$10.1 million gift from Randy and Kamu Dishmon will establish American Roots Music Institute
In Winston-Salem, a place where the echoes of banjos and fiddles still drift through the hills and hollows of North Carolina, a new chapter in American music education is beginning.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) has received a historic $10.1 million gift—the largest in its history—from longtime residents Randall “Randy” and Kamalakshi “Kamu” Dishmon.
Their donation will establish the American Roots Music Institute within the university’s School of Music, a groundbreaking program dedicated to preserving and advancing the country’s folk, bluegrass, and traditional musical heritage.
For the Dishmons, the gift is both a tribute and a calling. Randy, a retired global portfolio manager and lifelong bluegrass musician, grew up surrounded by the sounds of pickers and storytellers whose music reflected the cadence of mountain life.
Kamu, a retired pharmaceutical executive raised amid the classical music and dance traditions of India, shares his reverence for cultural art forms that are both ancient and alive.
Together, they have long believed that music rooted in tradition deserves the same level of institutional respect and training as orchestral or operatic performance.
“It’s time bluegrass and folk-oriented music receive the recognition and respect they deserve—as a true American art form,” Randy Dishmon said. “UNCSA happens to be located in the heart of this art form’s origins and has a long history of respect for tradition with an eye to the future. It’s the ideal home for aspiring artists in this genre.”
Their vision is to make the conservatory a place where the next generation of musicians can study Appalachian fiddle, gospel harmony, country blues, and bluegrass alongside music theory and composition.
The American Roots Music Institute will offer a Bachelor of Music in American Roots, a minor for undergraduates, and training opportunities for UNCSA’s high school students. It will draw on North Carolina’s rich musical legacy—one that stretches from the banjo’s African origins to the mountain ballads of the Scots-Irish settlers—and will connect students to a thriving contemporary community of performers who continue to shape the genre.
Dean of the School of Music Saxton Rose will work with a team of renowned artists to shape the program, including UNCSA alumnus and guitarist Justin Poindexter, Martha Bassett, host of “The Martha Bassett Show,” fiddle and banjo virtuoso Rex McGee, and pedal steel player DaShawn Hickman.
Together, they will design a curriculum that fuses tradition with innovation, honoring the authenticity of roots music while exploring its creative future.
UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole said the gift perfectly embodies both the school’s mission and the state’s cultural identity. “North Carolina is the cradle of American roots music, home to artists from Doc Watson to Libba Cotten to The Avett Brothers,” Cole said. “This gift will allow us to build a program that honors those traditions while preparing the next generation of artists to thrive in a competitive, evolving field.”
For the Dishmons, the institute represents more than a philanthropic contribution—it is a lifelong belief in music as a living bridge between generations and cultures.
Kamu Dishmon, whose early life was steeped in the improvisational rhythms of Indian classical music, sees parallels between her heritage and the storytelling traditions of American folk.
“Both art forms are about connection, about passing something sacred from one generation to the next,” she said. “We want to make sure these young artists can explore where they come from and use that to imagine what comes next.”
Their gift arrives at a moment when folk and roots traditions are experiencing a quiet renaissance, as younger artists blend acoustic instruments with digital experimentation and new forms of storytelling.
The Dishmons hope the American Roots Music Institute will become a national model for preserving cultural heritage, not as nostalgia, but as a foundation for innovation.
The first undergraduate class in the American Roots Music Institute is expected to enroll in 2028, with minors and high school offerings beginning in 2026. By then, the Dishmons’ vision will have started to take shape in practice rooms, classrooms, and performance halls across campus—where young musicians from across the country will gather to study the sounds that defined America’s past and will help determine its future.
Through their historic gift, Randy and Kamu Dishmon have ensured that the songs born in the mountains and crossroads of the American South will continue to evolve, carried forward by new voices who understand that to innovate truly, one must begin with the roots.