Jennifer Duck wins third Emmy for ‘Requiem for Colour’

The first time Jennifer Duck saw Jeffery Ames’ passion project “Requiem for Colour;” it was essentially a home-video recording. After finishing it, she said she immediately felt it deserved a broader audience and wanted to help make that happen. 

The effort Duck, a clinical associate professor of journalism at Grady College, put in paid off when she was honored with her third Emmy Award for producing “Requiem for Colour” for PBS earlier this year.

Duck knew Ames, Director of Choral Activities at Belmont University, for several years, working with him during her time as Associate Professor and Executive Director of Story Studio. She always admired his talent and approach to storytelling through music. She pitched the idea to adapt Ames’s production through a grant she and her program received at Belmont and through the relationships she built with PBS from previous documentary projects she worked on with students.

Once the project was approved, her team started working on production logistics, planning how to capture the ensemble and adapt it into a PBS special. They added a sit-down interview with Ames and Amber Anderson, Amazon Music Country Heat Weekly Co-host, to capture the years of work, research and passion invested in developing the production. 

“It’s hard to describe how breathtaking ‘Requiem for Colour’ is live,” said Duck. “The piece presents Black history and cultural storytelling through such a powerful arts and music lens. I knew it should be seen beyond the concert hall.” 

“Requiem for Colour” is a live choral and orchestral production composed and conducted by Ames, blending music, literature and visual art. Duck, along with a small team in Nashville including Executive Producer Nic Dugger and music and audio producers Doyuen Ko and Brian Losch, produced the live performance and extended interview with Ames about the inspiration behind his work and what it took to bring the production to life. 

The work features more than 200 singers and artists from multiple institutions and universities. It is meant to be a “celebration and reckoning” that spans from African heritage, slavery, civil rights and today’s injustices, according to PBS. 

“This project felt especially important because it used music, history and conversation to connect people in such a powerful way,” she said. “It also closely aligns with themes I explored in my doctoral work and in my broader academic research, particularly around trust, human connection and the search for common ground during deeply polarizing times.” 

Duck particularly appreciates how accessible the work is and hopes viewers walk away with a new perspective. 

“My two young children have watched it, and I’d encourage audiences of all ages to experience it,” Duck said.  “Dr. Ames poured his life’s work into this production, and it tells the story of Black history from 1619 through today in a way audiences haven’t seen before.” 

To Duck, each Emmy she has won represents a chapter of her career. Her first national Emmy in 2009 was for leading and coordinating hundreds of ABC News crews, reporters and staff from the White House during Barack Obama’s inauguration. She received her second Emmy in 2019 for a one-hour special she produced with Anderson Cooper on suicide prevention and breaking stigmas surrounding mental health. 

Duck said her third Emmy with Ames and her team carried another layer of meaning because it was her first win as a professor. 

“Having students involved made it especially rewarding because you’re creating meaningful work while helping train the next generation of storytellers.”

Duck hopes viewers finish the special with a better understanding of Black history and the effort producers and professors contribute to bring projects to life through mentoring their teams.

“Producers, professors and executive directors of studios and programs are a lot like coaches,” she said. “We’re constantly looking at the field to see how we can ‘up the game’ and train new recruits. I love being a mentor, coach and colleague who helps bring meaningful stories to audiences. That’s truly where I find my joy.” 

Author: Sam Tupper; Samuel.Tupper@uga.edu