Nina Gamble Kennedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nina Gamble Kennedy
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| Born | 1960 (age 64–65) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
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Nina Gamble Kennedy, born in 1960, is a talented American classical pianist, orchestra conductor, filmmaker, and writer. She is known for her amazing musical skills and creative work.
Contents
Early Life and Music Training
Nina Kennedy was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She started learning music from her parents, who were both concert pianists. Her father, Matthew Washington Kennedy, directed the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. Her mother, Anne Gamble Kennedy, was also a concert pianist and played for the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Both her parents taught piano at Fisk University.
Nina began formal piano lessons at the Blair Academy of Music in 1968. She was a child prodigy, meaning she was very gifted at a young age. She gave her first full piano recital when she was just nine years old. In 1974, when she was 14, she played the piano solo for George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Nashville Symphony. Over 4,000 people watched her performance in Centennial Park and gave her a standing ovation.
Education and Advanced Studies
Nina graduated from McGavock High School in 1978. That same year, she was one of only three piano students accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She later studied with the famous African-American pianist Natalie Hinderas at Temple University. Nina earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Temple in 1982 with honors.
After graduating, Nina continued her studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. There, she focused on piano performance and orchestral conducting. She also received a special scholarship called the William Petschek Scholarship. Nina also studied at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1988, she won a Solo Recitalist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Music Career and Performances
On April 5, 1987, Nina Kennedy made her New York debut at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. She received many standing ovations for her performance. After this, she went on her second European tour. She performed in cities like London, Edinburgh, and Amsterdam. Her concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam also received standing ovations.
Nina has performed on television and radio. She played with the Jackson Symphony for WNET and with the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra for National Public Radio. She has also performed at American Embassies in Paris and Prague. In 1995, she was invited by the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic to perform in Prague.
In 1996, Nina played with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra as part of the Memphis in May International Festival. Over 7,000 people watched live, and thousands more watched on television. The Olympic Torch even passed through the stadium during her concert!
Conducting and Later Work
Nina lived and performed in Europe from 1997 to 2007, including Vienna, Cologne, and Paris. She trained as a conducting apprentice with the New York Philharmonic and L’Orchestre National de France.
On April 5, 2017, Nina celebrated 30 years since her New York debut. She gave a special mini-recital at Steinway Hall in New York City.
Filmmaking and Writing
Nina Kennedy is also a filmmaker and writer. A short documentary about her, called Portrait: An American Concert Pianist, was made for PBS. In 2006, she directed and produced a full-length documentary film about her father, titled Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey. This film won an award at the 2007 Nashville Film Festival.
Since 2016, Nina and her partner April Gibson have hosted an Artists’ Salon in New York City. They also host The Noshing with Nina Show, which is broadcast on MNN, BRIC, and Bronx Network. This show has won awards for entertainment and free speech.
Nina has also written books. Her first book, Practicing for Love: A Memoir, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in 2021. Her second book, Practice What You Preach, was released in 2022.
Recordings
- "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by Myra Hess, 2019
- Prelude in F minor, Op. 32 No. 6 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, 2019
- "Widmung" by Robert Schumann, arranged by Franz Liszt, 2019
- "Blue White and Red" (includes parts of the Grieg Piano Concerto), 2019
- "Do It for the Love" (includes parts of "Vissi d'arte"), 2019
- Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 7 by Frédéric Chopin, 1993
- Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17 No. 4 by Frédéric Chopin, 1993
- Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, 1993
- Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32 No. 12 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1993
- Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1993
- Valses Nobles et Sentimentales by Maurice Ravel, 1993
Works
- Practice What You Preach (2022)
- Practicing for Love: A Memoir (2019)
- Feels Like a Woman (1997), a screenplay
- "Notes on the Program," Lincoln Center Stagebill, April 1987
Filmography
- Matthew Kennedy: One Man’s Journey (2006), produced and directed by Nina Kennedy
- Portrait: An American Concert Pianist (1989), produced and directed by Nina Kennedy
