N ASH VIL L E SYMP H O NY
INSPIRE.
E N T E R TA I N .
E D U C AT E .
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OUR VISION FO R THE FUTURE Dear Friends: Our community is in the midst of a transformative period, and so is the Nashville Symphony. Building on our six-decade history of performing exciting and soul-stirring music, we continue to grow and innovate, and we remain devoted to making music accessible for everyone in our community.
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY | SCHERMERHORN SYMPHONY CENTER
T H E N A S H V I L L E S Y M P H O N Y I N S P I R E S , E N T E R TA I N S A N D E D U C AT E S T H R O U G H E XC E L L E N C E I N M U S I C A L P E R F O R M A N C E .
20 18 H i g h li g hts , By t he N um b e rs :
Finding new and vibrant ways to connect with listeners of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences. Celebrating American music. Driving creative partnerships and projects. These are the strategic initiatives that propel us forward.
137 ticketed concerts at Schermerhorn Symphony Center 4 ticketed concerts at Ascend Amphitheater $10.7 million in ticket sales 193,252 tickets sold
This work, accomplished daily by 83 world-class musicians, along with the Symphony’s administrative staff, volunteers and board, helps to cement our purpose as a community-focused organization. This brochure shares some information about who we are and what we do – groundbreaking artistic projects, internationally distributed recordings, impactful education programs and community engagement initiatives. But equally important is why we do this work: To create an orchestra that reflects the richness of the community we serve. To share beauty and inspire joy. To create meaningful experiences for families, friends and neighbors. To cultivate the next generation of artists, educators and leaders. Because music matters. We are reimagining what it means to be an orchestra in the 21st century. Our donors and attendees inspire us to pursue our vision and fulfill our mission. Music truly comes alive when there is an audience – you. Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Nashville Symphony. We invite you to lean in and listen. Sincerely,
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83
FREE CONCERTS
FULL-TIME MUSICIANS
190
74,000
featuring the orchestra
22 PERFORMANCES with Nashville Ballet
Alan D. Valentine President and CEO
reached through free education and community engagement programs
PERFORMANCES
$8.2 million IN DONATIONS from the community
2 GRAMMY® AWARDS & 4 GRAMMY® nominations
68,000 hours
of hands-on instruction, concerts and interactive performances provided to children and adults across the region
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I NVESTI N G I N O UR MUS I C I A N S THE ARTISTS WHO BRING THE MUSIC TO LIFE .
IN V E STI NG IN OUR C ULT UR E , O U R COM MUNIT Y & OUR F U TU R E T H E N A S H V I L L E SY M P H O N Y I S H E R E FO R YO U. The Nashville Symphony continues to innovate and respond to our changing community. Recognizing that we must address our own institutional culture to effect meaningful transformation in our work, the Symphony is well into our second year of a multi-year diversity, equity and inclusion planning process. Through this process, we will actively seek input from a diverse array of community stakeholders, whose insight and feedback will help to shape the Symphony’s future direction. In recognition of this vital work, the Nashville Symphony has received local and national grant awards from Metro Arts, Nashville’s Office of Arts and Culture, and from the League of American Orchestras. The Symphony was one of 21 orchestras in the United States to receive funding through the League of American Orchestras’ Futures Fund. The
award supports comprehensive diversity planning and recognizes our continued innovation in artistic and educational programming. The Nashville Symphony will collaborate with the League and other orchestras across the U.S. to contribute to a growing body of best practices around diversity, equity and inclusion.
At the heart of our organization is the 83-member Nashville Symphony. This full-time, resident ensemble performs more than 150 concerts annually, including classical, pops, jazz, movies with live orchestra and more.
Our musicians are among the finest orchestral players anywhere in the world, and they devote countless hours and resources toward fulfilling the Nashville Symphony’s mission.
Our musicians play an essential role in the fabric of our community. In addition to their rigorous performance schedule, they teach at institutions like Vanderbilt University and Belmont University, teach private lessons, volunteer time to lead community-based projects, and perform in recording sessions and with local ensembles.
Gifts in support of our musicians are a direct investment in the heart and soul of the Symphony, today and for years to come.
We are working to increase financial support for our musicians so that the Nashville Symphony continues to be a destination for the finest players, while also securing our ability to grow the size of our orchestra.
ANNUAL INVESTMENT I N O U R M U S I C I A N S : $ 8 ,1 70 , 0 0 0
CA R M INA BUR A NA
Our work will set the stage for an even more vibrant, engaged and relevant Nashville Symphony.
B O U N D A R Y- P U S H I N G P R O G R A M M I N G . A C L A S S I C R E I M AG I N E D.
