Morning MingLe:
Doors at 9:00Am
coffee & Bites
Summit agenda
SUNDAY, OCtober 19, 2025
telling our stories
10:00 am
Milestones and next steps
members of Black orchestral network Steering CommitteE
Creating Our Space: Black-Centered Orchestras as Forces of Change
ALEX LAING, President & Artistic Director of Gateways Music Festival
Jeffrey McNeill - Thee Phantom, co-founder, The Illharmonic Orchestra
Mr Z. (Zak Wallace), Local Green atlanta, culture classics
Titus Underwood, Principal Oboe, Nashville Symphony, associate professor, cincinnati conservatory of music, host
HBCU Orchestras: Legacy, Leadership, and the Next Generation
Dr. Alvoy L. Bryan Jr., Conductor, Atlanta University Center Symphony Orchestra
Tami Lee Hughes, violinist, faculty of Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp
Dr. Demarr Woods, Chairperson of Music and Performing Arts at Hampton University, host
catered lunch
12:00pm
What Your Summit Day Will Look Like
We open the doors at 9:00 AM with coffee and light bites to get everyone energized and connected. At 10:00 AM, the day officially begins with a brief update on what BON has been up to and where we’re headed. From there, we move right into the morning sessions — no need to watch the clock, we’ve designed the day to flow naturally from one discussion to the next.
At noon, lunch will be served on site so you don’t have to leave to find food. We want you to use this time to meet fellow attendees, reconnect with friends, and grow your network.
The afternoon resumes at 1:15 PM with another round of dynamic discussions, leading up to a special award presentation honoring a very special guest. After a short break for conversation and networking, we’ll gather for the final session of the day — leaving you inspired and ready to take action.
lifting our voices
1:15 pm
Black Music Seen LIVE: Stories from the Stage
Dr. Marvin V. Curtis, Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Music of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend
josh jones, principal percussion, grant park orchestra
Lani Smith, principal oboe, memphis symphony orchestra
David Norville, Host/producer, black music seen, oboist
Beyond the Buzzwords: Blackness, Music, and the Work of Real Inclusion
afton battle, Arts Leader, Strategic Visionary, and Change Agent
Marcia Lynn sells, co-president, russell philanthropies
Dr. Lexi Ligon Holloway, faculty, Mount Holyoke Fellow, Visiting Instructor in Critical Race and Political Economy, host
Becoming the Future: A conversation with Black Collegiate Musicians
Brittney Bryanna Burgess, co-founder and Executive Director of Black Collegiate Musicians, host
Johannes Escobar, 2025-2026 Grammy U Atlanta Chapter Representative
Cameron Smith, Student, morehouse college
Ariana Swindell, Student, spelman college
cultivating community
4:00 pm
Special award Presentation
Announced soon!
Building the Pipeline: Youth Training Programs That Make a Difference
Camille Delaney-McNeil, Vice President, Learning at the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Music Project
shea scruggs, director of the John J. Cali School of Music
Weston sprott, Dean and Director of the Preparatory Division at The Juilliard School, trombonist, Metropolitan Opera orchestra
