Academy Award Winners Ariana DeBose and Bruce Cohen Join FREELY FEST™ as Host and Creative Director

Freedom Forum's new Nashville music festival will celebrate the power of music and the First Amendment on April 8.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Forum announced Academy Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose ("Scarpetta," "West Side Story") and Academy Award and Tony-winning producer Bruce Cohen ("American Beauty," "Silver Linings Playbook," "The Inheritance") as host and creative director respectively of the inaugural FREELY FEST™, taking place April 8 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The event will also stream live worldwide on YouTube.

Freely Fest brings together artists — including The Killers, T-Pain, Dominic Fike, Janelle Monáe and Avery Anna — and emerging musicians to celebrate the power of music and the First Amendment freedoms that make artistic expression possible.

Cohen's vision as creative director, developed alongside screenwriter and television creator Katherine Fugate ("Army Wives," "Valentine's Day"), positions Freely Fest not just as a live music event, but as a festival with a mission to bring people together around music and the First Amendment freedoms that protect it.

"The freedoms protected by the First Amendment have helped make my work and my career possible. That's why I joined the Committee for the First Amendment and why I'm honored to serve as creative director of Freely Fest," said Cohen. "Music has the power to enlighten people and spark change, and that's exactly what I hope this show will do."

Cohen has enlisted Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose to host the festival, having hosted the Tony Awards three times. DeBose will also deliver a special musical performance, covering an iconic song with a powerful First Amendment message.   

"I'm thrilled to join forces with Bruce Cohen and the team at Freely Fest as we celebrate the power of music and the freedoms protected by the First Amendment," said DeBose. "It's a privilege to lead an event that honors our right to express ourselves as well as the rights of those with whom we may disagree. That doesn't mean speech comes without consequences, but this principle is tantamount to the very bedrock of what it means to be American."

Between acts, Freely Fest will spotlight a series of Nashville-area acoustic artists performing songs that carry First Amendment stories throughout history. These performances ground the festival in the traditions of American protest music, illuminating the connection between music and the First Amendment freedoms that shape our culture. Artists include:

• MORGXN (keyboard)
• Marcella Simien (accordion) with Dustin Reynolds (washboard)
• Kyshona (guitar)

Freely Fest tickets are on sale now at FreelyFest.org. For more information and updates, follow @FreelyFest on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

About Freedom Forum: Established on July 4, 1991, by USA TODAY founder Al Neuharth, Freedom Forum's mission is to foster First Amendment freedoms for all. Its vision is an America where everyone knows, values and defends the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) foundation that educates, engages and inspires millions of Americans each year through expert analysis, digital storytelling and in-person events. To learn more about Freedom Forum and its work, visit FreedomForum.org.

SOURCE Freedom Forum