Nina Gamble Kennedy

Nina Kennedy is a world-renowned concert pianist, orchestral conductor, and award-winning filmmaker. She gave her first complete piano recital at nine years old, and appeared as piano soloist with the Nashville Symphony playing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at age 13, before an audience of over 4,000. She holds a master's degree from the Juilliard School where she studied with Leonard Bernstein. Kurt Masur acted as her conducting mentor during his tenure as music director with the New York Philharmonic and l'Orchestre National de France. Her New York recital debut at Lincoln Center received a “12-minute standing ovation” and a rave review in the New York Times. For 12 years she lived and performed in Europe, residing in Amsterdam, Cologne, Paris, Prague, and Vienna.

Nina wrote the script for and starred in the short film "Verbal Sex" produced by Alberto Ferreras of HBO, that was selected for screenings at the Berlin International Film Festival, New York's New Fest, as well as international film festivals in Frankfurt, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Oslo, Philadelphia, and Sydney. She produced and directed the documentary film about her father, former director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, titled "Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey," which was selected and screened at international film festivals including the African Diaspora Film Festival in New York, the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, and Nashville's International Film Festival as well as the International Black Film Festival of Nashville. For this film, she was awarded the prize for "Best Film by a Black Filmmaker."

Nina Kennedy is the host of "The Noshing with Nina Show" - winner of the 2022 B Free Award in the B Entertaining category, and the 2019 B Free Award in the First Amendment category - which is broadcast throughout New York City as well as in various cities throughout the country. Her first book of memoirs, "Practicing for Love," is a 2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalist. Her second book of memoirs, "Practice What You Preach," was published in 2022.

Sub-specialties:

• Classical Music History expert
• The history of African Americans in classical music
• Racism and sexism in the classical music industry
• Produced award-winning documentary film on the Fisk Jubilee Singers
• Expert on the history of "Negro Spirituals"
• Expert on orchestral and operatic repertoire/conducting
• LGBTQ Discrimination and Homophobia
• Script-writer
• Vocal coach