Awadagin Pratt concert will launch Nina Simone and Samuel Waymon scholarship fund

By AI, Created 10:43 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Awadagin Pratt will perform Oct. 3 at the Tryon Fine Arts Center in Tryon, North Carolina, in a gala that benefits the newly launched Nina Simone and Samuel Waymon Music Scholarship Fund. Tickets go on sale June 1, and the event is designed to support young musicians from the Southeast while honoring the Waymon siblings’ Tryon roots.

Why it matters: - The concert is a fundraiser for the newly launched Nina Simone and Samuel Waymon Music Scholarship Fund. - The fund is designed to support young musicians from throughout the Southeastern United States. - The event ties the scholarship launch to Tryon’s musical history and the legacies of Nina Simone and Dr. Samuel Waymon.

What happened: - Awadagin Pratt will perform at the Tryon Fine Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 3. - The gala evening will benefit the Nina Simone and Samuel Waymon Music Scholarship Fund. - The concert is being coordinated by SQI Entertainment, a division of SportsQuest International, LLC. - Use of the Tryon Fine Arts Center facility was made possible through support from music patrons Ben Cox and Elizabeth Cummings.

The details: - Pratt is an internationally known pianist, conductor, educator and curator. - He served as professor and artist in residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for 19 years. - Pratt is now professor of piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. - Pratt also leads the Nina Simone Piano Competition for African-American Pianists. - He won the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1992 and received a 1994 Avery Fisher Career Grant. - His resume includes performances with the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and the New York Philharmonic. - Pratt has given solo recitals at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. - His chamber collaborations have included cellist Zuill Bailey, pianist Simone Dinnerstein and the Harlem and St. Lawrence String Quartets. - Pratt’s 2023 recording, Stillpoint, features new works inspired by T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. - The scholarship fund honors Nina Simone, born Eunice Waymon, and her brother Dr. Samuel Waymon. - Simone and Waymon were both born in Tryon and received early musical training from Muriel Mazzanovich. - The fund’s fiscal sponsorship comes from The AFRICAN CONNECTIONS Research and Education Fund, Inc. (ACREF), a federally recognized tax-exempt organization. - Tickets go on sale Monday, June 1, at the Tryon Fine Arts Center and through the ACREF website. - A postconcert meet-and-greet will follow Pratt’s performance in the TFAC lobby. - The reception will be catered by The Hare and Hound. - Pratt’s appearance is part of a broader musical moment tied to the Waymon siblings. - “Love Me or Leave Me,” a Cuban-flavored duet featuring the Waymon siblings, was released worldwide earlier this year by BMG and Warner Music Group. - “Love Me or Leave Me” and Waymon’s interpretation of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” will appear on the soon-to-be-released Tumbao Experience album. - The album is produced by the Berlin-based Berman Brothers and arranged by Demetrio Muñiz. - The Tumbao Experience reimagines the music through Latin and Afro-Cuban traditions. - The album includes performances by Duke Ellington, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Scott and Josephine Baker.

Between the lines: - The event pairs a high-profile classical performer with a local heritage story, which can broaden interest beyond the immediate music community. - Pratt’s role in the Nina Simone Piano Competition suggests a long-running connection to the scholarship’s mission and its focus on Black classical musicians. - The launch timing, ticket sales date and postconcert reception point to a staged fundraising campaign rather than a one-night performance only.

What’s next: - Tickets will be available beginning June 1. - The concert is scheduled for Oct. 3 at the Tryon Fine Arts Center. - The scholarship fund will continue building support for young musicians from the Southeast. - More information is available through the ACREF website