Presented by with Tennessee State University and Nashville Black Music Association

Founded in the fall of 2015, the Big Blue Opera Initiatives (BBOI) is an outreach, performance training, and fundraising program serving the vocal music community of Tennessee State University, the boarder HBCU landscape, and underserved communities. The aim is to promote, expose, and support deserving students and communities too often left out of quality performing arts opportunities in Nashville and around the country. Nashville Opera, ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, 105 Voices of History National HBCU Choir, Opera America, the National Museum of African American Music, the Colour of Music Festival, the Harry T. Burleigh Society and the Narnia Festival are among BBOI’s national partners. Through programing such as vocal masterclasses, artists residencies, career workshops, BBOI works to end the stereotypes of what opera and classical music are and who they are for and fiercely advocates for the compositions and creations by African Americans and other communities of color. We are committed to reclaiming agency of culture for people of color through forms of musical expression not always associated with such groups.

Presented without the Nashville Symphony.