Dr. & Mrs. Eugene Adcock, III

William Kenan Endowment

Mitchell’s Piano Gallery

Moravian Music Foundation

Myron D. Brown, a native of Birmingham, AL, is an acclaimed pianist and Chair of the Department of Music at Winston-Salem State University. He has been a recurring guest artist at the Colour of Music Festival and is also a champion of multi-piano literature, where he has been featured each year in the Roomful of Pianos showcase at the NAMM Show.
Equally as distinguished in gospel music as he is with classical repertoire, he serves as Minister of Music for the Western North Carolina Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. Dr. Brown holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati. He remains a prominent performer, adjudicator, and leader within the North Carolina arts community.

Cheryl D. Comer is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and University of Michigan. She was the first Black cellist to win principal cellist of the University Symphony Orchestra, the highest orchestra at the university. She is a licensed attorney in two jurisdictions and currently uses her creativity to transform the workforce at Siemens Corporation. She has three children, loves international travel, and finds solace in nature. 

Dr. Ronnal Ford is a versatile musician, educator, and multi-instrumentalist recognized for his work as an oboist, woodwind specialist, and string specialist. He serves as principal oboist of the Colour of Music Festival and performs as second oboist, English hornist, and saxophonist with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, appearing as a featured soloist with both ensembles. He has also performed nationwide with the Illharmonic Orchestra in both its string and woodwind sections and has been featured as a jazz soloist with the FSO Jazz Quartet.
In addition to his performing career, Dr. Ford is an Assistant Professor of Music at Guilford Technical Community College and an Adjunct Professor at North Carolina A&T State University. Through performance and teaching, he continues to inspire musicians with his artistry, versatility, and commitment to excellence.

Caroline Jones is a graduate of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, receiving her Bachelor of Music Performance Degree.  She is a longstanding member of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, is a former member of the Winston Symphony Orchestra, and active member of Gateways Music Festival, Colour of Music Festival, and is also a freelance musician. She is a string coach with Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra and also teaches piano. In addition, she is her church musician, directs choirs, and is a program admin at North Carolina A&T State University. 

Barbara Lister-Sink, Ed.D., an internationally acclaimed pianist and acknowledged global leader in injury-preventive keyboard technique, has extremely close ties to the Moravian community and to music at Salem College. Her ancestors came to North Carolina with Moravian settlers in 1753, her great-aunt, Genie Fitzgerald, graduated with a degree in music from Salem College in 1911, and she received her early piano training from Salem College faculty member Margaret Mueller and Dean Clemens Sandresky.
The year 2026 marks her 40th year at Salem College, where she has served as Dean or Director of the School of Music for 16 years, following in the footsteps of Deans Vardell and Sandresky. She is a graduate of Smith College and the Utrecht Conservatory and holds an Ed.D. from Columbia University. A Steinway Artist since 1977, Lister-Sink has performed and recorded as a soloist and with many of the world’s most distinguished musicians throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Her DVD, Freeing the Caged Bird: Developing Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique, won the 2002 MTNA–Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award.
Lister-Sink’s international leadership in pianists’ health has also led to a 2016 TEDx talk and invitations to present at conferences, symposia, and lecture series at medical research institutions, including Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Duke University School of Medicine.

Dreama Lovitt currently serves as the Director of Traditional Music and Organist at West Market Street UMC, Greensboro, is the Visiting Director of Choral Activities at Salem College, Winston-Salem, and privately teaches piano and organ. She holds a BM Degree from the University of Richmond, VA, where she studied organ with Suzanne Bunting and Suzanne Riehl and piano with Richard Becker. She holds a MM Degree in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, where she studied organ with Swedish organist Hans Davidsson and keyboard technique with Ulrika Davidsson, particularly for use with the clavichord and organ. She has sought additional input from international organists Hans Fagius, Daniel Roth, and others, and has performed in the US, Italy, Sweden, and France. In addition, she has pursued coursework in Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the US and at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr. Timothy Olsen, as Kenan Professor of Organ at UNC School of the Arts and Associate Professor of Organ at Salem College, enjoys working with a wide range of students—from those just beginning their study at the organ to high level graduate students. Dr. Olsen’s desire to expose the organ and its repertoire has led him to collaborate with local colleagues organizing an annual “Sounds of the Summer” organ recital series in Winston-Salem, NC, as well as an annual Salem Bach Festival for which he plays organ and harpsichord. Dr. Olsen is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN (BM) and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY (MM, DMA). He currently resides in Pfafftown, NC with his wife, three boys, and their Chihuahua, Milo Bjørn.

Maria Watkins earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. A former member of the Greensboro Symphony and Winston-Salem Symphony, she has also performed as a freelance section violinist with numerous regional orchestras and ensembles. Most recently, she served as Concertmaster for the Triad Area Medical Orchestra’s Spring 2026 season. Alongside her musical career, Maria spent more than 30 years in education and recently retired as a school counselor with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. In addition to performing, she now serves as a Senior Advisor for Crosby Scholars of Forsyth County, continuing to support and mentor students on their educational journeys.

Sean Watkins began his musical training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied as both a high school student and a special student. He also attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where he was a fellow with the National Symphony Orchestra. He continued his music education studies at Jackson State University and Howard University. Over 32 years, he performed as a contract musician with the Winston-Salem Symphony and appeared with numerous regional ensembles, including the Arlington Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Washington Metropolitan Orchestra, Salisbury Symphony, and Danville Symphony. Beyond performing, Mr. Watkins shared his love of music as an orchestra teacher with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.