Award-winning journalist and musician Celeste Headlee to speak at convocation

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music will hold its 2018 Graduation Convocation and Awards Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3rd in Hodgson Concert Hall. Celeste Headlee, award-winning journalist and musician, will be this year’s convocation speaker.

While Celeste Headlee may best be known as an award-winning journalist with NPR, she is also a talented musician with music degrees from the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, Northern Arizona University and the University of Michigan. As a journalist, Ms. Headlee has worked for NPR, PBS World, PRI, CNN, BBC and other international networks. In Georgia, she is known as the host of On Second Thought, but she has also anchored Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. For many years, she has served as mentor and managing editor for NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project, training young reporters and editors in broadcasting. 

As a musician, Ms. Headlee's career includes live performances and CDs. She is  an active supporter of the ground-breaking work of her grandfather, William Grant Still, who composed over 150 works, including five symphonies and eight operas. She has performed Still's music in concerts and recitals for more than 15 years and has lectured on his music at high schools and universities throughout the country. Ms. Headlee also edited the second edition of the book, William Grant Still and the Fusion of Cultures in American Music and sang Still’s "Levee Land" on the CD Music of Afro-American Composers. As an expert on the art of conversation, music, journalism and more, Ms. Headlee is also a speaker in demand internationally. Her TedX Creative Coast talk in 2015 is one of the most viewed Ted Talks in 2016 with over 11 million viewings.

Convocation requires a ticket. If you would like to reserve one, please call the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at 706-542-3737.