“The violin line was completely out the door and no one was in the cello line,” Heyward said, per NBC News. “I was ready to go home.”

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Since then, Heyward fell in love with cello and knew he could unite a community through his work.

“I picked up the cello in the fifth grade and instantly felt a part of something. … You are creating something bigger than one person. I think that’s the beauty of the unity that you get from that classical music form.”

first Black music conductor

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