Past Concerts
Season Finale:
Here We Come
On May 6, 2025, we joined all of our programs together to showcase NVNO’s ultimate vision: an ensemble of over 140 singers coming together from across the city to perform on a Grand Stage, the New Orleans Jazz Market! This exciting event, titled “Here We Come,” unified singers from all four of our programs to perform music by local artists like Sweet Crude, Tank and The Bangas, and Jon Batiste, alongside the singers’ own creations. We were delighted that Cha Wa was able to join us onstage for our final two numbers!
This Season Finale Concert doubled as a GiveNOLA Day celebration, which helped us exceed all expectations of a first full fiscal year. Through the GiveNOLA Day portal alone, we raised $11,496 from 172 unique donors, enabling NVNO to take home and extra $3,500 in prize winnings because of our ranking among like-sized (small) organizations. Because of our community’s generosity, we won 3rd Place for number of unique donors and 5th Place for total raised – two testaments to our momentum among local nonprofits!
NVNO in Concert:
Here We Come
At KIPP Central City Primary on March 17,
KIPP Central City Academy on April 4,
and Hynes UNO on April 9,
NVNO in Concert:
Hand & Eye
On January 31, 2025, NVNO at KIPP Central City Academy embarked on their first full concert experience, sharing Amy Bluemel’s celestial “Hand & Eye” with an intimate audience of family and community members. This concert wove spirituals and contemporary folk music through Amy’s telling of the soul’s journey through the stars, offering a moment for peace and reflection on the dimly-lit stage.
NVNO in Concert:
Heart Song
On November 18 and November 20, 2024, singers in NVNO programs at KIPP Central City Primary and Hynes UNO (respectively) staged stories about Meadowlark, Possum, and Rabbit, as shared by Chickasaw Storyteller Amy Bluemel, alongside contemporary repertoire that included Sia’s “Bird Set Free,” Sondheim’s “Children Will Listen,” and Stevie Wonder’s “True to Your Heart.” This uplifting program brought singers and audiences back in time, grounding us with humorous and heartfelt tales from Southeastern cultures like those in and around Bvlbancha, the site of present-day New Orleans once known as Bvlbancha, the “place of many tongues.”
NVNO in Concert:
Inheritance
On April 5, 2024, NVNO @ KCCP put on their season finale program, “Inheritance,” that took singers on a journey to New Orleans’ musical past. Adapting scenes from The Magic Tree House’s A Good Night for Ghosts, our protagonists went back in time to meet three of New Orleans’ singing ancestors: MJ, CN, and LA. Can you guess who those initials stand for?
NVNO in Concert:
Lineage
On December 1, 2023, NVNO @ KCCP put on their Fall program, “Lineage,” in which singers unpacked the power of community, creating their own family and chosen-family trees. During the concert, attendees young and old came together to build a community tree that still exists today. Pieces of that very tree became a costume in our next program, “Inheritance.” Do you think family trees can come to life?
NVNO in Concert:
Invisible Rivers 2.0
In May 2023, NVNO @ KIPP Central City Primary put on three productions of “Invisible Rivers,” including events at the school and the New Orleans Jazz Market. For the first time ever, our singers performed at Louisiana Children’s Museum in their glorious entryway to a crowd of excited parents. After the performance, we of course got to experience their incredible exhibits. It was a delight to put our singers’ water-learning on display to a brand new community of supporters! This series was produced in collaboration with our fiscal sponsors Ripple Effect and Mondo Bizarro.
NVNO in Concert:
Now We’re Here
On March 24, 2023, NVNO @ KCCP convened for their finale concert, “Now We’re Here.” This crown of our pilot season, DARE TO DREAM, celebrated how much can be accomplished with creativity, collaboration, and community! With songs like “Make it Happen,” “Eyes on Tomorrow,” and “Count on Me,” our program centered on the rewards of persistence. This project was sponsored by the “Tiny” Fellowship with 4.0 Schools.
NVNO in Concert:
Everybody Says Don’t
On December 15, 2022, NVNO @ KCCP put on it’s inaugural concert program, “Everybody Says Don’t.” It’s easy to imagine how often young people hear the word “don’t.” “Don’t get out of line... don’t walk on the grass... don’t touch a thing...” This concert playfully considered the power of saying “do.” Enacting children’s books like Amazing Grace, Emmanuel’s Dream, and Rosie Revere, Engineer, participants performed stories of creative resilience, connected with community members, and celebrated the power to accomplish their dreams. This project was sponsored by the “Tiny” Fellowship with 4.0 Schools.
NVNO in Concert:
Everybody Says Don’t
On December 7, 2022, NVNO @ KIPP East Community Primary put on its full-length pilot concert, “Everybody Says Don’t.” Enacting the same scenes from the same stories we studied at KIPP Central City Primary, this new group of KIPPsters explored the idea of saying “do” during their after school program. Rehearsals were taught collaboratively between NVNO staff and teachers from the school. This project was sponsored by the “Tiny” Fellowship with 4.0 Schools.
NVNO in Concert:
Invisible Rivers
On May 7, 2022, NVNO @ KIPP Central City Primary put on its first full-length production, “Invisible Rivers,” in collaboration with our fiscal sponsors Ripple Effect and Mondo Bizarro. After teachers participated in a learning cohort with Ripple Effect, they brought their learning about the Mississippi River and sediment diversion in Southeastern Louisiana to nine weeks of rehearsals that bridged the music room and science class. Singers internalized scientific knowledge while celebrating their new understandings on stage.
NVNO Pop-Up:
March, March
On January 17, 2022, NVNO held a one-day, “pop-up” experience for participants at Upturn Arts. Throughout this Day of Service, we learned about the power of protest song. We expressed ourselves through dance, theatre, visual art, and music. And, we learned that when we express ourselves in love, we can cast a new vision for the future and transform the world!
NVNO Pop-Up:
My Strength,
Our Power
On October 21, 2021, NVNO held a one-day, “pop-up” experience for interested singers at KIPP Central City Primary. Together, we explored how different individual strengths relate to broader, supportive communities. Over the course of 3 hours, children sang, danced, and made art that investigated our theme, on- and off-stage, using a unique approach to music and movement education. This project was sponsored by the “Essentials” Fellowship with 4.0 Schools.