NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.

NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.

NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.

NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.NOLAN WILLIAMS, JR.
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BIO

An award-winning producer, arts manager, artistic director, composer/lyricist, and cultural curator, Nolan Williams, Jr. has dedicated his professional career to the curation of works that illuminate issues of civil rights, social justice, and cultural curiosities.


Named the inaugural Social Practice Resident at the Kennedy Center REACH in 2019, Nolan believes in the fundamental power of music and the arts to effect positive change. Over the course of the past 19 years, he has forged his NEWorks Productions into one of the nation's premier creators of inspirational-arts projects, producing educational initiatives, music, cultural festivals, concert events, videos and documentaries, theatrical productions, art exhibitions, community dialogues, and other signature works that reflect the change he seeks in our world.


Altogether, these projects have reached a global audience of nearly 10 million, garnering broad acclaim along the way. 


  • STIRRING THE WATERS ACROSS AMERICA, Nolan’s theatrical production that illuminates the Civil Rights Movement for new audiences, was hailed by D.C. Metro Theatre Arts as "electrifying. awakening. ...exquisitely bold and utterly holy." 


  • The Williams-directed documentary, Mayor Muriel Bowser presents… “Becoming Douglass Commonwealth,” which chronicles Washington, DC’s long and complicated journey towards statehood, has won two gold prizes for best documentary (Telly Awards, Davey Awards) and seven silver prizes.


  • And the celebrated series of citywide cultural festivals Nolan developed from 2013-2018 in partnership with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts—including the Philadelphia Freedom Festival; Liberty: Unplugged; Firebird: Spirit Rising; New Frontiers: Launch, Explore, Discover; and Brilliantly Bernstein: Beyond the Baton—broke new artistic ground for social impact programming in and around the Philadelphia community. 


Nolan is highly regarded as a composer/lyricist who, as The Washington Post’s Peter Marks asserts, "is able to compose convincingly in every popular genre..." Nolan’s versatility is reflected in the songwriting credits he has garnered on two Grammy®-nominated projects; the music he has composed for television, including the original soundtrack for Tavis Smiley’s 2009 documentary, STAND; his Major League Baseball-commissioned arrangement of "The National Anthem" for the 2018 All-Star Game; and, his slate of theatrical productions, including the new musical he has co-written with Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Nikkole Salter, GRACE, winner of eleven 2022 Broadway World D.C. Awards and hailed by The Washington Post as “a rousing, boisterously melodic new musical.”


The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Peter Dobrin adds, "Williams has a musical language all his own. It brims with vernacular American optimism…" This optimism is certainly reflected in Nolan’s choral/orchestral works that have been performed by the Philadelphia, National Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Atlanta Youth Symphony, Philadelphia Youth, Kennedy Center Opera House, and NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra’s world premiere of his song cycle, “Hold Fast To Dreams,” lauded by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “soaring… lovely… [and] dreamily upbeat.”


The list of artists with whom Nolan has collaborated reads like a who’s who of music and entertainment including: Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Leslie Odom, Jr., Vanessa Williams, Louis Gossett, Jr., Smokie Robinson, Raul Esparza, and Denyce Graves.


Nolan’s versatility is not limited to musical composition, his entire career is marked by diverse and creative invention. Here are a few highlights:

  • Curation and co-production of the Kennedy Center’s landmark nine-day festival, Joyful Sounds: Gospel Across America (2010), establishing with the Center a new collaborative paradigm for its festival curation.


  • Curation of the WOKE! digital arts civic engagement campaign (2020), anchored by the award-winning voting rights anthem and viral video, “I Have A Right To Vote,” starring Billy Porter, Billy Jean King, Carla Hall, Christopher Jackson, Hill Harper, Ebony JoAnn, Ryan Jamaal Swain and Sheila C. Johnson. To date, the WOKE! campaign has garnered over 3.5 million global views!


  • Production of the American Cancer Society’s Partnering for Life concert series from 2010-2012, integrating inspirational performances with key health messaging to increase awareness and cancer screenings in at-risk communities. 


  • Revitalization of the National Symphony Orchestra’s NSO in Your Neighborhood (NiYN) initiative with concert programming in 2011 and 2012 that better appealed to D.C. communities east of the river and grassroots marketing that fully engaged those underserved communities. The results: the NSO’s first capacity-filled NiYN community concerts!


