Memphis Symphony Orchestra Celebrates Inclusion, Announces First Eddy Award Winner

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is proud to announce a new award to celebrate individuals in the Memphis community who are furthering MSO's mission to unite culture through music. The Eddy Award will honor community leaders in the Bluff City who have made a transformative contribution to enhancing cultural awareness through the performing arts. The award is the result of the shared vision of the MSO's Circle of Friends, a dynamic group of over 200 women stakeholders from diverse backgrounds who embrace the MSO's idea to be instruments of intentionality and of being more reflective of the face of the Memphis community. 

"The survival of the MSO depends on becoming an indispensable part of the cultural landscape of Memphis," said Gayle S. Rose, former MSO Board Chair and Trustee of the Circle of Friends. "Being intentionally inclusive is key to MSO's most recent success."

The Eddy Award is based on the metaphoric language used in the Circle of Friends' teaching tale entitled THE EDDY, The Current that Changed the Course of the River. An eddy is a circular current of water often caused by a falling rock or other obstruction that changes the trajectory of the main flow of water. The term "eddy" is a fitting way to describe and recognize an individual who facilitates cultural change and community engagement through music's power to bring people together who have been traditionally separated by race, culture, and circumstance. 

The inaugural recipient of this prestigious award is Dr. Leo H. Davis, Jr., the Senior Organist at Second Presbyterian Church. For decades he served as Minister of Worship at Mississippi Blvd Christian Church. Davis is vastly recognized for creating cross-cultural experiences through worship music and community concerts.  

"As chair of the Eddy Award selection committee, we agreed that Dr. Davis embodies the award's meaning as his incredible career has brought people from all backgrounds, races, and life experiences together through the power of music," said Rose 

Davis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Music from Roosevelt University's College of Music. He has served as the Resident Artist in Sacred and Classical Music with the Carr Center of Detroit, Michigan, and chorus master for the "Too Hot to Handle" performance at the Orpheum Theater of Memphis. He is a published author and worship consultant. Davis has also written music and worship resources for recent publications, including GIA Publications and The African American Lectionary. His versatility in music has enabled him to connect successfully with multiple generations, cultures, and ethnicities.

The Eddy Award will be conferred by Robert Moody, Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the Trustees of the Circle of Friends, Belinda Anderson, Carolyn Hardy, Carol Johnson-Dean, Michelle McKissack, Ellen Rolfes, Gayle Rose, Tish Towns, and Becky Wilson, at the Masterworks Concert on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. 

Sponsorship of the Eddy Award supports The Musician Fellowship Program established by the Circle of Friends for graduate student musicians of color.