Commitment to Community
As part of his role in the commission and premiere process, Hannibal Lokumbe embedded himself throughout the Middle Tennessee community, creating personal relationships with people and organizations throughout the region. With Nashville Symphony staff, musicians, and volunteers, Hannibal visited HBCUs, Metro Nashville Public Schools, underserved neighborhoods, houses of worship, and partner arts organizations. During these visits, he shared his personal journey, listened to the voices of our community, discussed paths to healing, and engaged all in the spirit of struggle, endurance, and triumph.
September 2022
Nashville Symphony Chamber Music Concert & Libretto Reading
Scarritt Bennett Center
October 2022
Humanities Panel Discussion
Tennessee State University
November 2022
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Nashville School of the Arts
Legacy Workshop
I.T. Creswell Middle School
Nashville Symphony Chamber Music Concert & Libretto Reading
Nashville State Community College
Walking tour of Tennessee State University with Dr. Lea Williams
Tennessee State University
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Nashville State Community College
Legacy Workshop
I.T. Creswell Middle School
January 2023
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Tennessee State University
Legacy Workshop
I.T. Creswell Middle School
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Tennessee State University Musician, Staff, & Board Project
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Hillwood High School
Nashville Symphony Chamber Music
Concert & Libretto Reading
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
February 2023
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Thistle Farms
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Antioch High School
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Vanderbilt Blair School of Music
March 2023
Jazz Transformations
Young People’s Concert performance, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Jazz Transformations
Young People’s Concert, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Arts Showcase and Libretto Reading
I.T. Creswell Middle School
Workshop and Conductor Meet & Greet
Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church
Jazz Transformations
Young People’s Concert, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
EDUCATION PROGRAMMING PARTNERS
Partnerships with community organizations supported and amplified the messages of The Jonah People project.
Antioch High School - Choral Arts Link - Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church - Fisk University - Fisk University Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery - Frist Art Museum - Hillwood High School - I.T. Creswell Arts Magnet Middle School - Lipscomb University - Metro Nashville Public Schools - Nashville Black Market - Nashville School of the Arts - Nashville State Community College - National Museum of African American Music - Scarritt Bennett Center - Tennessee State University - Tennessee Triennial - Thistle Farms - Vanderbilt University, Blair School of Music - Vanderbilt University, The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy - Watson Grove Baptist Church
THE JONAH PEOPLE : ACTIVATING THE COMMUNITY
The Jonah People String Quartet
As part of the lead-up to the premiere, Hannibal and Education and Community Engagement Program Manager Phillip Ducreay created a chamber music program featuring works by African American composers Jessie Montgomery, Daniel Bernard Roumain, David Baker, Florence Price, and Paul Chihara. Their works linked thematically to The Jonah People, with narration from Hannibal’s libretto woven among the pieces. A string quartet comprised of Nashville Symphony musicians and guests performed the concert on the Orchestra’s free chamber music series and at several community concert locations.
Love Heals
For 25 years, Thistle Farms has lit a pathway of healing and hope for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. In March 2023, Hannibal visited with several residents to talk about the power of music to heal, and how this theme is woven throughout his life’s work. “Hannibal’s message truly resonated,” said Kimberly McLemore, VP of Education and Community Engagement. “He doesn’t shy away from the tough stories, but in the end, his focus is on triumph and hope.”
Hannibal's Tapestry
The Jonah People tapestry is the Rosetta Stone, the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred history of The Tribe of Jonah. It contains the iconography of their past, present and future. To look upon it is to look into their soul.
Hannibal Lokumbe
At all of The Jonah People Community Engagement and Education events, Hannibal has brought along his tapestry—a large canvas square he hand-painted to inspire his creative process. In addition to the entire libretto, Hannibal has painted icons including the calligraphic symbol of The Jonah People (the boat) as well as dark pink figures he says are “a symbol of humanity by the Dogon people of Mali in West Africa.”