  • Artistic direction of a U.S. State Department-commissioned cultural envoy of musical artists to Cairo, Egypt for the Fifth Annual Sufi and Chanting Festival (2012), an international festival sponsored by Egypt's Ministry of Culture.


  • Co-curation of the Kennedy Center’s 2015-2016 performance series Music: A Force for Mending to explore the themes of racial reconciliation, social justice and equality, featuring programming by the Washington National Opera, NSO, and the Center’s Artistic Advisor for Jazz Jason Moran, along with original programming produced by NEWorks.


  • Curation of West Side/South Side, a touring photographic exhibition that explored the challenges and triumphs of American diversity, featuring daring new works by student photographers attending five collegiate media schools. This 2018 exhibition commemorated the centenary of American composer Leonard Bernstein and was mounted over a three-month period in major gallery spaces in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.


  • Conceptualization of the 2002 “Freedom” exhibition, a celebration of African American history and heritage from emancipation to the end of the 20th century. Produced in collaboration with Walls Communications, this project was adopted by the U.S. Army and toured throughout the nation over a five-year period, including mountings at the Essence Music Festival and the NAACP Image Awards. And... Nolan's concept still serves as inspiration for the U.S. Army’s present-day exhibition highlighting Blacks in the armed services. 


  • Chief music editor of the bestselling African American Heritage Hymnal, a groundbreaking compendium of sacred music from the Black Church experience published in 2001 and lauded as perhaps “the most important addition to Protestant hymnody within the last century.” (Over 500,000 books sold worldwide to date.)  


There is little wonder why Nolan and the projects he has produced have garnered a staggering 25 prizes in just the past two years (2021-23), including twelve Telly Awards, 11 Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, two Davey Awards, one Anthem Award, and a CAAPA Legacy Award. He is also the recipient of the Kennedy Center's National Committee for the Performing Arts’ 2019 Award for Arts Advocacy and an honorary doctorate of music from Richmond Virginia Seminary.


A resident of Washington, D.C., Nolan serves as chair of the Center's Community Advisory Board and is artistic director of three performance ensembles: the NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra, NEWorks Voices of America, and NEWorks Voices of Inspiration. 

PHOTO CREDITS: (1) Nolan music directing "A Monumental Celebration," Lincoln Memorial (2018), photo courtesy of The White House Historical Association; (2) Nolan participating in a panel discussion for the opening of the West Side/South Side exhibition at NYU-Washington, D.C., photo courtesy of NEWorks Productions; (3) Nolan conducting the National Symphony Orchestra and NEWorks Voices of Inspiration at THEARC (2012); photo by Kadesh DuBose, courtesy of NEWorks Productions

25 PRIZES IN 2 YEARS!

Talk about artistic excellence, Nolan and projects he has produced, directed, written, composed, and hosted have won a staggering 25 prizes in the past 2 years. Here is an exhaustive listing: 

Best Documentary for Television (Telly Awards Gold Prize, 2022)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth" is a one-hour documentary that chronicles the long and complicated journey towards Washington, District of Columbia becoming our 51st state, Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The documentary has aired in five CBS east coast markets and on DCTV.


Presented by The Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser 

Produced by NEWorks Productions

Nolan Williams, Jr., Producer/Director/Writer 

Mike D. DuBose, Associate Producer 

Rod McDonald, Consulting Producer

Kadesh Dubose, Director of Photography/Lead Editor

Chris Myers Asch and George Derek Musgrove, Co-writers

Hosted by Andrea Roane and Bruce Johnson

Narrated by Ralph UriYah Wesley

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Direction for Television (Telly Awards Silver Prize, 2022)

In recognition of Williams' direction of "Becoming Douglass Commonwealth" 

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best News Feature for Television (Telly Awards Silver Prize, 2022)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth"  

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Editing for Television (Telly Awards Silver Prize, 2022)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth"

Nolan Williams, Jr., Producer/Director

Mike D. DuBose, Associate Producer/Editor

Rod McDonald, Consulting Producer

Kadesh Dubose, Lead Editor

Mike Lyon & Adrienne Boykin, Editors

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Political/Commentary for Television (Telly Awards Silver Prize, 2022)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth"  

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Government Relations for Television (Telly Awards Silver Prize, 2022)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth"  

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Social Impact Video (Telly Awards Bronze Prize, 2021)

"I Have A Right To Vote," the star-studded voting rights music video composed and directed by Nolan. Featuring Billie Jean King, Billy Porter, Carla Hall, Christopher Jackson, Ebony JoAnn, Hill Harper, Sheila C. Johnson, and Ryan Jamaal Swain, this voting rights anthem garnered over 1.2 million views during the 2020 national election cycle.