Our vision is to be a transformational force in our community and in the orchestra industry.
Working in partnership with Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Symphony will reimagine Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana as a dynamic multimedia project. Featuring updated choreography, along with an original film directed by internationally renowned filmmaker Duncan Copp, the project will bring this bawdy medieval text vividly to life and make it relevant to contemporary audiences. This production is epic in proportion – featuring full orchestra, adult chorus, children’s chorus, the full dance company, three soloists and largescale visuals projected on multiple screens – and we are proud to offer the debut.
I N V E S T M E N T: $ 1 3 1 , 0 0 0
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R ECO RD I NG S AND COMMISSI O NS K E E P I N G C L A S S I C A L M U S I C R E L E VA N T. C R E AT I N G T H E S O U N D O F T H E F U T U R E . The Nashville Symphony is one of the most active recording orchestras in the United States, with a focus on commissioning, performing and recording new American music. Our commitment comes from our deep-rooted sense of belonging here in Music City, a community celebrated worldwide for its creativity and innovation. Since 2000, the Symphony has released 30 recordings on Naxos, the world’s largest independent classical label. Encompassing a wide range of repertoire, from John Adams to Bernstein to Joan Tower, these recordings have earned a total of 13 GRAMMY®
Awards and 24 nominations. They celebrate the great orchestral tradition while pointing the way toward a future in which classical music remains a powerful, relevant cultural force because it speaks to the concerns and experiences of contemporary listeners. Each commission and recording project is undertaken with the hope and intention that other orchestras will include these works in their own concert offerings. We believe that giving voice to this repertoire will help to develop the next generation of orchestral favorites.
Nashville Symphony’s current recording projects include: JOHN HARBISON – REQUIEM This powerful choral work was inspired, in part, by the events of September 11, 2001, and serve as the composer’s attempt to explore themes of loss, transcendence and the inexorability of time. Released October 2018. JONATHAN LESHNOFF – SYMPHONY NO. 4 “HEICHALOS” CONCERTO FOR GUITAR | STARBURST Leshnoff composed his Symphony No. 4, “Heichalos” for the Nashville Symphony’s Violins of Hope initiative, which featured more than 30 instruments that survived the Holocaust. This piece, along with the others on this recording, is strongly informed by the composer’s Jewish spirituality and his quest to explore the fundamental questions of human experience through music. Release is set for May 2019.
JOHN ADAMS – HARMONIELEHRE MY FATHER KNEW CHARLES IVES
AARON JAY KERNIS – SYMPHONY NO. 4 | COLOR WHEEL
Adams is one of the most important and influential composers working today. Harmonielehre was recorded in October 2018, and the disc’s final work will be captured during the 2019/20 season. Release is set for 2021.
Kernis is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the Classical Music Hall of Fame. This project began in 2016 with his virtuosic Color Wheel and will conclude in February 2019 with his Symphony No. 4, a co-commission with the New England Conservatory.
CHRISTOPHER ROUSE — SYMPHONY NO. 5 | CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
TOBIAS PICKER – OPERA WITHOUT WORDS | THE ENCANTADAS
Rouse is one of America’s leading composers, having earned a Pulitzer Prize, a GRAMMY® Award and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This project began in October 2017 with his Symphony No. 5 and will conclude in April 2019 with the recording of his Concerto for Orchestra and Berceuse Infinie. Composed 2017.
This project began in October 2017 with a co-commissioned work, Opera Without Words. This imaginative piece uses opera as an inspiration, taking lyrics written specifically for the composition, then removing the vocal parts and interpreting them through instrumental lines. The Encantadas, for narrator and orchestra, will be recorded live in March 2019.
A N N U A L I N V E S T M E N T: $ 6 0 4 , 8 9 0
Learn more at NashvilleSymphony.org/recordings.
FOSTERING THE NEXT G E N E R AT I O N O F MUSICAL VISIONARIES. Led by Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero and current Workshop Director Aaron Jay Kernis, Composer Lab & Workshop seeks to discover the next generation of outstanding American composers by providing them with the opportunity to develop their talents, gain hands-on experience working with a major American orchestra, and showcase their work for a live audience. This program to identify and celebrate emerging talent is among the most comprehensive of its kind anywhere in the United States. During their visits to Nashville, Composer Lab fellows participate in a hands-on learning experience, with workshop sessions covering key aspects of composing, performing and music industry practices. Activities include reading sessions with the Nashville Symphony; individual mentoring sessions with Giancarlo Guerrero; meetings with composers, classical music professionals and Nashville Symphony musicians; and
a “Business Essentials” briefing on copyrights, licenses, contracts and negotiations, commissions, publishing and more. “Promoting new, forward-thinking American orchestral music is at the very core of the Nashville Symphony’s artistic mission, and this program is an important part of our commitment,” Guerrero says. “The gifted young participants in Composer Lab represent the vibrancy and diversity of our country today, and they are helping to shape the sound of orchestral music in the 21st century.” Learn more at NashvilleSymphony.org/ComposerLab.
