Tennessee State University will be well represented when the Aristocrat of Bands performs at the White House Juneteenth celebration later today, Tuesday, June 13. The Grammy-award winning band, fondly called AOB, will be a part of an all-star music event as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden host dignitaries for the first Juneteenth Concert on the White House South Lawn. The festivities will start at 7pm EST.
The band held a final rehearsal, at Eastern Senior High School in Washington, DC, before the big performance. Others set to perform include fellow Grammy winners Jennifer Hudson and the Fisk University Jubilee Singers.
The nation will officially observe Juneteenth on Monday, June 19. President Biden signed the Juneteenth holiday into law in 2021. Hundreds of thousands of Americans celebrate Juneteenth to highlight the end of slavery. Juneteenth is the 12th federal holiday, and the first since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was signed in 1983.
Celebrating community, culture and music other confirmed appearances will also include the following artists:
Audra McDonald
Broadway Inspirational Voices
Cliff “Method Man” Smith
Colman Domingo
Hampton University Concert Choir
Ledisi
Maverick City Music
Morgan State University Marching Band – The Magnificent Marching Machine
Nicco Annan
Patina Miller
Step Afrika!
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band The concert is also taking place during Black Music Month.
About Juneteenth
Juneteenth, which has also been referred to as Black Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, not only marks the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas on June 19, 1865, but is also a historic moment in American history and the culmination of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that was written three years prior.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands, fondly referred to as AOB, is booked and busy year-round. But this summer is extra special as the Grammy-award winning collegiate band continues to play at venues no other band has ever done. On June 13, AOB is going to our nation’s capital for a performance at the White House for the second time! However, before heading to Washington D.C., they will make history at home as the first collegiate marching to open for the Country Music Association (CMA) Fest on Thursday, June 8, in Nashville.
TSU’s Grammy-award winning Aristocrat of Bands debut at the Grand Ole Opry April 4, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Tennessee State University)
AOB Director Reginald McDonald said he is more than proud to be a part of this summer’s festivities.
“We are honored to make history yet again by performing for the CMAs and even more ecstatic to be invited by the First Lady of the United States to celebrate Juneteenth for the first time as a nation and during Black Music Month,” McDonald said.
TSU Marching Band will kick off the CMA Fest Hall of Fame Ceremony with a parade down the John Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge at 9 a.m., followed by a performance on the Riverfront Stage at 9:40 a.m.
“We are so excited to have the Grammy-winning TSU Aristocrats of Bands kicking off CMA Fest at the Chevy Riverfront Stage this year,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer.
TSU Marching Band will kick off the CMA Fest Hall of Fame Ceremony with a parade down the John Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge and a performance on the Riverfront Stage at 9:40 a.m.
“The band’s accomplishments are plentiful, especially throughout this past year, and we cannot wait to cheer them on as they showcase their talents while representing their school in front of the CMA Fest audience. Community is paramount to our mission at CMA, and we are honored to have the opportunity to support a historically black college and university in our Nashville community during CMA Fest.”
After performing at the CMA Fest, band members will help celebrate the nation’s first official observance of Juneteenth with President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the White House.
“Huge shout out to our esteemed President Dr. Glenda Glover. The Aristocrat of Bands invitation is because of her incredible connections,” he said. “Anytime we have an opportunity to educate beyond the classroom I will always go the extra mile for our students and TSU.”
AOB and the Sophisticated Ladies performed at the White House for former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Tennessee State University)
Most recently, AOB made history as the first-ever marching band to debut in a live performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Shortly after, they were invited to perform for the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy’s annual block party on May 31.
TSU student Natori Simmons, a Nashville native who plays the tuba, said she was excited about the crowd’s reaction at the Recording Academy performance and looks forward to epic moments at the CMA Fest and White House.
“I feel extremely blessed that I chose to be a part of a program that continues to make history every day,” Simmons said. “We’re able to put our voice into these different spaces, and that’s really important for our community.”
Natori Simmons (Photo submitted)
Assistant band director Larry Jenkins said these are experiences that the band students, University, and alumni will never forget.
“From CMA fest to going to the White House, it is out of this world when it comes to the impact this makes nationally and internationally,” Jenkins said. “This gives the students the opportunity to literally make history and have something else to put on their resumes, make connections, and represent the university at the highest level.”
AOB performed at the White House for former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016. TSU sophomore Stanley Grider said he recalls the day his friend, who is a TSU alum now, called to express his excitement about the White House performance years ago. Now Grider is traveling to D.C., to play the trombone and make his own memories with AOB.
Stanley Grider after a 2022 homecoming game performance. (Photo submitted)
“One of my friends was there (White House) at the time, and now I get to call him and say, ‘Hey, I’m following in your footsteps, we’re going to the White House too,’” Grider said. “It’s full circle for me, and I can’t wait.”
Grider, of Atlanta, said he is grateful for these experiences. “This exposure is different, and this is something no one else gets to see every day.”
