One of the oldest buildings in Winston-Salem is the R.J. Reynolds Auditorium (no website; 301 North Hawthorne Road; Winston Salem, NC 27105; 336-727-2180), located next to city's Hanes Park area. Reynolds Auditorium is also one of the largest venues in Winston-Salem with a seating capacity for 1,898 spectators; the auditorium is adjacent to R.J. Reynolds High School (wsfcs.k12.nc.us/reynolds). While the auditorium is primarily used for high school performances and ceremonies, R.J. Reynolds is also available to touring music bands, including gospel music groups. This historic landmark was completed in 1924 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Brendle Recital Hall is on the campus of Wake Forest University (wfu.edu) and the chief performance facility for the university's Department of Music. The university hosts shows from visiting artists such as gospel music groups, concert pianists, guitar quartets and opera sopranos. The Recital Hall accommodates up to 572 audience members. Visiting artists also participate in master classes with Wake Forest's music students. Wake Forest's Department of Music has pianos and harpsichords available for visiting artists.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (uncsa.edu) campus features Crawford Hall, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 590 guests. Gospel singers have access to the venue's harpsichord and two grand pianos. Located in downtown Winston-Salem, the Stevens Center hosts gospel music concerts and student performances from the School of the Arts. The University's campus is less than 10 minutes from the auditorium. The Stevens Center seats up to 1,380 guests. Built in 1929, the Stevens Center was originally a silent movie theater, but was renovated to its current state in 1983.
Downtown Winston-Salem is home to the Millennium Center (mcenterevents.com), a venue usually for wedding receptions, banquets and art shows. However, the Center offers the Millennium Ballroom for gospel music groups. The Millennium Ballroom seats 300 in a theater-style setting. If a gospel singing group is performing for a dinner or fundraiser, the Ballroom seats up to 600 guests in a banquet setting. For smaller gospel concerts, Millennium Center offers the Court Room, which seats 175 people for shows. The Millennium Center resides in the former Downtown Winston-Salem Post Office Building, which was completed in 1880.