Nashville has a new Black symphony

If you were to buy a ticket to the symphony right now — here in Nashville, or in another city — you likely wouldn’t see many Black performers. That won’t be the case at this weekend’s inaugural performance of the Nashville African American Wind Symphony. The group aims to challenge what has become the norm in classical spaces. We talk to members of the group about why they felt a Black symphony was needed. Then, educators and students talk about ways to bridge the gap.

But first — the way we pronounce the names of some places in Tennessee can raise eyebrows for newcomers. But, even long-time residents can’t always explain why those names are the way they are. This prompted a question to our Curious Nashville project and sent WPLN’s Marianna Bacallao in search of the stories behind a few prominent place names.

Guests:

• Marianna Bacallao, WPLN’s afternoon host
• Bruce Ayers, founder of the Nashville African American Wind Symphony
• Ashley Crawford, president of the board of the Nashville African American Wind Symphony
• Lee Pringle, founder and artistic director of the Colour of Music Festival
• Xayvion Davidson, bassoonist and recent high school graduate
• Jabril Muhammad, trumpet player and recent TSU graduate
• Margaret Campbelle-Holman, executive director and founder of Choral Arts Link

Additional reading: 

• WPLN: Nashville’s new Black symphony is powered by a love of classical music, and hopes to make it more representative
  
• NPR: Why Is American Classical Music So White?
• The New Yorker: Black Scholars Confront White Supremacy in Classical Music