Nolan Williams Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nolan Williams Jr.
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Williams in 2020
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| Born | March 1969 Los Angeles, CA
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| Alma mater | Oberlin College |
| Occupation | Composer, producer, music director |
Nolan E. Williams Jr. is an American composer, music expert, and producer. He is known for his work with music, especially for editing the African American Heritage Hymnal. This is a special book of songs used in churches.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Nolan Williams Jr. grew up in a family of Baptist ministers. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all ministers. When he was just 4 years old, he heard the song Lean on Me played at his father's church. He loved it so much that he asked a musician to play it again for him.
When he got home, Nolan went to his family's piano. Even without any lessons, he figured out how to play the song by himself! His great-aunt, Daisy Marie Young, became his first piano teacher.
Nolan went to St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. Later, he studied music at Oberlin College, earning a degree in piano in 1990. In 1993, he also earned a Master's degree in theology from Howard University.
Important Music Books
As a music expert, Nolan Williams Jr. is most famous for being the Music Editor of the African American Heritage Hymnal. He started working on this big project in 1993. He worked with Dr. Delores Carpenter to put the book together. It took them nine years to finish!
The hymnal was published in 2001. It included 575 different songs, like spirituals and gospel songs. A famous music expert, Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, said the book was "the most important addition to Protestant hymnody within the past century." Nolan Williams Jr. even created new versions for 92 of the songs in the book. The African American Heritage Hymnal has sold over 500,000 copies around the world.
NEWorks Productions
A lot of Nolan Williams Jr.'s music work happens through NEWorks Productions. This is an organization he started in 2003. It creates arts programs and produces music.
He is also the music director for NEWorks Voices of America (NVoA). This is a choir that sings African-American sacred music. Since 2007, this choir has performed at many big events shown on TV. They have even performed several times at the White House. This includes the National Christmas Tree Lighting in 2013.
Selected Works and Performances
Nolan Williams Jr. has composed, arranged, or played music for many albums. These include gospel and jazz albums by artists like Ed Wiley, Jr., Lamar Campbell, and Regina Belle. In 2008, he released his own album of worship music called InSpiration.
In 2014, a special recording of We Shall Overcome was sent into space. Nolan Williams Jr. arranged this version, and mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves sang it. It was part of the first test flight of the Orion spacecraft. Other artworks, like a poem by Maya Angelou, were also sent.
In 2017, Williams presented Hold Fast to Dreams. This was a new piece of music honoring NASA astronaut Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr.. It was inspired by the poem Dreams by Langston Hughes.
In July 2018, Nolan Williams Jr. led several local choirs. They performed the National Anthem at the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This big baseball game was held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
To celebrate composer Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday, Williams asked four composers to create a new version of Bernstein's Mass. These composers were Jay Fluellen, Ruth Naomi Floyd, Rollo Dilworth, and Evelyn Simpson. Williams asked them to "collectively write a new version that expresses their faith or crisis of faith." This new piece was first performed in August 2018 in Philadelphia.
Theatrical Productions
Nolan Williams Jr. has also created and worked on many stage shows and musicals.
| Year | Performance | Role | Notes |
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| 2022 | Grace: A New Musical Feast | Williams conceived and composed. Robert Berry Fleming, director. | This musical tells the story of African American cooking traditions. It follows one family trying to keep their restaurant going. The music includes jazz, R&B, and ballads. It was set to premiere at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., in March 2022. |
| 2019 | Stirring the Waters Across America | Conceived by Williams. Eric Ruffin, director. Choreography by Kiana Ebone'. | This show highlights important events from the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968). It was performed at the REACH at the Kennedy Center. The show included 12 songs. |
| 2019 | Devine Hamer Gray: A New American Musical (in development) | Williams is composer and playwright. | This musical is about Annie Devine, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Victoria Jackson Gray. They helped start the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. A special reading of the musical was performed in Washington, D.C., in 2019. |
| 2014 | Go, Tell It! | Conceived and directed by Williams. | This show was performed at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C. It featured Bebe Winans and the late gospel singer Lecresia Campbell. |
| 2013 | Christmas Gift! | Conceived and directed by Williams. Co-directed by Raquis Petree. Choreographed by Torens Johnson and Jakari Sherman. | This play is about a teenager named Zawadi Wise and her family. They celebrate "Christmas Gift," a holiday tradition in the African American community where gifts are exchanged. It first showed at The Clarice, University of Maryland-College Park. Williams was inspired by Charlemae Rollins's 1963 book, Christmas Gif’: An Anthology of Christmas Poems, Songs, and Stories. |
