A brunch benefit for the Brandon J. Gibson UT Knoxville Alumni Tri-Star Scholarship for the Arts and Culture will be held in the Dogwood Center. All proceeds from “Sundresses & Neckties” will fund the scholarship. Tickets are available HERE and donations also can be made HERE.  Gibson passed away at 36 in 2022 and in honor of his life and legacy, donors established the scholarship, which will benefit undergraduate students presently enrolled at or admitted to the University of Tennessee with an emphasis on applicants who attended Austin-East High School, are originally from East Knoxville and/or demonstrate an interest in the arts.

Gibson moved from North Carolina to Knoxville as a teen to attend Austin-East and studied vocal performance at the Tennessee and began singing in opera and theater. He narrated documentaries including the East Tennessee PBS series, “Black in Appalachia, and spent five years as managing director of Marble City Opera, helping produce everything from classic opera to contemporary works. In February 2020, the company premiered “Shadowlight,” an opera about the life of the Knoxville-born artist Beauford Delaney, in which Gibson performed the lead role. The 2022 premiere of “I Can’t Breathe,” an original opera or which Brandon composed the libretto revolving around the police murder of George Floyd, received national attention.