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.