Produced by Nolan/NEWorks Productions and Dale A. Mott/Edgewood | Executive produced by David Frederick, Sophia Lynn and Bohemian Foundation

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Online Non-Scripted Series (Telly Awards Bronze Prizes, 2021)

Williams co-hosted the #ByGrace Live Chat Series with celebrity chef Carla Hall from April 21 to May 26, 2020, inspired by the history and themes of Williams' new musical, GRACE. The series, with featured guests like Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell, James Beard Award winner Dr. Jessica B. Harris, culinary historian Michael Twitty, broadcast journalists Michelle Miller and Angie Goff, drew a global audience of 500,000+.


Co-produced by Nolan/NEWorks Productions and Dale A. Mott/Edgewood 

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Food & Beverage Online Series (Telly Awards Bronze Prizes, 2021)

#ByGrace Live Chat Series

TELLY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Documentary - General (Davey Awards Gold Prize, 2022)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth" 

DAVEY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Music Video (Davey Awards Gold Prize, 2022)

"I Have A Right To Vote," the star-studded voting rights music video composed and directed by Nolan. Featuring Billie Jean King, Billy Porter, Carla Hall, Christopher Jackson, Ebony JoAnn, Hill Harper, Sheila C. Johnson, and Ryan Jamaal Swain, this voting rights anthem garnered over 1.2 million views during the 2020 national election cycle.


Produced by Nolan/NEWorks Productions and Dale A. Mott/Edgewood | Executive produced by David Frederick, Sophia Lynn and Bohemian Foundation

DAVEY AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Human & Civil Rights Film (Anthem Awards Silver Prize, 2023)

"Becoming Douglass Commonwealth"

ANTHEM AWARDS SITE LINK

Legacy Award (Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, 2022)

Nolan WIlliams, Jr.

Best Musical (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

GRACE, the Musical 

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best New Musical (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Direction (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

Robert Barry Fleming, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

Nolan Williams, Jr., GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Choreography (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

Robert Barry Fleming, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Ensemble Performance (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Lead Performance in a Musical (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

Nova Payton, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Lighting Design (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022

Xavier Pierce, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Costume Design (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

Dominique Fawn Hill, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Scenic Design (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

Jason Ardizonne-West, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

Best Sound Design (Broadway World Washington, D.C. Awards, 2022)

David Budries, GRACE, the Musical

BROADWAY WORLD AWARDS SITE LINK

SOCIAL PRACTICE RESIDENCY @ THE KENNEDY CENTER REACH

In 2019, Nolan was named the inaugural Social Practice Resident at The Kennedy Center REACH. His focal projects have been the development of STIRRING THE WATERS ACROSS AMERICA, a theatrical concert production that highlights seminal moments of the modern Civil Rights Movement, and GRACE: Beyond the Stage, The Kennedy Center's first-ever colloquium celebrating African-American foodways.


The first gallery below features scenes from the STIRRING THE WATERS ACROSS AMERICA (STWAA) auditions at The Kennedy Center in July 2019; The Kennedy Center REACH Opening in September 2019; STWAA rehearsals at The REACH; and the Studio-J STWAA workshop performance and talkback at The REACH in October 2019. 


The second gallery features event photos from GRACE: Beyond the Stage.

Stirring the Waters Across America

    GRACE: Beyond the Stage

    Marc Bamuthi Joseph & Nolan w/ Grace Awardees Dr. Erinn Tucker-Oluwole, Virginia Ali, Furard Tate, & Dr. Lance London (Credit: Jermoni Dowd/ NEWorks) 

      Copyright © 2021, Nolan Williams, Jr. 

      All Rights Reserved.

      COVER PHOTO CREDIT: Marvin Joseph 

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