North Carolina School of the Arts

The North Carolina School of the Arts is a well known arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in 1965 after nearly a million dollars was raised to win the new school for Winston-Salem. In 1972, the School became part of the University of North Carolina system.




About the School

The School’s mission is to train students from middle school through graduate school for professional careers in the performing, visual, and film and television arts. Performance is an integral part of the training program, and students, faculty and guest artists present more than 400 public performances and screenings annually in the School’s facilities in Winston-Salem, as well as across the state and the Southeast, in major U.S. cities and overseas.

Five professional schools make up the North Carolina School of the Arts: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. With its full academic program, the School is accredited to award the high school diploma, the College Arts Diploma, the Professional Artist Certificate, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Students must audition or interview for admission to NCSA. Of the more than 1,000 students enrolled, half come from two-thirds of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Half come from 45 other states (from New York to California) and nearly two dozen foreign countries (from Germany to Japan).

Students study with resident master teachers who have had successful careers in the arts, such as the New York City Ballet and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and who remain active in their professions. Noted guest artists such as filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Mandy Patinkin bring lessons directly from the contemporary arts world. The BFA Acting program at North Carolina School of the Arts is internationally one of the toughest programs to get into, accepting approximately 28 actors a year, including no more than 10 female actors. It is oftentimes recognized as the top acting program in the United States.

School of the Arts alumni have performed in or behind the scenes of Broadway shows, film, television and regional theatre, and are members of the world’s finest symphony orchestras and opera and dance companies. They have won or been nominated for all of the major awards in the entertainment industry, including Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and others. Among the best-known are Mary-Louise Parker, Tony Award-winning actress for Proof; Chris Parnell, former SNL castmember; Gillian Murphy, principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre; Tony Fanning, art director for theatre and film (War of the Worlds); David Gordon Green, filmmaker who made the critically acclaimed George Washington, All the Real Girls, and Undertow; flutist and conductor Ransom Wilson, Lisa Kim, violinist with the New York Philharmonic, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, actress.

On May 12th, 2006, the UNC Board of Governors unanimously approved the appointment of John Mauceri as the seventh Chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts




Mission statement

The North Carolina School of the Arts is the University of North Carolina’s conservatory for the arts, dedicated entirely to the professional training of students possessing exceptional talents in the performing, visual and moving image arts. Students enter NCSA when they are ready for focused, intense professional development at the baccalaureate level and in select programs at the master’s and high school levels in its schools of Dance, Design and Production, Drama, Filmmaking, and Music.

Committed to the idea that art combines craft, imagination, passion and intellect, the faculty work with students in a residential setting to create an educational community that is intimate, demanding and performance-centered. Learning is enriched by access to an academic program responsive to a conservatory curriculum; research and creative opportunities in the arts; student life programs and support; dedicated staff; outstanding facilities; community service activities; guest artists and teachers; and distinguished alumni. Students emerge transformed, poised to become leaders and creators in their chosen fields.

Founded by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly to be both an educational institution and a resource enhancing the cultural life of the State of North Carolina and the region, NCSA offers numerous public performances, both on- and off-campus, community education in the arts, as well as faculty and student lectures and workshops. The School collaborates with educational, cultural, civic, business and other partners to promote the universal importance and innovative impact of the arts to our society.




Performance Opportunities

NCSA offers many performance opportunities throughout the course of a school year. Dance students have three seasonal performances: Fall dance, Winter dance, and Spring dance. They also perform the Nutcracker every Christmas, and have many other minor performances throughout the school year. Music students have the chance to perform in front of their peers every Wednesday at performance hour, and students are usually in a large ensemble, such as jazz band, orchestra, opera, or wind ensemble. These ensembles each perform several times a year.

The School of Design and Production is responsible for the scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and stage management for all shows produced by the School of Drama, two operas that NCSA produces each year through the Fletcher Opera Institute, as well as dance performances, although dance costumes are provided by the School of Dance's own professional costume shop.