I N V E S T M E N T: $ 4 7,1 0 0
Giancarlo Guerrero with 2017 Composer Lab Fellows James Díaz, Dr. Shen Yiwen, Emily Cooley and Liliya Ugay, plus Workshop Director Aaron Jay Kernis.
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E d u c at i o n a n d Community Programs The Nashville Symphony is dedicated to serving thousands of children and families from the 41-county Middle Tennessee region, both at Schermerhorn Symphony Center and in local schools and community gathering spaces across the region. These programs
The Nashville Symphony’s Community Concerts series brings the orchestra’s music to neighborhoods across the region during the summer months, reaching 10,000+ community members via free concerts.
Ensembles in the Schools serve local schools with multiple visits from Nashville Symphony ensembles, along with lesson plans and other resources to enrich classroom learning. This year’s partners include Dan Mills Elementary, J.E. Moss Elementary and Tennessee School for the Blind.
The annual Free Day of Music features 20 musical groups throughout the Schermerhorn, offering an all-day festival of concert programming free of charge.
Masterclasses, Sectionals and Lessons provide resources, instruction and performance coaching for individual musicians and small groups of students around Middle Tennessee. Instrument Petting Zoos give children hands-on opportunities to try out a variety of instruments. Is it a Fiddle or a Violin?, offered in collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame, invites students to explore the commonalities and the differences between country and classical music.
HELPING THE ORCHESTRAS OF TOMORROW REFLECT THE RICHNESS OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.
feed directly into our mission. Through music, we seek to enrich young people’s lives. To connect people of all ages with listening and learning opportunities. To build future audiences. To inspire joy.
Young People’s Concerts are live orchestra performances at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, with age-appropriate programming and accompanying curriculum and lesson plans for teachers which ties to statewide learning outcomes.
Open Dress Rehearsals offer a look at what goes on behind the scenes at our Classical Series concerts before the first public performance.
ACCEL ER AN DO
Accelerando is an intensive education program designed to prepare gifted young students of diverse ethnic backgrounds to pursue music at the collegiate level and beyond. In the 2018/19 season, 16 students are currently participating in the program. Students receive mentorship and private lessons from Nashville Symphony musicians, community performance and masterclass opportunities, tickets to Classical Series concerts, music theory and history coursework via Blair School of Music’s Pre-College Program at Vanderbilt University, and opportunities to attend intensive summer performance workshops – all offered at no cost. Now in its third year, Accelerando has been recognized nationally by educators, industry leaders, funders and the media. This program is a key component of the Nashville Symphony’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by actively working to ensure that the orchestras of tomorrow reflect the richness of the communities they serve.
Soundcheck offers $10 tickets to Classical Series concerts for students from kindergarten through graduate school, providing an affordable option for young people to experience the Symphony. Family Series concerts, in addition to an entertaining musical experience, also offer integrated support for children with sensory sensitivities, including flexible and accessible seating, closed captioning, quiet spaces, trained staff and additional resources. Free Chamber Music Series concerts feature small groups of Symphony musicians performing in an intimate setting at the Schermerhorn, with interactive, educational components in which musicians share knowledge and insights.
Before Accelerando, aspiring to be a professional musician was a mere fantasy – I knew I wanted to go into music, but I had absolutely no idea where to start or how I could ever achieve that goal. Accelerando has provided me with opportunities I never could have imagined…. As I begin my final year in the program, I am ever so thankful to my teacher and all of the Accelerando team for preparing me for upcoming college auditions and the rest of my musical career.” –Aalia Hanif, Accelerando Student
Learn more at NashvilleSymphony.org/Education.
A N N U A L I N V E S T M E N T: $ 74 5 , 0 0 0
A N N U A L I N V E S T M E N T: $ 2 5 7, 4 6 0
Learn more at NashvilleSymphony.org/Accelerando.
Supported by a grant from
THE ANDREW W.
MELLON FOUNDATION
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Governing Members are a group of highly engaged patrons who have a desire to influence the future of the Nashville Symphony. This program seeks members who will offer support, advocacy, enthusiasm and expertise, and who will share their passion for artistic innovation and excellence in music education. Governing Members care about the well-being of the organization and are willing to invest their resources, time and talents to help the Nashville Symphony reach its goals.
