(L-R): Dr. Gregory Stewart, Executive Principal, NSA; Chris Young; NSA students Brandon Mimms and Sara Sparks; Kara Kindall, Theater Chair, NSA; Wells Adams, Lightning 100 on-air personality and NSA Presents moderator. Photo: Edwards Photography Studios
Murfreesboro native and RCA Nashville artist Chris Young was the special guest at Nashville School of the Arts’ latest installment of “NSA Presents” yesterday (Sept. 8). The event coincided with the annual YoungArts Awareness Day, a nationwide, one-day initiative to “keep arts alive,” by “celebrating the hundreds of thousands of young artists across the country and encouraging them to pursue a career in the arts.”
Produced by the students and moderated by Lightning 100 on-air personality and morning show host, Well Adams, the “NSA Presents” program, is done in a format similar to James Lipton’s Inside The Actors Studio. During the session, Young shared insights into his successful career and discussed how music education had a significant impact on his artistic path.
Backstage prior to the event, Young, a YoungArts alumni and US Presidential Scholars in the Arts recipient, told MusicRow, “For me, arts awareness is one of the first things that gets pushed aside. But the arts are such a big growth area for kids, whether they want a career in it or not. And they don’t know until they are exposed to it and have a chance to find out. It’s something I’m very passionate about.”
As a special gift to the students, Young surprised the enthusiastic crowd at the opening of the Q&A session with a $30,000 donation to help fund improvements to the school’s auditorium.
NSA is the only arts magnet high school within Metro Nashville Public Schools, offering its students the “rare combination of rigorous, college preparatory curriculum instructed with intensely focused instruction in the performing or visual arts.”
Other celebrities that have participated in “NSA presents” include Janelle Monae, Chip Esten and Ruby Amanfu.
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Sherod Robertson is President and Owner of MusicRow Enterprises. He oversees all operations and develops strategic initiatives for MusicRow magazine, RowFax, and MusicRow's CountryBreakout chart. Robertson previously served as Director of Finance of Arista Records after beginning his career as Vice President of Finance and CFO at Reunion Records.View Author Profile
