man. Additional highlights include a recital by pianist David Berry and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet in F Minor performed by the Gateways Chamber Players, featuring members of Imani Winds, Berklee School of Music, and Nashville Symphony.
Throughout the season, the Gateways Brass Collective will tour nationally, and the Festival will be a featured collaborator at the joint American String Teachers Association/Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference in San Francisco. The Spring 2026 Winston-Salem engagement will include performances, community celebrations, and recordings honoring founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani.
For tickets and full program details, visit www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org.
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