Gateways Music Festival Announces its 2025 Fall Festival
Highlights include collaborations with Terence Blanchard at Eastman’s inaugural Soundtrax Film-Music Festival, a performance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet, and the return of the Young Musicians Institute.
Gateways Music Festival, in association with the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, will launch its 2025 Fall Festival in Rochester with an expansive lineup of performances by professional Black classical artists. Events are scheduled from October 13-16 in Eastman’s historic concert halls.
At the heart of the festival, seven-time Grammy Award-winner Terence Blanchard and his electrifying band, The E-Collective, will join the Gateways Festival Orchestra—an ensemble of Black professional classical musicians drawn from the nation’s leading orchestras and music faculties—for Film Scores Live! This unforgettable performance of Blanchard’s iconic film scores, including Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman, and Inside Man, will be led by conductor Damon Gupton. Closing the Gateways Fall Festival and simultaneously opening Eastman’s inaugural Soundtrax Film Music Festival, presented in collaboration with the University of Rochester’s Hajim School of Engineering.
The festival also features a solo recital by Eastman alum and acclaimed pianist David Berry ’04E and a concert anchored by a performance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet in F Minor by the Gateways Chamber Players. This all-star ensemble features bassoonist Monica Ellis and hornist Kevin Newton of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble Imani Winds, cellist Patrice Jackson of the Berklee College of Music, oboist Titus Underwood of the Nashville Symphony, bassist Patricia Weitzel of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture, and others. Educational programming includes the Young Musicians Institute: Rochester Day for Strings, a free, day-long immersive program where young string players learn, rehearse and perform alongside Gateways’ professional teaching artists.
From intimate recitals to bold orchestral collaborations, the Gateways Fall Festival will celebrate the richness of Black musical excellence and the communal joy of gathering. By celebrating and sustaining the tradition of Black classical artistry, providing a home for musicians who carry the tradition forward, and presenting performances that bring together audiences of all backgrounds, Gateways is writing its own classical narrative.
“At Gateways, music isn’t just heard—it’s felt. It moves through the room, connecting people across time, tradition and lived experience,” shares Gateways Music Festival President & Artistic Director Alex Laing. “This fall, we’re not just presenting concerts, we’re creating space for joy, recognition, and cultural memory. To see Black musicians performing at the highest level, especially in works by Black composers, is powerful. But to witness that in community—with others who value artistry, history, and belonging—that’s transformative. That’s Gateways.”
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2025 GATEWAYS FALL FESTIVAL | Oct 13-16, 2025
Monday, October 13 | 6:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall
Young Musicians Institute: Rochester Day for Strings + Concert
A free, day-long program (9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) for young string players to learn, rehearse and perform alongside Gateways’ professional teaching artists, culminating in a joyful concert.
Student Registration | Free Showcase RSVP
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Tuesday, October 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Hatch Recital Hall
Piano Recital: David Berry
Pianist David Berry ’04E performs works by Walker, Liszt and his own arrangements — celebrating Black music and the virtuoso piano tradition with depth and brilliance.
Purchase Tickets | $20
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Wednesday, October 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Hatch Recital Hall
Gateways Chamber Players
An all-star chamber ensemble performs Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet in F Minor and more, in a soul-filled concert of classical depth and expression.
Purchase Tickets | $20
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Thursday, October 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Terence Blanchard with the E-Collective and the Gateways Festival Orchestra
Seven-time Grammy-winner Terence Blanchard joins the Gateways Festival Orchestra with his band, The E-Collective, for Film Scores Live! — a rare concert experience featuring music from his iconic film scores, including Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman, and Inside Man. This unforgettable evening is a powerful celebration of music, culture, and legacy which closes the Gateways Fall Festival and simultaneously opens Eastman’s inaugural Soundtrax Film Music Festival.
Purchase Tickets | $25-$75
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Beyond Rochester, Gateways’ 2025–2026 season reflects its expanding national impact, with highlights including performances by the Gateways Brass Collective in Grand Rapids, Orlando, and Fort Wayne; a keynote and showcase concert at the American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference in San Francisco; and a spring 2026 homecoming to Winston-Salem, the Festival’s birthplace. Strengthened by its association with the Eastman School of Music, every Gateways season is rooted in Rochester—providing the foundation from which its impact grows and enabling the Festival to carry Black classical artistry to stages and communities nationwide.
Visit the Gateways website for additional information and to purchase tickets.
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Media only: Lauren Sageer, Associate Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Gateways Music Festival:
Gateways Music Festival connects and supports professional classical musicians of African descent and enlightens and inspires communities through the power of performance. Founded in 1993 by concert pianist Armenta Hummings Dumisani in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the festival relocated to Rochester, New York, in 1995 when Hummings Dumisani joined the Eastman School of Music faculty. Approximately 125 musicians — drawn from major orchestras, top conservatories and the nation’s freelance artist community — participate in each festival. In 2016, Gateways formalized its longstanding relationship with the Eastman School and the University of Rochester, gaining critical infrastructure and support while remaining an independent nonprofit. This deepened partnership enabled the festival to expand programming and build its first professional staff.
Today, Gateways presents a full-orchestra festival each year alongside a growing constellation of programs: an annual chamber music festival; the Gateways Brass Collective, the nation’s only all-Black professional brass quintet; the Gateways Chamber Players, an all-star touring ensemble; and ongoing residencies and special projects. In 2023, Gateways launched Gateways Radio, a one-hour syndicated radio program heard nationwide, featuring music and stories from Black classical artists. Through all its work, Gateways builds an abundant, joyful home for Black classical artistry — amplifying its legacy, celebrating its present and shaping its future.
For high-resolution photos, click here.
About Eastman School of Music:Â
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music — about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 170 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.