AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER AND MULTI-HYPHENATE CREATIVE
AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER AND MULTI-HYPHENATE CREATIVE
Oberlin College recognizes Nolan as one of 21 trailblazing Black alumni!
On February 23, 2024, Oberlin College released the following Black History Month tribute on its social media platforms:
Nolan Williams, Jr. is incredible in so many different ways!
Nolan Williams Jr. '90 is a decorated producer and composer who has won 10 Telly Awards and four Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards. His work includes choral and orchestral pieces premiered by major American orchestras, music produced for television and the bestselling African American Heritage Hymnal, for which he serves as the chief music editor. Williams received his BA in Music from Oberlin College in 1990 with an emphasis on piano performance and conducting, studying under the late Francis Walker ’45.
Photo by Marvin Joseph, courtesy of NEWorks Productions
#bhm #oberlinalumni #oberlin #oberlincollege #oberlinohio #blackhistorymonth #highered
NOLAN NAMED A 2024 DCCAH ARTS & HUMANITIES FELLOW
Nolan is a first-time fellow with the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities' Arts & Humanities Fellowship Program, which recognizes the impact of individual artists and humanities practitioners within the nation's capital.
Nolan & NEWorks launch GOTV Campaign!
Through his company, NEWorks Productions, Nolan is producing media assets to encourage full voter participation through our non-partisan campaign, FREEDOM ADVANCES. This campaign will include celebrity bumpers, call-to-action anthems and music videos, 30- to 60-second PSAs, and a multi-facted social media initiative, all spearheaded by leading artists and influencers. The goal is simple: to motivate every American citizen to get out and vote!
Click here to learn more about this get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaign.
Click below to make a tax-deductible donation in support of it.
COMING SOON...
Our FREEDOM ADVANCES anthem, "Rise Up & Fight," will be released this week. Stay tuned!
STROKESTRA @ THE DR. PHILLIPS CENTER
Nolan has joined the artistic team for this ground-breaking program pioneered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, presented by the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, FL. STROKESTRA is a creative music-making program that facilitates holistic recovery for stroke survivors and their caregivers.
NOLAN & THE LONDON SYMPHONY
Two of Nolan's choral/orchestral works will be performed by Maestro Andre Thomas and the London Symphony Orchestra on November 3, 2024, Click below for program and ticket information.
- BREAKING NEWS -
NOLAN RETURNS TO OBERLIN THIS FALL
This November, Nolan will return to his alma mater as the featured speaker for the Friends of the Oberlin College Libraries and a guest lecturer in the Conservatory of Music.
SPOTLIGHT #1: NOLAN in Conversation with Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter
On April 2, 2024, Nolan was invited by Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter to discuss his work at the Center and beyond during the President’s Annual Meeting. This discussion included his service as Chair of the Center’s Community Advisory Board, his 19-year stint as music producer for Let Freedom Ring, the annual MLK holiday concert jointly presented by the Center and Georgetown University; his 2019 appointment as the Center's first Social Practice Resident; his curation of the 2010 festival, Joyful Sounds: Gospel Across America, and his trailblazing contribution to the National Symphony Orchestra's NSO in Your Neighborhood program.
In all, Nolan—as a citizen artist and CEO/Founder of NEWorks Productions—has collaborated with the Center on impactful initiatives over the course of 30 years. Here are some video highlights from this conversation.
SPOTLIGHT #2: Nolan @ Chautauqua
Nolan closed out the African American Heritage House Lecture Series at the prestigious Chautauqua Institution on Wednesday, August 21. Check out his inspiring message below.
RECENT PROJECTS
Re-mounted in the Kennedy Center Opera House after a sold-out world premiere at the historic The Apollo, The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout honors our present pulse need for a collective space of remembrance, to enact the sacred technology of a Ring Shout and engages the streets–a place where today's civic unrest has unfolded and taken place. Nolan will serve as choirmaster, leading his 48-voice NEWorks Voices of Inspiration for this performance with Nona Hendryx, Abby Dobson, Toshi Reagon, Joel Thompson, Carlos Simon, Courtney Bryan, Troy Anthony, and the American Composers Orchestra.
This program is made possible through the support from Arts For Justice, Ford Foundation, and Mellon Foundation. This performance is co-produced by National Black Theatre, The Apollo, and American Composers Orchestra in association with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rental Office.
Kennedy Center Opera House
Saturday, June 1, 2024, 7:30pm
GRACE, the Musical: 'Making a good thing great'
Nolan and his creative team have launched another development cycle for his award-winning new musical, GRACE.
GRACE, the Musical premiered in March 2022 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC and, subsequently, won 11 Broadway World DC Awards, including Best Musical and Best New Musical.
"We learned so much about the show during its premiere run," says Nolan, "Nikkole Salter (co-book writer) and I have been working on the show ever since."
This continued work has led to a developmental residency at The Kennedy Center in December 2022, an act one creative retreat and work session at the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, FL in May 2023, and an act two creative retreat at Arena Stage/Mead Center for American Theater in June 2024.
Nolan adds, "If folk loved the show before, they will be blown away by the changes we've made! We're taking the time we feel we need to make a good thing great!"
Stay tuned for exciting updates about GRACE!
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Pictured: Nolan and GRACE Co-Book Writer Nikkole Salter (Photo credit: Amon Alexander)
DC Full Democracy CHAMPIONS Luncheon
In commemoration of DC Emancipation Day, Nolan and his NEWorks Productions recently produced Mayor Muriel Bowser's Full Democracy Champions Luncheon. The event was organized by the Secretary of State of the District of Columbia, Kimberly Bassett, hosted by Symone Sanders-Townsend, Co-Host of MSNBC's "The Weekend," and featured The Honorable Max Frost, U.S. House of Representatives, as keynote speaker.
Washington Convention Center
Monday, April 15, 2024
WASHINGTON DOUGLASS CHORALE IN CONCERT
Curated and co-conducted by Nolan and Scott Tucker, the Washington Douglass Chorale’s spring concert grappled with the issues of equity and inclusion. With music ranging from Dorothy Rudd Moore and Damien Geter to William Billings and Aaron Copland, a special highlight of the program was the world premiere of a newly commissioned work, “Suite Freedom for All,” conceived by Nolan and composed by Washington, D.C.’s own Allyn Johnson in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the birth of American composer and jazz pioneer Duke Ellington.
National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington, DC
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Andrea Bocelli with the Baltimore Symphony & the NEWorks Voices of Inspiration
Nolan served as choirmaster for Andrea Bocelli's February 20 concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The concert featured the NEWorks Voices of America performing a range of music from beloved opera choruses to inspirational songs.