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The musical talent of Eunice Waymon, who was born in 1933, evidenced itself early on. By age 4 she had begun to play piano; by age 7, she had begun to play organ as well—each of which she did for St. Luke’s C.M.E. Church. Waymon’s formal musical training began shortly thereafter under the tutelage of Muriel Mazzanovich, wife of noted artist Lawrence Mazzanovich. That Waymon possessed a prodigious talent was recognized by many, so much so, that enthusiastic Tryonites created ‘The Eunice Waymon Fund’ to help underwrite the costs of her future studies. Those studies continued with Carl Friedberg at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and with Vladimer Sokoloff of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Waymon’s professional career, as Nina Simone, began in 1954. Her unique musical style merged a strong classical training with an exceptionally broad range of musical genres, which run the gamut from classical, gospel and jazz to pop, folk and spiritual. That Simone asserted a powerful artistic impact upon late-twentieth-century American popular culture is evident in her expansive discography, her musical arrangements and her original compositions. She was and is a powerful musical force in a global theatre. Your participation in the Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project supports the recognition of an international musical legend and an icon of human potential realized.
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P.O. Box 182 Tryon, NC 28782 (828) 859-6484 Crys Armbrust, Ph.D. Executive Director Steering Committee Jeffrey A. Byrd Warren J. Carson, Ph. D. Sheelah Clarkson Anna Pack Conner Benjamin Ellington Tom Edward Foster Joseph Fox, Ed.D. Harry G. Goodheart, III Diane McElhenney Lee Frances Anne McCain Lynn Cecil Page Michael Patterson James Payne Mark Pumphrey Katherine Smith, Ph.D. N. Dean Trakas Gloria J. Underwood, Ph.D. Larry G. Siler Ad hoc, Tryon Downtown Development Association Lisa Simone Kelly Ex officio Frances Waymon-Fox Ex officio Carrol W. Waymon, Ph.D. Ex officio |
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