Welcome!

Hi everyone! I wanted to welcome all the new members joining us. The Tessitura LGBTQ+ & Allies community group is a safe space to be yourself, no matter where you are in your personal path to living authentic. We are here to support each other and everyone is welcome!

I'm Emily Winkelman. I’m on the planning committee with Stephanie Derybowski and Josh Landis! I'm the Assistant Manager of Ticket Operations at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville, TN. Feel free to contact a member of the Planning Committee (contact info below) if you have any questions.

We meet every third Friday @ 3:30 p.m. CDT. We alternate months, having Authentic Role Model Speakers one month and Media Room Discussions the next! Our next meeting is September 17, 2021. Register for the event here!

• Authentic Role Model Speakers: We are always looking for live speakers to join during a meeting. If you have a role model recommendation, contact a member of the Planning Committee. Maybe it's you! The overall theme for speakers is to share their experience living and working authentically out. Past guests include: Kristen Olson (tessitura's Vice President of Learning & Thought Leadership) and Kris Andersson (Dixie Longate)!
• Media Room Discussion: Media Room Discussions are a way for everyone to share and discover queer/queer-friendly stories which are often under-represented in our media. Every other month, we'll select one movie, TV show, book, podcast, etc. for us all to consume on our own time, then discuss as a group. Media is chosen based on recommendations from the group during our meetings. Alternatively, feel free to send your recommendation via e-mail (or message in our group Slack channel*) to anyone on the Planning Committee. Past media include: "Disclosure", "Special" - Season One, "Nanette", and an episode of "Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness"!

Planning Committee:
Stephanie Derybowski (sderybowski@coloradosymphony.org)
Josh Landis (JLandis@clevelandorchestra.com)
Emily Winkelman (ewinkelman@tpac.org)
Wanna help plan? E-mail any of us if you're interested in joining the committee!

*Slack Channel Access:
E-mail Meredith Woolard (mwoolard@tessituranetwork.com) for an invitation to access the LGBTQ+ & Allies private Slack channel and stay in the conversation!