Opera singer Andrew Frierson of New York City sang from his heart here Sunday for a special hometown audience of whites and blacks, many of whom shared a connection to his last name from the days of slavery.

Frierson, 83, a music teacher and longtime performer with the New York Civic Opera, is the grandson of a Tennessee slave.

In those bygone days, Frierson’s ancestors worshiped from the vantage of the balcony while the master and his family sat on benches below. On Sunday, the positions were intentionally reversed — the idea of Elizabeth Queener, a white Nashville resident and one of the event’s organizers. Read More