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Tickets for the June 13 Nashville show can be purchased at the link below.
​The June 14 and 15 shows are free to the public.
Purchase Nashville Show Tickets

Press Release

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​Nashville in Harmony to Debut ‘Songs for a New South’ at Spring Concert Series
​
Renowned LGBTQ+ arts organization to take program on regional mini-tour this June and release accompanying album this fall​

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – May 1, 2025 – Nashville in Harmony (NiH), Middle Tennessee’s premier LGBTQIA+ musical arts organization, today announced its upcoming spring concert series: “Songs for a New South,” a musical celebration that highlights exciting new choral works from southern composers and brings traditionally marginalized voices to the forefront. The group is embarking on a one-weekend regional concert tour to showcase the program, including:
  • Friday, June 13 at 7:30 pm at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Saturday, June 14 at 3 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Florence, Alabama
  • Sunday, June 15 at 6 pm at First Christian Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky

The chorus’s more than 100 voices will be accompanied at all three concerts by NiH Principal Accompanist Holling Smith-Borne and conducted by NiH Artistic Director Wesley King. The Major Minors, NiH’s LGBTQIA+ youth chorus, will join the June 13 and 15 concerts.
In addition to the “Songs for a New South” June concert series, NiH will record and release a digital album of the same name, featuring the new works from the program.

New Works from Southern Voices
“Songs for a New South” was born from a call for scores last fall, when NiH artistic leadership sought out new works from composers across the Southeast to highlight voices traditionally marginalized in the region, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.
“With our call for scores and with this concert series and album, we are seeking to reclaim what we consider to be southern values,” says King. “For me, southern values are community, diversity, resiliency, hope and compassion. The pieces we are singing this June embody those values in meaningful and powerful ways and underscore our organization’s mission to use music to build community and social change.”

“Songs for a New South” will feature works from four winning composers from NiH’s call for scores, including:
  • Dr. David Walters’ “When I Rise Up” (First Place) – a choral setting of the lyric poem of the same name by American poet Georgia Douglas Johnson. Dr. Walters is an international award-winning composer who has won or placed in several international composition competitions.
  • Nicole Elyse DiPaolo’s “Pledge of Peace” (Second Place) – a setting of the poem by Alexander Lawrence Posey, a poet of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. DiPaolo is a sought-after collaborative pianist, composer and teacher currently serving as an online Adjunct Lecturer in Music at Indiana University and a Guest Artist on harpsichord/basso continuo at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.
  • Dr. Matthew Herman’s “I Shall Not Live in Vain” (Honorable Mention) – a setting of the words of Emily Dickinson. Dr. Herman has been the official commissioned composer for Kentucky by the Music Teachers’ National Association and the Kentucky Music Teachers’ Association and is the Associate Professor of Music Theory and Theory Division Coordinator at Western Kentucky University.
  • Dr. Jeremy Smith’s “The Carter Family Canticles” (Special Commission by NiH) – a new choral work based on traditional lyrics and melodies, as well as works by A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter.

​In addition, “Songs for a New South” will also feature new works from King, as well as selected pieces from NiH’s 21-year history.

“Songs for a New South” is the first program and project following the organization’s historic 20th anniversary year that saw it play renowned venues like the Parthenon and the historic Ryman Auditorium. Since its founding, NiH has pursued a mission to use music to build community and create social change and has become renowned for its concerts that celebrate the diverse experiences and traditions of its increasingly larger audiences.

Tickets for the Friday, June 13 Nashville show can be purchased by visiting www.nashvilleinharmony.org. The June 14 and 15 concerts in Florence and Bowling Green are free to the public. The “Songs for a New South” digital album will be released on Apple Music and Spotify this fall. 

For more information about NiH and its programming, visit www.nashvilleinharmony.org and follow on social media at:
​
 www.facebook.com/nashvilleinharmony
 www.instagram.com/nashvilleinharmony
 www.twitter.com/nashinharmony.   

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About Nashville in Harmony
Nashville in Harmony (NiH) was founded in 2004 as Tennessee’s first musical arts organization specifically created for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and their allies. The organization also sponsors Major Minors, an LGBTQIA+ youth chorus. With a mission of using music to build community and create social change, NiH brings people together within both the LGBTQIA+ community and the community at large.

Media Contact
J.T. Landry
615.438.4595
[email protected] 


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P.O. Box 159156 | Nashville, TN 37215
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  • Home
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