2023 Community Breakfast

Dallas Arts District is proud to announce the 2023 Community Breakfast, featuring award-winning music industry veterans, Terry Loftis and Nathan De’Shon Myers, as featured artists | speakers on December 12, 2023, at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Terry Loftis joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer from TACA where he served as the Donna Wilhelm Family President & Executive Director since 2019. During his tenure, he advanced the organization’s work and relevance, conceiving timely programming in the wake of the pandemic to support struggling arts organizations. Prior to TACA, Loftis enjoyed a successful 25-year career in the advertising and marketing sector. He served as vice president of the Broadway Strategic Return Fund in New York, BSRF co-produced two Tony Award-winning productions, Once on This Island and Hadestown. In addition, he co-produced two acclaimed shows, Bandstand and The Visit. The Dallas native is a graduate of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and has been actively engaged in the Dallas arts and nonprofit community for many years. He currently serves on the board of Black Tie Dinner, Dallas Arts District, Texans for the Arts, and is a member of the Dallas Assembly. Loftis also sits on the President’s Council of the Advisory Board of Booker T. Washington. His past board service includes Resource Center, Friends of the Katy Trail, USA Film Festival, TITAS/Dance Unbound and The Dallas Way.

American singer/conductor, Nathan De’Shon Myers has established himself as a versatile artist with international appeal. His hybrid career spans 20 years and includes professional performance in opera, jazz and gospel, choral & opera conducting, private voice instruction, classroom teaching, and leading and managing teachers. He has been a featured soloist with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States and across Europe including Theater Neustreliz, Stadttheater Trier, Salzburg Landestheater, Chautauqua Opera, Dallas Opera, Opera Louisiane, the Amalfi Coast Festival in Italy and Deutsche Oper Berlin where, as a fest soloist he, performed roles such as Dandini in La Cenerentola, Dancairo in Carmen, Schaunard in La Boheme, Ping in Turandot, Marullo in Rigoletto and Matthieu in Andrea Chenier, and more. Other roles performed include the title roles of Gianni Schicchi, Don Giovanni, and Jonny in Ernst Krenek’s Jonny spielt auf. During the summer of 2018, Myers revamped his role as Julian in the South African premiere of the American opera Wading Home. Having collaborated with notable artists such as Kristin Chenoweth, Maurice Brown, Robert “Sput” Searight, and Tamela Mann, Myers maintains a national and international presence in the gospel and jazz worlds as well. He released his debut urban gospel album, Making A Way in 2014 and was a member of the recording ensemble for Kirk Franklin’s Grammy Award-Winning album, Losing My Religion in 2015 and lent his voice and musicianship to the soundtracks of the movies Hidden Figures in 2016 and The Star in 2017. A former member of the music faculty at the highly acclaimed Booker T. Washington HSPVA in Dallas, he served as the Music Conservatory Director and Head of Opera & Vocal Studies. During his 7-year tenure there, Myers consistently earned UIL sweepstakes ratings with his Tenor/Bass Choirs, developed a fully integrated opera training program and founded a highly sought-after curriculum-based Gospel Choir. In the fall of 2018, Myers joined the music faculty at Arizona State University where he currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice. In 2019, Myers was a featured soloist on the album: aBizzy Christmas with Friends 2 and released the single “I Wish You Would” from his much-anticipated sophomore album entitled Found My Joy.

Date: December 12th

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
2301 Flora St.
Dallas, TX 75201

Schedule:
7:45 am – Registration, Coffee Bar, Table Seating
8:15 am – Welcome
8:30 am – State of the Arts District
8:45 am – Featured Artists | Speakers
9:25 am – Closing remarks