Statement of Solidarity

Statement of Solidarity

A message from Artistic Director John Hoomes

I am deeply saddened by the violence we have seen used against Black people across America. In my coming of age during the Civil Rights movement in Alabama, my father did his best to teach me that love can always defeat hatred. I still believe that. But after all these years, the struggle remains. We will stand strong with those seeking justice. We will use our voices to proclaim the cause of right. I join together with the staff of Nashville Opera in issuing the following statement:

Today Nashville Opera pauses with others across the music industry to grieve the senseless killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the myriad victims of systemic racism in our country. We stand in solidarity with all who are raising their voices for justice. We see you, and we hear your brave song.

We recognize that the opera world has work to do to address racism, discrimination, exclusion, and inequity in our art form, both on and off the stage. In commitment to doing our part, Nashville Opera pledges to:

• Increase representation of diverse populations among our Board, staff, and artists.
• Design educational programming to address inequity in access.
• Grow our outreach in order to diversify our audience.
• Program works that lift up the stories and experiences of Black communities.

#TheShowMustBePaused #BlackLivesMatter