it’s our time to shine!
Our gathering is designed to create a space, where we are connected, authentic, and able to stand firmly in our collective truth as women. We’ve curated an experience we hope you will enjoy that will be with you until we meet again.
10:00 AM
Dining with Deb Marketplace Open
Networking reception
11:30 AM
Program Start
Sponsor Remarks
Nicky Sparrow, Executive Vice President of Multicultural Sales, iHeart Media
Rocky Dufauchard, Director of National Accounts, New Orleans & Company
Live Performance
The String Queens ~ Lunch ~ Door Prizes
2:00 PM
Marketplace Re-Open
Praised for their authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ), Kendall Isadore, violin, Élise Sharp,cello and Dawn Johnson, viola, are a dynamic trio known for creating captivating musical experiences that inspire audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine. Their versatile repertoire spans from the Baroque era and Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100, taking listeners on an exhilarating journey through time and genres.
Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ has performed at some of America’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Highlights of their career include a special tribute to Vice President Kamala Harris during the “We Are One” Presidential Inauguration Concert in January 2021, and a spotlight performance of their electrifying arrangement of Harry Styles’s hit “Golden” for The Championships, Wimbledon, in June 2021. As active members of the D.C. jazz scene, TSQ has headlined multiple festivals such as the DC Jazz Festival and the Capital Jazz Fest.
Recognized by WUSA9 as “school teachers by day and concert performers by night,” TSQ’s commitment to music education has earned them numerous accolades. These include the DC Jazz Festival’s “Jazz Education Award” (2022), Carnegie Hall’s “Music Educators Workshop” keynote address (2021), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s “Aspire Award” (2020), and the Washington Performing Arts’s “Mars Arts D.C” Resident Ensemble distinction (2019-2020).
Most recently, TSQ partnered with the Save The Music Foundation to lead nationwide professional development workshops focused on “Social Emotional Learning in the Arts Classroom” and “Trauma-Informed Arts Education,” addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2022, TSQ released their third album, RISE, funded by a Sphinx Organization MPower Artist Grant. This powerful collection offers unique arrangements of timeless classics by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Richard Smallwood, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson. RISE guides listeners on a profound journey from loss and despair to faith, triumph, and resilience. TSQ’s earlier releases include a self-titled EP (2019) and the holiday EP Our Favorite Things (2020). The trio will debut their fourth recording in late Spring 2026. All albums are available on their website and major digital platforms.
Our goal is to cultivate and maintain what we call a “virtuous cycle” between the businesses and attractions that make up the tourism industry, the visitors who invest in that business and attractions, and the city’s residents who benefit from tourism. As our promotion of the city continues and the city’s offerings evolve, we will continue to support New Orleans’ culture by providing more career opportunities than any other industry in the region and by generating revenues to fuel a vibrant economy in which all residents can find a path to prosperity.
The future is bright for New Orleans tourism and our city! Here, at New Orleans & Company, we look forward to even more growth in visitation and visitor spending in the future, and in return, adding even more jobs and tax revenues to our city's economy and nourishing and sustaining our city’s culture for generations to come.
iHeartMedia, Inc. specializes in radio broadcasting, podcasting, digital and live events through division iHeartMedia (sans "Inc." suffix; formerly Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, Clear Channel Radio, et al.) and subsidiary iHeartMedia and Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc.); the company owns more than 860 full-power AM and FM radio stations in the U.S., making it the country's largest owner of radio stations. The company has also been involved in internet radio and podcasting via the digital platform iHeartRadio.
By artist Erin Kendrick, titled O. “O. is paying very close attention to you. She’s curious, decisive, and absolute. She creates what she needs and she’s fiercely protective of what she creates. No matter what kind of energy you bring to her she’s going to choose herself. She’ll save herself one day.
#youngOya #coloredgirl #recordkeeper
Provided by Tiffany LaTrice, TILA Studio