• celebrating black classical artistry

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  • GATEWAYS 2025-2026 SEASON

    FEATURING A FALL FESTIVAL CENTERPIECE WITH TERENCE BLANCHARD, A GRAND HOMECOMING THIS SPRING IN WINSTON-SALEM + MORE!

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    By supporting Gateways Music Festival, you create a world that celebrates the full spectrum of classical music

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  • enlightening and inspiring through the power of performance

    OUR STORY

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Founded to counteract the isolation and underestimation faced by many Black classical artists, Gateways Music Festival embodies creativity, resilience, and community.

our story

Since 1993, Gateways Music Festival has been unwavering in its commitment to the ongoing project of equity for Black people, recognizing that this work is far from complete. Gateways challenges and disrupts the historical use of art to perpetuate racial hierarchies by celebrating and amplifying the contributions of Black classical musicians and sustaining this community of artists and its rich tradition. By providing a platform for Black classical artists, Gateways not only showcases their talent but also redefines cultural and aesthetic narratives, using art to foster a more just, inclusive world. 

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Help Sustain our Home for
Black Classical Artistry

Whether one-time, monthly, or quarterly, your support helps Gateways bring live programs to life, care for our artists, and build a legacy that will inspire generations.

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3% Cover the Fee

MAIL YOUR DONATION: To send a donation via mail, please make check out to “Gateways Music Festival” and send to 26 Gibbs Street, Box 58, Rochester, NY 14604.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: To inquire about your donation, planned gifts, underwriting, sponsorship or gifts-in-kind, please contact LaTanya Afolayan at 585-274-1127 or by email.

THANK YOU TO OUR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTERS

Gateways Music Festival is grateful to the following institutions for their generous support and belief in Gateways’ important mission.

Connect with Gateways

✨ Joy on 10. Brilliance on repeat. Community all day. 💜 There are so many reasons we’re still glowing from the 2025 #GatewaysFallFestival — the hugs, the music, the homecoming, and the way Rochester, NY showed UP in love and support. 🙌
🎶 Back down memory lane… With just one week until the 2025 Fall Gateways Music Festival, we’re revisiting some of our favorite program guide covers through the years! ♥️ These guides aren’t just schedules — they&rsqu
Announcing the Fall 2025 Gateways Festival Orchestra! 🎻🔥 We’re thrilled to welcome a 37-member powerhouse orchestra representing 15 states—with 11 incredible musicians making their Gateways debut. 🤩 These artists come together for a
🎬 From Malcolm X to BlacKkKlansman, Inside Man to Harriet — Terence Blanchard’s scores have defined the sound of Black stories on screen. An 8x GRAMMY winner + 2x Oscar nominee, Blanchard has spent 40+ years blending jazz, gospel, blues
✨ Nine all-stars. One night. No repeats. ✨ On October 15, the Gateways Chamber Players take over Eastman School of Music’s Hatch Hall — an exclusive evening where some of today’s most celebrated classical musicians share the stage,
✨ Gateways Music Festival is more than performances — it’s where Black classical artistry comes alive, and where the nation’s Black classical musicians come home. This fall, we return to Rochester for a week of intimacy, inspiratio
✨ Gateways Music Festival is more than performances — it’s where Black classical artistry comes alive, and where the nation’s Black classical musicians come home. This fall, we return to Rochester for a week of intimacy, inspiratio