Conducting the future: Burrs holds the baton at UR, Petersburg

By Debora Timms

Naima Burrs grew up surrounded by music. The Richmond native’s mother is renowned soprano Lisa Edwards-Burrs. Her father, Stacy L. Burrs, is a former CEO of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center, a former director of Venture Richmond and a jazz aficionado.

Thus, Naima Burrs was exposed to all types of music and spent a lot of time attending her mother’s rehearsals and performances as a youngster. Although she learned to love classical music, she didn’t imagine following in her mother’s footsteps.

“Music was absolutely not my aspiration when I was younger,” Ms. Burrs confessed in a recent phone interview.

Of course, that didn’t mean music lessons weren’t a part of her life. She and brother Morgan Burrs, a jazz guitarist, both started out playing piano.

“She was always musical, right from her first piano recital. Her phrasing and expressives really captivated me,” her mother said. “Then she found her love for the violin.”

A school visit by the Richmond Symphony Quartet when she was a fourth-grader at J.B. Fisher Elementary affected her.

“I was always around orchestras and never once in those encounters did I think, ‘Oh, I have to play that,’” Ms. Burrs said. “[The school visit] obviously made me interested enough to go home and say, ‘Hey mom, I gotta play this.’”

Even though she loved the violin, Ms. Burrs harbored ambitions. As a student at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, she considered a career in engineering until a conversation with Michelle Basile, the school’s orchestra director, ignited her true passion.

She decided there was something for her in music and headed to Virginia Commonwealth University for her undergraduate degree. While she was there, Ms. Burrs discovered something else as well — an interest in conducting.

The chance to study for a Masters of Music in violin performance while working as a graduate assistant took Ms. Burrs to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls next.

“Iowa was interesting - talk about a culture shock,” Ms. Burrs said. “You might think ‘Iowamiddle of nowhere - probably doesn’t have much,’ but it was the exact opposite. The opportunities available, the faculty I was able to study with ... it was really a first-class education.”

Now Ms. Burrs’s life is steeped in music. She is a professional violinist, a lecturer at Virginia State University and a doctoral candidate in instrumental conducting through Catholic University of America. She credits an associate professor there, Simeone Tartaglione, for getting her into the program she expects to finish in December.

“He saw my potential and took a chance on me when I had very little experience in the conducting realm,” Ms. Burrs said.

She conducted her first opera pastiche with Richmond’s Capitol Opera about a decade ago and won her first conducting post as assistant conductor of the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra at Johns Hopkins University for the 2021-22 season. Now she is the conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra at the University of Richmond and the music director for the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Burrs says people probably don’t realize what it takes to be a conductor. Being able to communicate is critical, as is the time that goes into preparation. Knowing the score and the history behind a piece is part of being prepared.

“[As] a musician, you spend most of your life with your instrument,” she said. For a conductor, the orchestra is our instrument and we have such limited access to an orchestra. So much of your preparation happens alone and through your own imagination so that you have a plan when you finally get the chance to be in front of an orchestra.”

Being fully prepared helps to curb her nerves before a performance, but with so much on her plate time is a precious commodity.

“I live and die by my calendar,” Ms. Burrs said of her busy schedule. “One of the hardest things is keeping up with emails. I have like five different email addresses.”

But that doesn’t mean she isn’t also taking on new challenges. In fact, Ms. Burrs has just been named the director of orchestral activity at VSU. Being able to afford more students the chance to be part of orchestral programs is a goal she shares with the school.

“With that being said, that means we really have to take a look at the school systems to partner and help facilitate starting programs at the elementary level.”

Ms. Burrs knows from her own experience what a difference that early exposure can make.

Ms. Burrs is also working toward auditioning for competitions and prestigious summer programs. She also hopes to find the time and a project to collaborate on with her brother Morgan, who plays with the jazz quintet Butcher Brown.

“Ultimately, I would love to have a career as a traveling guest conductor and to have the opportunity to work with various top-tier orchestras all over the world,” she says, adding her gratitude for those whose fight to be recognized as equals paved the way for her and her pride at being instrumental in helping those who follow to pick up the baton or the bow.

Black female conductors are rare in the music world, a fact Ms. Burrs is well aware of. She hopes students who see her holding the baton are inspired.

“It is heartwarming to hear from young Black students or young girls,” Ms. Burrs adds. “When they know that there is someone who looks like them doing what they want to do, it makes them feel like they have a chance. That’s why representation is so important.”

Naima Burrs makes her guest conducting debut with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra on July 4 at Meadow Farm Museum in Glen Allen for “Red. White, and Lights 2023.” richmondsymphony.com

Jazz, concert bands highlight City’s July 4 celebration

Free Press staff report

Dogwood Dell will host the City of Richmond’s Fourth of July celebration on Tuesday July 4.

The free event will kick off with the Richmond Concert Jazz Band at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Richmond Concert Band at 7:30 p.m., which also will be part of the fireworks display at 9:15 p.m., performing The 1812 Overture.

The public is welcome to bring small coolers (glass bottles or alcohol are not allowed) or purchase food from any of the on-site vendors during the event. Glass bottles and alcohol are prohibited at the celebration. The public also should refrain from celebratory gunfire and is reminded that firework use and possession within city limits is illegal. and Blanton Avenue, and the 2600 block of Idlewood Avenue between S. Arthur Ashe Blvd. and S. Robinson Street.

