"Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey" on "The Noshing with Nina Show"
For our Black History Month presentation for The Noshing with Nina Show, we decided to produce a two-part series on the documentary film Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey on the life of Nina's father Matthew Kennedy. The film had its world-premiere at the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) in 2007, where it was awarded the prize for Best Film by a Black Filmmaker. The film went on to be requested and screened at International Film Festivals worldwide. Matthew Kennedy (1921-2014) was a world-renowned concert pianist, and was probably more recognized for his work as director of The Fisk Jubilee Singers of Nashville. Founded in 1871, the Fisk Jubilee Singers set out to raise money for the fledgling Fisk Free Colored School, known today as Fisk University , one of America's first HBCUs. The singers traveled internationally, performing for the crowned-heads of Europe, including Queen Victoria who proclaimed, "They sing so beautifully they must be from the Music City ...