Bessie Smith(Carl Van Vechten / Library of Congress)
Bessie Smith - the Black female singer known as the “Empress of the Blues” - was born here in Chattanooga more than a century ago, during the era of Jim Crow segregation.
Next Monday, starting at 7:30 PM, a concert at Memorial Auditorium will present full orchestral arrangements of Bessie’s music, commissioned by the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera.
The concert is a collaboration between the CSO, the CSO Youth Orchestras and community choral groups in this city.
It will also spotlight works by Black composers - such as Dr. Roland Carter, Chattanooga’s and UTC’s own - and it will feature pieces honoring key contributions by Black artists.
This half hour, we bring you a few voices involved in the concert: the CSO's John Kilkenny and Ismael Sandoval, Dr. Roland Carter, Neshawn Calloway and LaFrederick Thirkill.
John Kilkenny(Chattanooga Symphony and Opera)
Ismael Sandoval(Chattanooga Symphony and Opera)
Dr. Roland Carter(UTC)
Neshawn Calloway(Hamilton County Schools)
LaFrederick Thirkill(Washington Alternative Learning Center)