Parking is available at Dogwood Dell, with the City Stadium at 3201 Maplewood Ave. providing overflow parking, and free shuttle bus service will be available from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

No parking will be allowed starting at 2 p.m. along both sides of the 700 to 1000 block of Blanton Ave. between Garrett and Grant streets, the 400 to 600 block of S. Arthur Ashe Blvd. between Blanton and Idlewood Ave., the 00-2200 block Park Drive between Pump House Drive.

Portions of Douglasdale Road, Garrett Street, S. Belmont Avenue will not allow any parking during the event, alongside closures on Sheppard Street between Blanton and Idlewood Ave., and Police Memorial Way on Trafford Road.

Arthur Ashe Boulevard at Idlewood Avenue will close to vehicles beginning at 6 p.m., while Boulevard Bridge will close to vehicles at 8 p.m.

Meadow Farm hosts Henrico’s Red, White and Lights celebration

Free Press staff report

Henrico County’s Division of Recreation & Parks will present its annual Red, White and Lights community celebration of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4 at Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park, 3400 Mountain Road.

The free event begins at 4 p.m. and include a performance by The Richmond Symphony and No BS! Brass featuring a repertoire of patriotic and America-themed selections with associate conductor Chia-Hsuan Lin and a laser-light show finale. The performance begins at 8 p.m. under The

Big Tent, a mobile stage that allows the orchestra to take its music into communities. Gates open from 4 to 8:45 p.m. Guests will need to be in the event area to see and hear the show.

“We’re excited, just two weeks after Juneteenth, to give families the opportunity to celebrate the Fourth of July,” said John Zannino, director of Recreation & Parks. “Our community celebration of Independence Day has been a wonderful event for more than 30 years. We look forward to having the community join us again at historic Meadow Farm.”

Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and

Angela Bassett to receive honorary Oscar

The Associated Press

Angela Bassett may have gone home empty handed at the Oscars in March, but the two-time nominee will be getting a golden statuette this year after all — and in very good company too.

In November, Ms. Bassett, Mel Brooks and film editor Carol Littleton will receive honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday.

Michelle Satter, the founding senior director of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs, will also be given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the untelevised event.

“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans,” Janet Yang, the academy’s president, said in a statement.

Ms. Bassett, whose credits include “Boyz N the Hood,” “Malcolm X,” “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and her second earlier this year for playing the grieving queen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

The 64-year-old told the Associated Press earlier this year that “this moment has been so special, it’s been a highlight of my career.”

Ms. Yang said in a statement that, “across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting.”

The honorary awards are given, “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Governors Awards will be held on Nov. 18 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Fireworks to light up Petersburg on July 3

Free Press staff report chairs and to arrive early to enjoy live music by Soul Expressions and the Henrico Police Acoustic Blue Band and entertainment by juggler Jonathan Austin and Uncle Sam on Stilts. The event will not include a fireworks display. A kids’ zone will include inflatables, games, face painting and balloon art. History displays will also be available. Antoinette Essa, a reporter for WTVR CBS 6, will serve as emcee for the evening. Food trucks will be on-site to offer meals or snacks. For event details, visit henrico.us/rec or henrico. us/calendar/red-white-and-lights-2023.

The City of Petersburg and will sponsor and co-host the second annual Petersburg Independence Day Fireworks Show at the Petersburg Harbor on Monday, July 3. The city is co-hosting the event with Trapezium Brewing Company.

Angela Bassett will receive an honorary Oscar at this year’s Governors awards. Ms. Bassett has been nominated for Oscars twice before: 30 years ago for her leading role in Tina Turner biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and last year for her performance as Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

The event will span the Harbor area along River and Third Streets, with live music, drink and food trucks beginning at 6 p.m. The fireworks show is free and will begin at approximately 9 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

Parking will be available at Matoax Park on Pocahontas Island, under the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge off Joseph Jenkins Roberts Street in the Trapezium Brewing lot, at the Union Train Station, and at the Petersburg Park Ride located at 42 S. Union St. The City of Petersburg will run shuttles from 5:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. between the Park & Ride and Union Train Station.

VMHC announces civic education merger

Free Press staff report

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture will ring in July 4 this year with a merger with the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics into the VMHC and the launch of a three-year civics initiative.

The merger, announced Monday, is the prelude to the creation of a new civic education center by JMC that will be housed inside the museum. The center will seek to educate and inform about American civics and history, improving public knowledge for all of Virginia.

“We must embrace this historic moment — extraordinary in our lifetimes — and act upon it by together renewing our commitment to the unfinished pursuit of a more perfect union,” said VMHC President and CEO Jamie Bosket in a statement.

“We need to reflect deeply on our past and invest with great purpose in our future, which is why your state history museum is preparing a major multi-year investment to mark this special anniversary.”

More efforts will be part of this initiative, including two major exhibitions in 2025 and in 2026, complete with mobile versions featured throughout Virginia, alongside multiple programs and lectures, and scholarly works focused on the formative years of the United States.

More information can be found at virginiahistory.org/civics.