Last but not least, the Film making school is host to the ACE Exhibition Complex, where students can display their work and watch others. This complex, along with the Stevens Center, is host to the RiverRun Film Festival every spring.

All School Musicals

Once a decade, NCSA produces an all school musical- a massive, extensive, Broadway style production involving all five arts schools of the conservatory. All students have the opportunity to audition. Past all-school musicals have included "Brigadoon", "Oklahama!", "Kiss Me Kate", and "Canterbury Tales", with the most recent one being Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story (for the fiftieth anniversary). The purpose of the all-school musicals are not only to provide the students with a professional experience, but also to raise money and awareness for the school. For example, for the upcoming all school musical the lead roles and Chancellor John Mauceri traveled to New York to promote the school and the school's revival of the musical. West Side Story will perform at NCSA's Stevens Center from May 3-13, 2007, and then it will also go on tour to the Chicago's Ravinia Festival on June 8, 2007. The prodiuction is directed by Dean of Drama Gerald Freedman, the assistant director of the original production, and conducted by NCSA Chancellor and world renown conductor John Mauceri. It has also been reported that Arthur Laurents has changed portions of the dialogue for the NCSA production




Academic Programs
The North Carolina School of the Arts is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, under the auspices of the Commission on Colleges and the Commission on Secondary and Middle Schools. The High School Academic Program and the Undergraduate Academic Programs are the academic components of the North Carolina School of the Arts, comprising both the high school and college general education programs.




College B.F.A./B.M. Degree
The Undergraduate Academic Program provides a wide array of courses that meet the general education requirements for the Bachelor of Fine Arts or the Bachelor of Music. Students generally take two academic courses per term for a total of 36 to 45 semester credits in the Undergraduate Academic Program; requirements vary depending upon the arts school. Many students take more than the number of required courses and electives by the time they graduate from NCSA.

NCSA awards the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Dance, Design & Production, Drama, and Filmmaking, and the Bachelor of Music (B.M).




College Arts Diploma
The Arts Diploma program is a college-level program designed to allow students who choose not to pursue a degree at the North Carolina School of the Arts to take arts courses only. These students often include those who have previously completed a baccalaureate degree at another institution. Students with weak academic backgrounds or test scores may also initially be offered admission to the Arts Diploma program. Upon demonstration of sufficient success in the Undergraduate Academic Program, these students may apply for admission to the degree program.

NCSA awards the college Arts Diploma in Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking, and Music.




High School Diploma
The High School Academic Program grants the North Carolina School of the Arts diploma with concentrations in Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts to students who successfully complete all requirements for their arts program and sufficient college preparatory-level academic courses to meet graduation requirements. The high school program prides itself on ensuring that its graduates are successful applicants to a diverse array of college and university programs, in arts disciplines and other areas of study. With the exception of music students in grades 8-10, students take up to four academic courses along with their required arts courses. Music students in grades 8-10 may take up to five academic courses.




Facilities
High School Academic classes are located in Gray Building, a former high school building donated by the local school system. Gray Building was renovated in 1965, 1981 and most recently, in 1991followed by several updates in 2006. Most Undergraduate Academic courses meet in Workplace West III and V, formerly classrooms for Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School.

Most academic faculty offices are located on the second and third floors of Gray Building; some are located at Academic House, 1903 Sunnyside Avenue. The administrative offices and support staff of the Dean of the High School Academic Program and the Assistant Dean of High School Academic Program are located on the third floor of Gray Building.

The administrative offices and support staff of the Dean of Undergraduate Academic and Graduate Programs and the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs are located in Academic House at 1903 Sunnyside Avenue (Workplace West campus.)

Academic Programs facilities also include three fully equipped science labs for high school and college courses, a computer lab (PC computers) and a variety of other multiple-use classrooms.

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North Carolina School of the Arts Art School Location

Other art schools in Winston Salem

Wake Forest University (Department of Art ) Located in Scales Fine Arts Center on the campus of Wake Forest University, the Art Department offers a wide range of experience for students in the ... Address: 1834 Wake Forest Road

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