GII Symposium 2026

Join us in Lincoln Recital Hall for the GII Symposium 2026 Opening Gathering, featuring a welcome address by Dr. Leroy E. Bynum, Jr., Dean of PSU's College of the Arts. You'll also meet the GII 2026 team and receive an overview of the inspiring lineup of sessions, performances, and events that await throughout the symposium.

The gathering continues with the official launch of GII26 by Dr. Bonnie Miksch—composer, improviser, and Professor of Composition in PSU's School of Music & Theater—with Primal Singing with Gong. Using a bow to draw haunting, shimmering sounds from the gong, Bonnie enters into a surprising metallic soundscape, allowing her voice to emerge from a place of deep listening, discovery, abandon, and pure expression.

Following this opening performance, we'll take a leisurely six-minute walk together to Migration Brewing Co. Pacwest Patio for a pre-dinner drink and a toast to the beginning of GII 2026! 

Join us for a Pre-Dinner Toast at Migration Brewing Co. PacWest Patio location overlooking the city! 1 drink ticket per attendee, compliments of the GII. Beer, cider and non-alcoholic options. Only a 6-minute walk from Lincoln Hall and very close to many dining options. 

Opening plenary with Anthony Veneziale, co-founder of Freestyle Love Supreme. Anthony will be introduced by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist (Simon & Schuster 2025).

You might be thinking, what is the "un-keynote"? In an interview for Conference Daily at ATD's International Conference in 2026, this is how Anthony described it:

"An un-keynote isn’t a performance. It isn’t a lecture. It’s a live demonstration of what modern learning must become. Yes, it includes high-energy Broadway-level talent. Yes, it is fueled by audience participation. But what makes it different is that it transforms passive attendees into active learners within minutes.

Our hope is that attendees leave not just energized, but primed. Primed to speak up in sessions. Primed to listen with curiosity and ask great questions of speakers. Primed to connect meaningfully with someone they don’t yet know.

The un-keynote isn’t just the opening session. It’s the warm-up for the entire conference."

Let’s catch up as a group, answer some questions and get re-focused for our second full day!

At this gathering, participants will shape Saturday's GII agenda together. You'll have the chance to propose a breakout session and/or join conversations and activities that spark your curiosity as we continue exploring myriad ways improvisation can Activate the Possible—in ourselves, our work, and our communities.

We'll gather one final time to share insights, reflections, and discoveries from our Open Space explorations, celebrate what emerged today and throughout the symposium, and consider how we'll carry these experiences forward to activate new possibilities in our communities and our lives.

Before we adjourn, Dr. Bonnie Miksch will join us once again, as she did at our Opening Gathering, for a final Primal Singing with Gong to officially close the GII Symposium 2026.