Acknowledgement on NashvilleSymphony.org
Eligibility requirements are a $3,000 annual gift and a ticket purchase of at least four performances annually. Benefits offered to Governing Members include access to the Allen Walter Watson, Sr. Founders Hall donor lounge; unique, behind-the-scenes experiences with Nashville Symphony musicians and staff; leadership and service work; special invitations to exclusive Symphony events; and recognition through print and building signage.
Invitation to Nashville Symphony Annual Meeting
Invitation to attend a Nashville Symphony education program Acknowledgement in InConcert program guide Pre-sale access to newly added concerts Access to Allen Walter Watson Sr. Founders Hall donor lounge
SELECT ACCESS
Invitation to Musicians Recognition Dinner Invitation to Stradivarius Society Dinner
CRESCENDO CLUB
LEAVE A LEGACY | BUILD A FUTURE
The Crescendo Club is a dynamic group of Nashville-area young professionals, ages 21-40, who share a love of music and a desire to support the Nashville Symphony’s artistic and educational mission. Benefits include networking opportunities, performance experiences and behind-the-scenes access to the Nashville Symphony.
Did you know that more than 100 families have chosen to include the Nashville Symphony in their estate plans? It’s easy to include the orchestra as a beneficiary, and advising us of your intentions helps us to plan for the future. Be “instrumental” in our success by sharing your passion for music with future generations.
Interested in learning more? Contact us at 615.687.6494 or Giving@NashvilleSymphony.org
($5,000-$9,999)
STRADIVARIUS SOCIETY
($3,000-$4,999)
GOLDEN BATON SOCIETY
($1,000-$2,999)
CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE
($500-$1,499)
Invitation to Patron Appreciation Concert
It’s easy and rewarding to support your Nashville Symphony! Gifts from the community fuel our mission to inspire, educate and entertain listeners of all ages and backgrounds. The Nashville Symphony is a 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID: 62-0550979, and gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
The Nashville Symphony offers a variety of opportunities to engage volunteers from Nashville and surrounding communities, who assist with concerts, auditions, fundraising, educational outreach and more. Volunteers can customize their schedules to fit their lifestyles and determine their level of commitment. Learn more at NashvilleSymphony.org/volunteer
VIP
Invitation to attend Nashville Symphony dress rehearsals
GOVERNING MEMBERS: A PATHWAY FOR DEEPER ENGAGEMENT
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
VIP
VIP tour of Schermerhorn Symphony Center
MAKE A GIFT
Ways to Give: 1. Via Mail: One Symphony Place, Nashville, TN 37201-2031 2. Via Phone: 615.687.6494 3. Online: NashvilleSymphony.org/give
CONCERTMASTER SOCIETY
Y O U C A N P L AY A P A R T I N S H A R I N G T H E J O Y O F M U S I C W I T H O U R C O M M U N I T Y.
AT A GLANCE
($150-$499)
FIRST CHAIR
G E T I N VO LV E D
(GIFTS UP TO $149)
A N N UA L F U N D DONOR BENEFITS
SECTION PLAYER
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY | SCHERMERHORN SYMPHONY CENTER
Customized donor benefit packages available for gifts of $10,000+, including VIP Valet parking, Partner with a Player program access, and more. Please call 615.687.6494 for more information!
T h e P ow e r o f C o r p o r at e Pa r t n e r s h i p s The Schermerhorn attracts a highly sought-after audience that includes Nashville’s key decision-makers, influencers and a growing breadth of the population of Nashville. Ask how our strategic partnerships will engage your brand and help to move your business forward. CUSTOMIZED MARKETING PROGRAMS Align your brand or business to reach Nashville’s key decision makers and reach more than 200,000 people at 150+ concerts and events. VIP HOSPITALITY AND SIGNATURE EVENTS Your clients and employees can enjoy exclusive pre-concert access in our distinguished Allen Walter Watson Sr. Founders Hall lounge and exposure at the Symphony Ball and Fashion Show. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Align your brand with Nashville Symphony programs supporting quality music education and family-friendly programs, impacting over 74,000 people in the Middle Tennessee region. PRODUCT SAMPLING & OUT-OF-HOME Display options available at the Schermerhorn campus and Community Concerts locations around the mid-state area. CORPORATE MEETINGS/EVENTS & GROUP ENTERTAINMENT Options include exquisite private indoor and outdoor meeting/event space and special group concert ticket programs. EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP TODAY Contact partnerships@nashvillesymphony.org
MAJOR CORPORATE PARTNERS