Carole Bucy is the Davidson County Historian and a Distinguished University Professor at Cumberland University. She is also  Professor Emeritus at Volunteer State Community College, where she taught Tennessee History for 27 years.   She holds degrees in history from Baylor University, Peabody College, and Vanderbilt University where she earned a PhD in U. S. History, 30 years after earning her master’s degree. 

Although Carole is known in Nashville and in Tennessee as a historian, she comes from a musical background.  Her mother was a music teacher, pianist, and singer. Her older brother was the pianist for the New York City Ballet, until his untimely death of Aids in 1991.  She grew up in Texas, singing and playing the piano at church and school.  At Baylor University, she sang in various choirs  as well as at churches in Waco.  While living in Atlanta she sang with the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, which at the time was directed by Robert Shaw.  After her marriage, she moved to Nashville where she sang  for several years in the Westminster Presbyterian Church Choir while her children were small.  During the 100th anniversary of  Tennessee’s ratification of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote across the United States, she worked with the coordinators of the Votes for Women Room in the  Downtown  Public Library in Nashville and gave numerous talks about Tennessee’s pivotal role in women getting the right to vote.

Linda Furtado is an accomplished musician and performer with a rich background in the arts and ministry. She holds a degree in music education from Middle Tennessee State University, where her love for artistic expression and performance was cultivated. She also has earned her master’s degree in arts and Christian ministries from Asbury Theological Seminary. Over the years, Linda has shared her musical talents through various platforms, including at home, in public education, and in ministry settings.
In addition to her work as a performer, director, and teacher in music, Linda has held key roles in the arts, including serving as Minister of Worship, Arts, and Media at McKendree UMC in Nashville. She now serves as a licensed local pastor as she directs spirituality and arts programs at Scarritt Bennett Center while pursuing ordained ministry as a deacon in The United Methodist Church. With the often-collaborative creative experiences and support of her husband and three daughters ages 17, 15, and 10, Linda consistently aims to foster creative expression as a means of spiritual growth. Her passion for music and the arts has been a constant thread throughout her life, blending seamlessly with her commitment to ministry and community engagement.

L.B. Gaiters retired from Tennessee State University after 45 years as a Professor of Criminal Justice. At present, her passionate avocation centers on performing voiceover political and restaurant commercials for nationwide distribution.   She is known for getting the vote out for candidates in Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Tennessee and bringing travelers to great places to eat. As a 50+ year member of St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, she is a Lector and an alto member of the Gospel choir. L.B. NEVER misses an opportunity to VOTE!

Dr. Nita Smith has been a K-12 music specialist in Metro Nashville Public Schools since 1992. During this time she has also taught vocal and piano methods courses at Tennessee State University. She earned the B.S. degree in Music Education with a vocal emphasis at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the M.A. in Music Education and Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee State University. Dr. Smith’s research interests include Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Arts Integration, Literacy Through Music and Social & Emotional Learning. She translates her education and research into professional leadership activities that include workshop presentations and serving as a reviewer for TN Fine Arts Standards, a mentor and facilitator for professional development in Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Fine Arts Chair for the I.T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts. Dr. Smith’s honors and awards include the 2020 Carol Crittenden Advocacy in Music award, the Tennessee Arts Academy Teacher Hero award in 2022, the Harry T. Burleigh Civic Champion and Country Music Association Music Teacher Excellence awards in 2023, and the Thirty Years Dedicated Service award from Metro Nashville Public Schools this March. Dr. Smith is the Minister of Music at Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church.

Jayci Washington is a sophomore student at both Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet high school and The School of Science and Math at Vanderbilt. She is very excited to join us as the fourth movement narrator as she enjoys performing poetry and written literature. She is proud to pass on the history of women’s suffrage to those in her age group as she herself is an image of how far we have come.

Contralto Gwendolyn Brown’s extraordinary versatility in operatic performances in traditional, 20th century, American Art Song, Negro Spiritual, and avant-garde settings has earned her many superlatives: “…astonishing range and timbre, a stern voice of certainty” (Huddersfield Examiner); “a transfixing force of nature” (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times); “an overwhelming power” (Tageszeitung, Berlin). Ms. Brown’s performances in George Lewis’ opera Afterword (2015) and his monodrama Song of The Shank (2023) with the Ensemble Modern were met with critical acclaim, as well as her creation of the lead role of Marie Laveau in Anne LeBaron’s Crescent City (2012) for Los Angeles’ The Industry. Ms. Brown has performed with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States and overseas and has been lauded for her interpretation of such character roles as the Principessa in Suor Angelica, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Erda in Das Rheingold, and her signature role of Maria in Porgy and Bess. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Ms. Brown studied music at the University of Memphis, the American Conservatory of Music, and Fisk University, where she is now Assistant Professor of Music. She participated in the young artist programs of Des Moines Metro Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago Center for American Artists.

Alysha Nesbitt is a versatile professional vocalist whose talents span multiple genres. She has had the honor of performing at prestigious venues, including the White House and Carnegie Hall in New York. 

Recently, Alysha was selected as one of four young artists spotlighted by the Nashville Opera, showcasing her remarkable vocal abilities. In April, she made her debut with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, further establishing herself as a rising young artist in the music world. Currently, she is a competitor in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, demonstrating her commitment to excellence in her craft. Alysha is excited to join the Nashville Opera in their February production of *When Marian Sang: A Celebration Of The Life Of Marian Anderson*, honoring the legacy of an iconic artist.

Singer, songwriter, and Nashville native Tamica Nicole is nationally known for her vocal talents as one of the anthem singers for the Nashville Predators Hockey League, The Nashville Soccer Club, an artist with The Nashville Opera, as well as many other musical organizations.

She has been recognized on a Grammy award winning project, as a member of the W. Crimm Singers in collaboration with the Tennessee State University Marching Band on their debut album release, “The Urban Hymnal.” She also starred as Gloria in the Emmy Award winning opera, “One Vote Won,” by Dave Ragland. She made her debut performance at The Tennessee Performing Arts Center in the musical, “The Color Purple,” starring as Shug Avery.

Tamica Nicole has graced the stage singing various styles of music with artists such as Chris Stapleton, Louis York, Billy Ray Cyrus, Chris Tomlin, Reba McEntire, and War and Treaty to name a few. At a young age she was a student at the W.O. Smith Community Music School. She attended Tennessee State University receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Music, and then went on to Middle Tennessee State University earning her Master of Arts degree in Vocal Performance.

When she is not working on music Tamica Nicole enjoys spending time with her family and being in nature. Tamica Nicole simply wants to spread a message of love and the joy of existence in her passion for music.