Meet Navilla Burns | Secretary, Chromatic Brass Collective

We had the good fortune of connecting with Navilla Burns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Navilla, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in awareness of the countless murders and police brutality toward unarmed Black citizens. As a result of these many injustices and amidst the protests following the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, several Black women gathered virtually to have a live-streamed conversation highlighting their experiences as brass players. This conversation led us to realize that we need our own community–our own artistic space for gender non-conforming people and women of color.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

There are three pillars to CBC’s mission: performance, education, and celebration.

We exist to platform performers of marginalized ethnicities and identities, connect them with other working professionals as an educational network, and help create more avenues towards success for the next generation of these brass musicians. The strong belief and need for our mission is what has brought us to where we are today. This is an organization that we needed growing up, so being able to have the resources and support to see it come to fruition has been incredibly rewarding.

CBC started from a conversation over a zoom call. From there, it took a handful of minds putting in the work to meet regularly and discuss necessary steps to start a non-profit organization. We reached out to our communities: other musicians of color from across the country (and even a few around the world). We garnered support from allies in other music organizations who also believed in the value of our mission.

Our organization exists to be a celebration of the hard work, talent, and triumphs of musicians of color.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Leimert Park Day! Suggestions from our Co-Vice President, Madison Dorsett

Hot and Cool Cafe – breakfast + lunch
Noname Book Club
Nappily Naturals & Apothecary
Jam sessions at World Stage Performance Gallery

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people and organizations whose support has helped with our success! First, our performing members–especially the ones who have been with us since our virtual performances in 2020. Additionally, CBC’s advisors and affiliates with the International Women’s Brass Conference along with our collaborators at Rising Tide Music Press. Most importantly, we want to shout-out our own communities in local music and art spaces who supported us as we pave our way.