UPDATE: This Speaker Session will now be virtual only. Join by clicking HERE.
BRISTOL, Tenn.-Va. (Jan. 9, 2025) – The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is excited to announce the first Speaker Session of 2025 on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. This special event will feature musician, luthier, and social justice advocate Dr. Dena Ross Jennings, who will share how she creates community through music, the instruments she builds, and her innovative cultural initiatives. There is no cost to attend the program, which will be held in the museum’s theater. Those unable to attend in person may view from home via Radio Bristol’s YouTube page at youtube.com@radiobristol5351.
Dr. Jennings, a physician and artist based in central Virginia, brings a unique perspective to the intersection of music, culture, and social change. With five generations of Appalachian ancestry through her mother’s family, she has built a career dedicated to preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of Appalachia while embracing modern artistic expressions.
After establishing her medical practice and founding ImaniWorks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conflict transformation and human rights advocacy, Dr. Jennings spent several years in Ontario, Canada, where she studied under a four-year arts apprenticeship. During this time, she honed her skills in hand-carving traditional instruments made from gourds and natural fibers. This experience led her to open a workshop and retail music store in a small Ontario town, where she crafted unique instruments in the style of cultures from around the world.
In a full-circle moment, Dr. Jennings moved back to Virginia to join her husband, who had developed an herb farm and retreat center. There, she re-established her workshop and studio, where she grows her own gourds and mills her own wood. She also reopened her medical practice, which doubles as an art gallery showcasing her sculpted instruments and a space for Appalachian and Black American roots music.
Through ImaniWorks, Dr. Jennings leads instrument building workshops, conflict transformation retreats, and hosts the Affrolachian On-Time Music Gathering at her farm. She also performs Appalachian and folk Bengali music on her hand-carved gourd instruments, continually working toward building what she calls the “Beloved Community” through her devotion to music, culture, and social justice.
Dr. Jennings is also the Vice Chair of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, having served as a commissioner since 2019. She continues to inspire and empower individuals through her multi-faceted approach to community building.
Those unable to attend the Speaker Session in person may also enjoy it from home via WBCM Radio Bristol’s YouTube channel. For more information and to RSVP, visit the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.