AOB is also hosting their 10th Annual Edward L. Graves High School Summer Band Camp from June 11-17, marking this year as the largest High School Band Camp ever with 267 kids registered from across the country. To check out one of AOB’s recent historic performances, visit the Grand Ole Opry’s YouTube for their debut.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Student Government Association President Kenneth Rolle, II and Vice President Aliyah Holmes attended a roundtable discussion on reproductive rights and how the Dobbs decision could impact college students across the country. Vice President Kamala Harris extended the invitation to Rolle and Holmes, as well as to other student leaders to hear their thoughts first-hand regarding the issue.
TSU Student Government Association President Kenneth Rolle, II and Vice President Aliyah Holmes said experiencing a roundtable discussion on reproductive rights at the White House was a monumental moment and looks forward to spreading awareness on campus. (Photo submitted)
Rolle said the opportunity was monumental for the university’s student body and brought forth additional information on how overturning Roe vs. Wade impacts students and young adults.
“It was a great day in D.C,” Rolle said. “This is a great opportunity for Tennessee State University to showcase the student leadership that we produce here, but on a national stage. They (White House officials) want to hear the student’s perspective, and how we feel about the issue of women’s reproductive rights.”
Rolle said the roundtable discussion with Vice President Harris provided students with information on how to advocate for change and properly educate the campus on this issue. The Orlando, Florida native said he looks forward to becoming more knowledgeable on how the Supreme Court’s ruling affect women’s rights following the visit. “I foresee us doing a push to raise awareness.”
SGA leaders take a selfie in front of portraits of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during their visit at the White House.
Prior to their arrival, Holmes said her focus was spreading awareness on campus when she returned from Washington D.C. “HBCU students even being invited to the White House to participate in this discussion makes us feel like our voices do matter,” Holmes said. “It was a great experience. Being able to come back to our institution to share the knowledge that we gained is a great opportunity. Inviting TSU student leaders will have a huge, lasting impact on our institution and our student body.”
In August, TSU President Glenda Glover visited the White House, at the request of VP Harris, for a similar roundtable discussion and to obtain pertinent information that could aid TSU students in making well-informed decisions regarding their healthcare needs.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover was among a group of HBCU presidents and leaders who witnessed President Donald Trump sign an executive order he said makes “HBCUs an absolute priority in the White House.”
During brief remarks in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump added, “Historically, black colleges and universities are incredibly important institutions. That’s why today I’m thrilled to be signing an executive order to recognize the importance of historically black colleges and universities.”
While similar to other HBCU executive orders of former presidents, this order officially moves the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from the U.S. Department of Education to the White House.
“Our goal as a group was to share our collective concerns with President Trump and his executive leadership directly responsible for educational funding and policies that impact our institutions,” said TSU President Glover. “We hope the executive order represents a real commitment to historically black colleges and universities which makes HBCUs a significant line item in the President’s budget. What HBCUs need is funding, and this is precisely why we made the trip to Washington.”
The signing comes one day after Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos hosted representatives from dozens of HBCUs at a “listening session” in the executive office building next door to the White House. The session was hosted by the White House Domestic Policy Council. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund coordinated the initiative on behalf of the HBCUs.
In the session, HBCU leaders discussed ways they can improve education and enhance the infrastructure of their schools. Representatives from Thurgood Marshall College Fund, United Negro College Fund and National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education also participated.
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TSU News Service) – President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama weren’t the only ones awed by the powerful sound of Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands at the White House on Sept. 23.
President Glover confers with U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis at a reception in the White House minutes after the the Aristocrat of Bands’ performance on the south lawn. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
The celebrity list of who’s who listening to the performance on the south lawn included music icon Quincy Jones, former basketball star Kobe Bryant, and Hollywood celebrities Debbie Allen and Samuel L. Jackson, just to name a few. There were also dignitaries and current and former government officials, including former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
President Glover makes a point to actress Debbie Allen, one of many celebrities at the White House reception. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
“We are extremely proud that our band and university are a part of this historic event with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for the grand opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in our nation’s capital,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “This is a proud moment for TSU, as we continue to build on our great legacy.”
The band’s tunes included Al Green’s “I’m Still In Love With You,” and TSU favorite, “I’m So Glad I Go to TSU.” Mrs. Obama liked what she heard so much that she posted the band on Instagram.
President Glovers shares a moment with band officials following the performance by the Aristocrat of Bands on the south lawn of the White House. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Dr. Reginald McDonald, TSU’s director of University Bands, called the opportunity to perform at the White House a “once in a lifetime chance.”
“A lot of people would never be able to say that they’ve had the opportunity to meet the President of the United States, let alone play on the White House lawn,” McDonald said. “This is tremendous.”
Later, President Glover and her delegation were invited to the Grand Hall of the White House for a reception with other dignitaries, following which the President and the first lady joined Dr. Glover and the Aristocrat of Bands for a photo.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
