contributed photo
This is one of those moments, when a dear CLP friend helped me remember why I do what I do.
I am a vocalist and a flute player; former General Manager of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra, and now CEO of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Classical music is in my bones. And so is community connection and co-creating partnerships to modernize what some call a “legacy” art form.
I was in CLP Cohort 32. Over the course of the time together, I reflected on and clarified my core values: community, creativity, respect, and equity.
Among many other incredible people in Cohort 32, I met James Brockington.
He is a supremely talented entrepreneur; he and his extraordinary dancer-choreographer wife Tia Russell Brockington co-founded Tia Russell Dance Studio in 2013. Their focus includes Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, West African, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Lyrical, and Acro Dance.
I witness and know them as people who embody the strengths and best of community, contribution, faith, perseverance, equity, and excellence.
During Cohort 32, James shared so many wonderful stories about his and Tia’s work with the dancers at their non-profit TRD Studio. He invited me to attend their recitals at the Lyman Center for the Performing Arts.
I was deeply moved and impressed with their vision and work, and suggested to NHSO’s new-at-the-time Music Director Perry So that they would be a great partner for a performance of Beethoven’s “Creatures of Prometheus” that he was planning.
It happened! The concert was beautiful and very well received. 
From an Arts Council of Greater New Haven article about it:
“It was a kind of performance—breathtaking, heart-wrenching and deeply human—that suggested that another world is possible, if we can just shut up and listen to the artists and truth-tellers who have always been among us. Across five poems, Little addressed not just genocide, gun violence, Black Lives Matter, and centuries of American history—but also the freedom of choice, the future of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, the realities of more -isms and -obias than one person should ever have to carry.
Which is also to say, if one must listen to Beethoven, let this be the way that it happens. When artists are allowed to converse with a text that is hundreds of years old, that text is reborn, too. A performance like this reminds listeners that the classical canon does and should not belong to anyone—that it is humanity’s if they (we) want it.”
It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and collaboration.
So now, this month, I am incredibly proud that we are partnering with James, Tia, and TRDS again on a TRUE artistic partnership to build and offer something beautiful. It has been over a year in the planning, making, rehearsing, and co-producing. I personally cannot wait to see it!
Tia Russell Studio dancers will be center stage, performing to music played by the NHSO. Dance Dance Evolution will take place on the afternoon of November 22 at the Lyman Center. As James put it in a social media post recently:
“In this Symphony of Dance, our beautiful young brown dancers are contributing to and witnessing excellence. Creating alongside professional artists, they see firsthand that they belong in these spaces.”
I’m excited about it, highlighting the students of TRDS, Tia Russell Brockington and their brilliant choreographer, in addition to other top New Haven talents: cellist Johnathan Moore, Alisa Bowens-Mercado’s House of Salsa, and West African dance expert Dr. Hanan Hameen, Ed.D. and her Ms. Hanan’s Dance and Beyond. And then, there will be a post-concert dance party with DJ Fire in the lobby after the show.
In the same post, James wrote:
There are moments that remind us exactly why we do what we do.
This is one of those moments. Deep, authentic partnerships with visionaries like Tia and James are such a gift. I feel so much more rooted in the community thanks to their collaboration and friendship.
For further information: New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Tia Russell Dance Studio websites. To support James and Tia in their mission, all tickets purchased using discount code TRS20 will give a 20% discount and the proceeds will be donated to Tia Russell Dance Studio.
Reach out to Elaine directly at ecarroll@newhavensymphony.org
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra recognizes that our performances are regularly held on the occupied territory of the Quinnipiac, Paugussett, Poquonook, and Wappinger people. We express our gratitude and appreciation to those groups for their stewardship of the land, and know that land acknowledgment is one small part of supporting indigenous communities and standing in solidarity.