The Road to Bent But Not Broken presents:
Made For Us, By Us

This webinar will explore and celebrate what HBCUs and Black-centered artistic spaces have cultivated, preserved, and made possible for generations of musicians. Panelists will reflect on legacy, mentorship, cultural identity, institution-building, and what we must preserve and strengthen for future generations.

Guest Moderator: Dr. Brian L. Fenderson

Panelists: Dr. Arreon Harley-Emerson, Dr. G. Preston Wilson, Dr. Jeremy Winston

Jeremy Winston is a conductor, educator, entrepreneur, and advocate whose work bridges music, education, and global engagement. Founder and Artistic Director of Jeremy Winston Chorale International, he has led acclaimed performances and transformative artistic experiences around the world. After more than two decades in higher education, including his most recent appointment as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Central State University, Winston now leads a nonprofit initiative developing innovative pathways to higher education while addressing student debt. He holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy from The Ohio State University, where his research focused on higher education debt and its impact on musicians.

Dr. Brian L. Fenderson is a baritone, educator, clinician and scholar specializing in voice performance. He holds degrees from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, the University of Delaware, and the University of South Carolina. His research focuses on career readiness for voice majors attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Dr. Fenderson was a member of the Grammy Award-winning Metropolitan Opera production of Porgy and Bess and will return to the Met for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. Other engagements include TENET Vocal Artists and Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet. This fall, he will serve as a guest artist at Tuskegee University and perform at the African American Art Song Alliance Conference in 2027.

G. Preston Wilson, Jr., PhD, serves as the Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers® at the School of Humanities and Behavioral Social Sciences at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Fisk University, a Master of Music in Choral Music Education from Bowling Green State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education from the University of Missouri (Columbia). His research interests encompass urban music education, the intersection of race and music, and the practical implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Wilson is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

A conductor, composer, nonprofit strategist, and equity coach, Dr. Arreon A. Harley-Emerson is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Choral Music at the Pennsylvania State University, where he serves as director of Essence of Joy, an ensemble committed to music of the Black Diaspora and teaches courses in conducting, choral music, and music education. He also serves as the Artistic Director of Elevate Vocal Arts and President and CEO of Equity Sings, a consultancy that supports performing arts organizations with their inclusion. Harley-Emerson's work includes longitudinal studies, strategic planning, board governance, resource and asset development, and board diversification. Dr. Harley-Emerson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance (Voice) and Music Theory and Composition from Goucher College, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance from the University of Delaware School of Music, and a Ph.D. in Music Education with a cognate in Choral Conducting from the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University, where he also completed a graduate certificate in Diversity in Higher Education.

Free Registration

Monday, September 21st

7:00 PM ET

Please note that no recording of this webinar will be made public in order to protect the intellectual property of our presenters. Those wishing to join us must attend synchronously.