A 20th Anniversary Full of Highlights

The 24/25 season offers an exciting range of artists, commemorations, and programming firsts centered around inquiry into the American experience

“Since founding, CPA has co-commissioned nearly 80 works, built a global community of artistic collaborators, and invested in creative research and inquiry across campus. This season builds on CPA’s legacy of exploration to celebrate two decades and launch us into our next chapter. From the bombastic to the introspective, the performances all tie back to themes and topics rooted in the American experience. Don’t miss a moment!” 

Alison Friedman, the James and Susan Moeser Executive and Artistic Director of CPA

Herbie Hancock

Opens Season September 24

Our season kicks off September 24 with a performance by jazz and R&B legend Herbie Hancock, performing at Memorial Hall as part of his 2024 North American Fall Tour. 

Hancock is an icon of modern music, transcending limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 GRAMMY® Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe.

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Our First Ever Curator-in-Residence

Johnny Gandelsman

CPA’s 20th anniversary season is rooted in relationships. We are enriching our long-standing partnership with producer, violinist, and Brooklyn Rider founding member Johnny Gandelsman by inviting him to serve as CPA’s first-ever Curator-in-Residence.  

“Johnny Gandelsman is CPA’s most frequent musical collaborator over our twenty years, and our close relationship with him allowed for a conversation about how artists can lead through making curatorial decisions with their presenting partners. His impulse to build community through all of his varied artistic practices has been an inspiration for us, and we feel so fortunate to be able to connect his community of collaborators with our Chapel Hill community through the series he has designed.”

Amy Russell, Senior Director of Artistic and Production

During the vulnerability and isolation of the pandemic, Gandelsman invited composers to create new music in response to their experience of that time, resulting in 22 commissioned works for an anthology called This is America. As Curator-in-Residence, Gandelsman has invited many of those composer / performers and their collaborators (including Kinan Azmeh, Layale Chaker, Christina Courtin, Gabriel Kahane, Carla Kihlstedt, and Dana Lyn) to appear on a series of performances by the same name across five dates: December 13, March 3, March 4, April 23, and April 24.

“I’ve had the great privilege of performing at CPA for almost 20 years. It is generally known as one of the leading presenting organizations in North America thanks to its brilliant and forward-thinking programming. Perhaps less known is the entire CPA team’s consistent and persistent thoughtfulness, support, care and respect for artists and their work. It’s simply unparalleled in our field.”

Johnny Gandelsman

In addition to This is America, Gandelsman will appear this season with Brooklyn Rider. The ensemble, also celebrating its 20^th anniversary, has two performances slated for the fall: The String Quartets of Philip Glass (October 4) and The Sandbox of Invention (October 6). 

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Tickets Now On Sale!

$11 STUDENT TICKETS

For UNC-Chapel Hill students (with valid UNC One Card) and all Triangle-area students K-college (with valid student ID)

• Current UNC-Chapel Hill students: Use promo code UNCST2425 and select the price type “UNC Student”
• Non UNC-Chapel Hill students: Use promo code GENST2425 and use the price type “Student”

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15% DISCOUNT

Seniors, Active & Retired Military / First Responders, and Carolina Alumni save on regular price tickets with promo codes:

• Seniors: Use promo code SENIOR2425
• Active & Retired Military / First Responders: Use promo code SERVICE2425
• Carolina Alumni: Use promo code GAA2425

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25% DISCOUNT

UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff / UNC Health Employees save on regular price tickets with promo codes:

• UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff and UNC Health Staff: Use promo code UNCFS2425
• Retired UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff: Use promo code UNCRET2425

Watch our video on applying discount codes when checking out!

*Limits apply. All prices include tax. A 6.5% platform fee will apply to all orders. Discounts cannot be combined. Additional exclusions may apply. Visit our FAQ page for more details.

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24/25 Season At-A-Glance

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Invest in Carolina Performing Arts with a gift today.

This 20th anniversary season features returning favorites, GRAMMY® award winners, new performance venues, and our anticipated 80th commission—and the generous support of our donors helps to make it possible. Ticket sales cover only 8% of programming costs. Your charitable gift allows nearly 10,000 students to gain access to world-class performances, helps commission new work, supports artistic research, facilitates dozens of academic engagements a year.