Public on-sale begins on August 11, 2026.
Ticket price to be announced. Student tickets always $11. Eligible for CLE Credit.
Some performances entertain. Others leave audiences seeing the world differently. In EcoTones, music, storytelling, research, personal history, and lived experience come together in an experience that feels less like a performance and more like a gathering. Warm, joyful, and challenging, the work invites audiences to consider what happens when different worlds meet and what becomes possible in the spaces between them.
Inspired by the ecological concept of an ecotone—the place where distinct ecosystems overlap and create the conditions for new life—EcoTones explores the intersections that shape our lives, communities, and futures. The result is a shared act of discovery that reveals unexpected connections and invites audiences to see familiar questions from new perspectives.
Created by Toshi Reagon in collaboration with UNC-Chapel Hill scholars Danielle Spurlock and Danielle Purifoy and Durham-based writer, scholar, and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs, the performance places artists and researchers side by side on stage. Their stories, questions, ideas, and experiences become part of the work itself, reflecting Toshi’s belief that important voices and perspectives in our communities belong in shared public conversation.
Why We’re Presenting This
EcoTones is the culmination of Toshi Reagon’s Southern Futures residency and nearly a decade of creative partnership with Carolina Performing Arts. Over those years, Toshi has brought artists, researchers, students, and community members into conversation with one another, building relationships that extend far beyond any single performance.
This project reflects the way she works. Toshi has long challenged assumptions about whose voices belong at the center of cultural conversations. In EcoTones, researchers are not sources or advisors working behind the scenes—they are collaborators, storytellers, and co-creators whose ideas take their place on stage alongside music and performance.
As a commissioned world premiere, EcoTones could only have been made through years of trust, curiosity, and collaboration. It reflects a belief shared by Toshi and Carolina Performing Arts: that some of the most meaningful discoveries happen when artists, scholars, and communities come together to ask questions that none of them could answer alone.
Event Details
- Runtime: to be announced
- Late seating policy: to be announced
- Additional information: visit our FAQ page
About the Artists
To learn more about Toshi Reagon, click here.
Collaborators:
Discount Information
We offer several discounts for CPA series performances only. Partner and rental events are not eligible.
Important Notes
- Discounts must be applied at the time of purchase and cannot be added retroactively.
- Only one discount can be used per order.
- Enter discount code before adding tickets to cart.*
UNC-Chapel Hill Students
$11 ticketsZones 3, 4 & 5
UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff
25% offUNCRET2627 Retired faculty/staff
UNC Health Staff
25% offCarolina Alumni Members
15% offSeniors (65+)
15% offNon-UNC Students
K–College, statewide
$11 ticketsZones 3, 4 & 5
Military & First Responders
15% off*We reserve the right to cancel tickets that do not follow these guidelines.
Explore More
Watch: ONE ON ONE: Toshi Reagon