Nashville Symphony: We Are Nashville

• Suzanne Peeples, voice
• Troika Hanna, piano
• Barbara Santoro, piano
• Rashad Rayford, master of ceremony
• Craig Madole, festival orchestra conductor
• Margaret Campbelle-Holman, all voices choral conductor
• Nita Modley Smith, secondary choral conductor
• G. Preston Wilson, Jr., guest secondary choral conductor
• Alice Walle, elementary conductor
• Ann Marie Morris, elementary conductor
• Christopher Blackmon, guest elementary conductor

The Nashville Symphony is pleased to host We Are Nashville Festival again for the 23-24 season! We Are Nashville is a Choral Arts Link program that exists to provide a rich musical experience for Nashville area students, fostering opportunities for exposure, education and engagement with local Nashville-based artists and area artistic organizations. Choral and instrumental students in grades 2-12 spend a day in rehearsals and master classes with guest artists, culminating in several evening performances that are open to the public at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

About We Are Nashville Festival

The We Are Nashville Festival is a music festival (choral & instrumental) for middle TN school-based music ensembles. The purpose of the event is to provide a rich musical experience for local students fostering opportunities for exposure, education and engagement with local Nashville-based artists and arts organizations.

About Nashville Symphony

https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/

About Suzanne Peeples, voice

Vocalist Suzanne Peeples is a native to Nashville and carries a
passion for singing. Growing up as a vocalist in school and also in her local church, she now serves as a worship leader for congregations across Middle Tennessee. Suzanne believes that singing provides an incredible opportunity for creativity and building community. She is honored to be a part of this year’s We Are Nashville Festival as a participating vocal artist!

About Troika Hanna, piano

Director of a music school, Aria Music Class, and local foundation Inspire Music & Arts Academy Inc., which fosters the creativity and interdependence of youth. My professional purpose in life is to mentor and inspire individuals to become more involved in the creative arts within their communities and personal lives.

About Barbara Santoro, piano

Originally from the Washington, DC, area, singer/pianist/accompanist, Barbara Santoro has lived in Nashville, TN, for 30 years. She and her musician husband, Vince Santoro, made the move in 1993 to perform, tour, and record with various country artists until the birth of their son in 1995, after which she shifted her focus toward work that didn't involve travel! She has been a collaborative pianist with undergraduate classical voice students at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music since 1998 and at Belmont University since 2010. Some of her favorite work during the last 15 years has been with the Vanderbilt Youth Choirs as well as the MET Singers, a community-based children's choir.

About Rashad Rayford, master of ceremony

Rashad Rayford is an award-winning actor, poet, and speaker – He is the owner of Elevate Your Vibe, a non-traditional speaking company that intuitively blends business talk, spoken word poetry, and inspirational speaking to help businesses tell more compelling and concise stories. He is an author and corporate leadership and storytelling trainer. His work has been featured at TEDx, on NPR, in the Wall Street Journal, HuffPo, and USA Today.

About Craig Madole, festival orchestra conductor

Craig Madole is a Senior Artist Teacher, Director of the Vanderbilt Youth Orchestras Program, and Conductor of the Philharmonia Youth Orchestra at Blair School of Music. As a middle and high school orchestra director for Williamson County Schools, he pioneered the district's first middle school orchestra program in 2007. He has served as camp director for Belmont String Crossings and serves as a guest clinician and adjudicator for regional and national music festivals. He holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in music education from Belmont University.

About Margaret Campbelle-Holman, all voices choral conductor

Recently called a paradigm shifter, Margaret Campbelle- Holman’s arts access collaborations and creative resource partnerships have effectively linked singers to Nashville cultural institutions. Through this network-building, the MET Singers has performed -as the Celebration Youth Chorus- during Nashville Symphony’s Let Freedom Sing concert since 1998. For 26 seasons, she has mentored teams of MNPS music education artists in preparing singers (grades 2 – 12) to excel at higher levels of choral artistry and professional decorum.

About Nita Modley Smith, secondary choral conductor

Dr. Nita Modley Smith, a 30-year K-12 Music Specialist, teaches choral, piano, and general music at Isaiah T. Creswell Middle Magnet School of the Visual and Performing Arts. She has developed an exemplary singular program in music thanks to her respect for and rapport with her students. She is creative, talented, and committed. The success of her work shines through her students, and ongoing arts exposure is the primary focus in developing the musical artistry in each child.

About G. Preston Wilson, Jr., guest secondary choral conductor

G. Preston Wilson, Jr., PhD is the Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and Mike Curb Endowed Chair for the Fisk Jubilee Singers at the historic Fisk University in Nashville, TN. As a 2010 graduate, he returns to Nashville and to Fisk University as the successor of his mentor the late Dr. Paul T. Kwami. Outside of his duties as a musician and educator, Dr. Wilson’s research agenda includes urban music educational experiences, practical applications of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and race relations in music.

About Alice Walle, elementary conductor

Alice Asako Walle has dedicated her career to building music programs that focus on integrating culture and traditions to foster the nurturing of self-identity and cultural awareness. As the Elementary Music Instructional Coach for Metro Nashville Public Schools, Walle's mission is to ensure all
students have access to equitable and quality music programs in the schools. A three-time CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence, Walle actively collaborates with local musicians, organizations, and universities in Nashville and is an active founding member of the Tennessee Music Educators Association's Equity in Music Committee. Prior to Nashville, Walle was an instrumental and general music teacher in public, private, and charter schools in Japan, New York, and Michigan.

About Ann Marie Morris, elementary conductor

Ann Marie Morris, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, has been a music educator for 27 years. After graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, TN her career has included teaching elementary and middle school general music in public and private schools across middle Tennessee. She was a 2023 recipient of the Country Music Association, Music Teacher of Excellence Award. She is currently the music specialist at Cole Elementary in Antioch, TN where she leads the Cole Honor Choir. She resides in Nashville, TN, with her husband and four children.

About Christopher Blackmon, guest elementary conductor

Christopher Blackmon is a three-time Music Teachers Of
Excellence Award-winning educator. In his 14 years teaching in MNPS, he has been involved in the development of the Quaver Ed music curriculum, the We Are Nashville music festival, and its' Emmy Award-winning 2021 music video. He is a prolific songwriter and a champion of multi-ethnic celebrations of musical excellence.