SPOTLIGHT
Location: Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center
60 Perkins Extd, Memphis, TN 38117
Date: December 9, 2023
Time: 7:00 pm
“Gavin and Friends” brings you a mesmerizing concert of captivating duets and enchanting small ensembles. Experience the grandeur of classical compositions to the rhythms of soul, and everything in between. Gavin Wigginson’s unwavering dedication to nurturing young talent through performance-based experiences has been nothing short of extraordinary. With this concert, Gavin will be exemplifying his passion for connecting youth with opportunities to shape their development through performance.
Born and raised in Memphis TN, Gavin Wigginson is a tenured and classically trained concert musician with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. No stranger to the stage, Gavin’s recent artistic work has centered on social justice through the lens of Negro Spirituals. Most recently he performed a solo concert of Spiritual Reflections at Calvary Episcopal church and at LeMoyne-Owen College. His operatic credits include several roles by Mozart, Verdi, and Britten. In 2010 he recorded Johann Struass II’s Die Fledermaus with Albany Records. Musical theater credits include appearances in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and Into The Woods.
Fulfilling his dream to give back to the city that gave him much, Gavin returned to his hometown of Memphis to become the director of choirs at Kirby High School in 2012. In higher education Gavin has served as a visiting professor for voice at Kentucky State University and is currently serving as the director of concert choir and a voice instructor at LeMoyne-Owen College.
ABOUT
OUR STORY
WWM! Founder Marc Willis witnessed his son, performing well as a violist with support from private lessons, be one of a small number of Black students that “made it” into regional and state honor orchestra competitions. Wanting to find a way to change that narrative, he decided to support a few focused, aspiring musicians that he would meet and hear playing from different community music programs across Memphis.
Marc decided to partner with great musicians who were also great music educators and positive mentors because they were already doing the work. In the fall of 2019 WWM! and the private lesson program were born and the first teacher with one of her music students, signed on to the program.
In the spring of 2020, COVID hit and private lesson recruitment efforts came to a halt. With the first student still willing to work hard, WWM! continued to support lessons and she continued to grow and develop as a musician. In the summer of 2022, armed with support from MMI, WWM! funded private lessons for 10 students during those summer months. In September of that year, WWM! held its first live student recital with jazz, soul, classical and chamber musicians all performing. It was beautiful!
Starting in 2017, Marc also produced five free community concerts largely in North Memphis. Several of the concerts also included student musicians alongside professional musicians. Our future plans call for more school and community concerts.
OUR mission
to support, advocate, and celebrate instrumental music creation, performance, and education
while creating positive economic impact within the music community
OUR PROGRAMS
Private Lesson Program
Private lessons are a critical part of the equation in a young musician’s music skill development. Private lessons promote good practice habits, goal setting, and hard work. To increase the number of Black and Brown music students that successfully audition for honor bands and gain college scholarships for music, WWM! offers free private lessons to select high school student musicians.
Live Concerts
Attending live instrumental music concerts is a must for young developing musicians so that they can hear and see examples of great music performances. To provide students and underserved communities with diverse instrumental music, WWM! provides free concerts while still compensating musicians fairly for the performances.
College Scholarships
The cost of college continues to skyrocket and is out of control! Music students can help themselves by earning music scholarships from their intended college or university. (See the private lesson program above). Even with that accomplishment, there never seems to be quite enough, especially for freshman who are transitioning to college. To help with a few transitional college expenses, WWM! offers a $1,000.00 college transition scholarship to program participants headed to their first year of college!
OUR IMPACT (since 2020)
305 hours of private lessons provided
15 different students served
8 different teachers engaged
4 free community concerts (since 2019)
500+ audience participants
OUR LEADERSHIP
Marc Willis
Founder & Board Chair
Founder and Executive Producer, Aye Leigh Projects, LLC
Dewun Settle
Board Secretary
Attorney at Law, Dewun Settle Law Offices
Cary Booker
Board Treasurer
Assistant Commissioner, Division of Early Childhood Services, State of New Jersey
Brianna Willis
Foundation Advisor
History Teacher, Kairos Academies
SUPPORT
Heading into 2024, we are excited to expand our programming to include more students for private lessons and to offer for the first time, college scholarships! We need your help to do it! Please consider supporting our year-end campaign with a gift of any size. If you make a gift of $250.00 or more, you will receive a free “We Want Music” hoodie. Please consider a gift today! Thank you!