Author: Y Kendall

Urban Musical Theatre at TPAC

From South Pacific to South Georgia: The Color Purple

In 1949, only a few years after the casualties of World War II, the famed team of Rodgers and Hammerstein premiered a musical that dealt courageously with controversial issues ofRead More

Early Music City’s Oratorio Festival: Hallelujah!

As part of the two-day Music City Oratorio Festival, Early Music City hosted two very different, but equally engaging events:  a panel discussion and a singalong. For the discussion, IRead More

Holidays at Cheekwood

Famed Former White House Florister Returns to Cheekwood

Through the creative imagination of Cheekwood directors and staff, Nashville is on its way as a hub for world-class floristry. For those new to the term, “floristry” is used whenRead More

At the Schermerhorn

The Nashville Symphony Reflects on Hope

The fortunate Nashville Symphony audience attending either “Reflections and Hope” performances experienced profound, deeply moving music. And the audience on Saturday night knew it. Though sparsely attended—undeservedly so—the potent silences,Read More

The MCR Interview

Necessary: J’Nai Bridges on Art, Opening Minds, and the Responsibility of Voice

In this in-depth conversation (embedded below) mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges discusses her upcoming performance with the Nashville Symphony in Reflections and Hope, featuring Brian Field’s new composition Everything Hurts, inspired byRead More

Fleurs de Villes: Flowers in Music City

Backdrop:  bustling artists and their helpers in t-shirts, aprons, and sneakers toting heavy buckets of flowers and leaves and grasses into a historic mansion, the murmurs of creativity scenting theRead More

The Joint Is Jumping: Summer in New York City

Delibes’ Sylvia at the American Ballet Theatre

In comparison to dance companies nationwide, American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is elderly—86 years old. But its aging has been vibrant, ever-renewing, despite having had only five individuals (or pairs) ofRead More

Burleigh Spirituals Festival Scholarship Concert

On Monday April 14, a lovely gift was shared with a rather sparse, but welcoming audience. Since 2016, Patrick Dailey has been Nashville’s leading force in preserving and honoring theRead More

Companion Exhibitions at the Frist

David C. Driskell and Friends; Kindred Spirits: Creativity, Collaboration and Friendship

Most people, including the artists themselves, see visual arts as a solitary profession.  Dancers move in companies or corps, musicians play in bands or orchestras, actors perform in ensembles orRead More

In a return to Tennessee

Martha Graham Dance Company at James K. Polk Theater

In a 2024 article on Jamar Roberts for The Dance Enthusiast, actor/dancer, Toussaint Jeanlouis refers to “perseverance in spite of,” a trait psychologist C. Robert Cloninger considers “foundational in aiding,Read More