Five miles separate Winston-Salem State University and Wake Forest University. On opening night of the 2026 college football season, the sound of two marching bands will bring those neighboring campuses together once again.
Winston-Salem State’s Red Sea of Sound will perform alongside Wake Forest’s Spirit of the Old Gold & Black when the Demon Deacons host Akron on Thursday, Sept. 3, at Allegacy Financial Stadium.
The game will kick off at 7 p.m. on ACC Network. It will also begin Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert’s second season with an unmistakably Winston-Salem soundtrack.
For the Red Sea of Sound, the invitation places an HBCU band in front of an ACC crowd and a national television audience. But this is more than a guest appearance.
It is the third chapter of a collaboration that has used music to connect two universities with vastly different histories.
Two bands. One city. Another opening night.
Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State may share a city, but the institutions were built in different worlds.
Wake Forest is a private university founded in 1834. Winston-Salem State began in 1892 inside a one-room schoolhouse with 25 students and one teacher. It later became part of North Carolina’s public university system and developed into one of the state’s most recognizable HBCUs.
The campuses have been separated by only a few miles since Wake Forest relocated to Winston-Salem in 1956. At times, the two schools have also served as brick-and-mortar representations of the city’s racial and economic divides.
In 2019, however, the bands found common ground in the literal harmony of a joint halftime performance.
Special Night in 2019
HBCU Gameday documented that first collaboration in a video feature titled “Two Bands, One City.” The Red Sea of Sound entered what was then BB&T Field, performed from the stands and injected its own energy into Wake Forest’s season opener against Utah State.
The bands eventually shared the field for just over three minutes.
During those three minutes, there was no Wake Forest section and no Winston-Salem State section. There was simply one performance representing one city.
The response made it clear that the moment connected.
Fans called it the best halftime show they had seen at the stadium. Some wanted the bands to return every year. Others went even further and suggested bringing the Red Sea of Sound back for every home game.
Wake Forest won the football game 38-35, but the music became one of the lasting images of the night.
“Witnessing the Red Sea of Sound and the Spirit of the Old Gold & Black take the field together for the first time in history on Opening Night 2019 remains one of the most memorable moments of my career,” Wake Forest athletic director John Currie said in announcing the 2026 reunion.
Red Sea of Sound returns to the ACC stage
The two bands reunited in 2021 as Wake Forest opened its season with a 42-10 victory over Old Dominion.
That performance came before one of the best seasons in Demon Deacons history. Wake Forest finished with 11 wins, tied a program record with seven conference victories and went undefeated at home.
Wake Forest has won both previous games featuring the joint performance. The Demon Deacons will try to keep that streak alive against Akron while the bands renew a tradition that has become bigger than a halftime show.
“This collaboration with our Red Sea of Sound is a powerful reflection of the strong and growing relationship between Winston-Salem State and Wake Forest University,” WSSU Chancellor Bonita J. Brown said. “As two institutions deeply rooted in Winston-Salem, we are leveraging our collective strengths to expand opportunities for our students and strengthen the community we both call home.”
The 145-member Red Sea of Sound includes students studying music education, music business, and a variety of other disciplines. The band has performed at the Circle City Classic, the Cleveland Classic, and the New York City Urban League Classic. It has also made multiple appearances at the Honda Battle of the Bands.
Impressive Résumé
Its résumé extends beyond traditional HBCU football and band events. The Red Sea of Sound has shared stages with Grammy-winning gospel artist Donald Lawrence and jazz musician Gerald Albright.
Those appearances have helped build the band’s profile, but its identity is rooted in creativity and crowd connection.
During HBCU Gameday’s 2019 feature, WSSU band members explained how quickly the Red Sea of Sound can build a show. Students on the band’s Creative Concepts Committee help select music and develop ideas based on the venue and audience. The staff then turns those ideas into arrangements, drills and routines—sometimes within a single week.
The objective is not simply to play well. It is to leave an unmistakable impression.
“We just want to be entertaining,” WSSU Director of Bands Dr. Michael Magruder said in 2019. “We want folks to look at us, recognize us and say, ‘Oh, that’s the Red Sea of Sound, we know who that is.’”
Seven years later, the Red Sea of Sound will return to the same stadium with another opportunity to introduce itself to a major college football audience.
An HBCU band becomes part of the main event
HBCU bands are frequently asked to provide atmosphere at major sporting events. Their sound, movement, and traditions can transform a stadium long before the game itself creates any drama.
The 2026 Wake Forest opener offers something more meaningful than using an HBCU band as entertainment around the edges. The Red Sea of Sound is being presented as part of the identity of opening night.
“There is something special about bringing these two bands together and seeing our students share the field, their talent and their love of music,” Magruder said. “Our students take tremendous pride in representing Winston-Salem State, and performing alongside the Spirit of the Old Gold & Black gives them an opportunity to create something memorable for the entire community.”
The collaboration also reflects a broader relationship between the universities. Wake Forest and WSSU work together on educational initiatives designed to prepare teachers for local schools and create pathways into legal education.
Those programs may carry the partnership forward throughout the year. On Sept. 3, the public will be able to hear it.
Two universities. Two musical traditions. One city opening the college football season together.