{{Short description|American symphony orchestra}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox orchestra | name = Nashville Symphony | image = NashvilleSymphonyLogo.png | caption = official logo | founded = 1946 | concert_hall = [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]] | website = {{URL|https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/}} | principal_conductor = [[Leonard Slatkin]] (designate, effective autumn 2026) }} The '''Nashville Symphony''' is an American symphony orchestra, based in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. The orchestra is resident at the [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]].

==History== In 1920, prior to the 1946 founding of the Nashville Symphony, a group of amateur and professional musicians established an orchestral ensemble in Nashville, electing ''Nashville Banner'' music critic and [[Vanderbilt University]] professor George Pullen Jackson to serve as their president and manager. Despite steady growth over the next decade, that organization fell victim to [[The Depression]]. In 1945, World War II veteran and Nashville native Walter Sharp returned home from the war intent on establishing a new symphony for Middle Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web | author=Young, Stephen E. | title=Nashville | url=http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?section=music.41665 | work=Grove Music Online ed | publisher=Oxford University Press | access-date=February 6, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> With the assistance of a small number of fellow music lovers, he convinced community leaders of this need and the Nashville Symphony was founded.

Sharp retained [[William Strickland (conductor)|William Strickland]], a young conductor from New York, to serve as its first music director and conductor. The orchestra performed its first concert in the fall of 1946 at War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Over the ensuing five seasons, Strickland was responsible for setting the high performance standards that the orchestra and its conductors have maintained to this day. Guy Taylor (1951–1959), [[Willis Page]] (1959–1967), [[Thor Johnson]] (1967–1975) and Michael Charry (1976–1982) were successive music directors. During Charry's tenure, the symphony moved its subscription series from War Memorial Auditorium to Jackson Hall in the [[Tennessee Performing Arts Center]].

Beginning in 1983, [[Kenneth Schermerhorn]] served as music director of the orchestra for 22 years, until his death in April 2005. The orchestra's profile increased during his tenure through recordings, television broadcasts and an East Coast tour, which culminated in a performance at Carnegie Hall on September 25, 2000.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/1867.html | title=Kenneth Schermerhorn, Longtime Nashville Symphony Conductor, Dies at 75 | work=Playbill Arts | author=Ben Mattison | date=April 19, 2005 | access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref> Following Schermerhorn's death, the orchestra name [[Leonard Slatkin]] its artistic advisor in 2006, for a contract of three years, through 2009.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/5109.html | title=Leonard Slatkin Joins Nashville Symphony as Artistic Advisor While Music Director Search Continues | work=Playbill Arts | author=Vivien Schweitzer | date=August 24, 2006 | access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref>

In September 2006, the Symphony opened [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]], a $123.5&nbsp;million project, which includes Laura Turner Concert Hall.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/5190.html | title=Photo Journal: Nashville, 'the Athens of the South,' Gets a New Temple to Music | magazine=Playbill Arts | author=Matthew Westphal | date=September 10, 2006 | access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref> Slatkin conducted the orchestra's first concert in the new hall on September 9, 2006, which included works by Shostakovich, Barber and Mahler, and a world premiere Triple Concerto by [[Bela Fleck]], [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]] and [[Edgar Meyer]].

In September 2007, the orchestra announced the appointment [[Giancarlo Guerrero]] as the seventh music director of the Nashville Symphony, effective with the 2009–2010 season, with an initial contract for 5 years.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/7035.html | title=Nashville Symphony Appoints Music Director | work=Playbill Arts | author=Kevin Shihoten | date=September 7, 2007 | access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref> Under his direction, the orchestra has received a number of awards, including the 2011 [[ASCAP]] award for Programming of Contemporary Music,<ref>League of American Orchestras: [http://www.ascap.com/press/2011/0609_AdventurousProgramming.aspx "ASCAP 'Adventurous Programming' Awards Presented at League of American Orchestras Conference in Minneapolis"], accessed July 21, 2011</ref> the 2013 [[ASCAP]] award for Programming of Contemporary Music <ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/media/press-room/press-releases/nashville-symphony-earns-ascap-award-for-adventurous-programming/ | title=Nashville Symphony Earns ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming | publisher=Nashville Symphony | date=June 19, 2013 | access-date=June 16, 2020}}</ref> and [[National Endowment for the Arts]] grants supporting its commitment to American music.<ref>Nashville Symphony website: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150112071859/http://www.nashvillesymphony.org/media/resources/news/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grant "Nashville Symphony Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant"], accessed January 11, 2015</ref> The orchestra's recordings have also earned a number of Grammy Awards and nominations (see [[#Recordings|Recordings]] below).

In March 2019, the orchestra announced the appointment of [[Enrico Lopez-Yañez]] as Principal Pops Conductor of the Nashville Symphony<ref>{{cite web|title=Nashville Symphony News Releases|url=https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/media/press-room/press-releases/enrico-lopez-ya%C3%B1ez-named-principal-pops-conductor-of-the-nashville-symphony/|website=Nashville Symphony|access-date=April 30, 2019}}</ref> after serving as the assistant conductor since 2017.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tennessean|url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2017/07/24/nashville-symphony-names-new-assistant-conductor/505936001/|access-date=August 22, 2017}}</ref>

In June 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the orchestra announced the suspension of its concert activities through July 31, 2021, and the furlough of 79 musicians, 49 staff members, and Guerrero on July 1, 2020.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/media/press-room/press-releases/news-releases/nashville-symphony-to-suspend-all-concert-activity-for-the-next-year/ | title=Nashville Symphony to Suspend All Concert Activity for the Next Year | publisher=Nashville Symphony | date=June 12, 2020 | access-date=June 16, 2020}}</ref>

In June 2023, Guerrero announced his intention to conclude his tenure as music director of the Nashville Symphony at the close of the 2024–2025 season, and subsequently to take the title of music director laureate for the 2025–2026 season.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/nashvillecream/giancarlo-guerrero-to-step-down-as-nashville-symphony-music-director/article_f952a480-00b7-11ee-a626-d71ad157ca8c.html | title=Giancarlo Guerrero to Step Down as Nashville Symphony Music Director | work=Nashville Scene | author=Cole Villena | date=2023-06-01 | accessdate=2023-06-02}}</ref> In July 2025, the orchestra announced the re-appointment of Slatkin as its music advisor, effective with the 2025–2026 season, for a term of three seasons.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/media/press-room/press-releases/news-releases/2025-press-releases/leonard-slatkin-returns-to-the-nashville-symphony-as-music-advisor/ | title=Leonard Slatkin Returns to the Nashville Symphony as Music Advisor | publisher=Nashville Symphony | date=16 July 2025 | accessdate=2025-09-24}}</ref> In February 2026, the orchestra announced the appointment of Slatkin as its next music director, effective with the 2026–2027 season, with a set tenure through the 2028–2029 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/media/press-room/press-releases/news-releases/2025-press-releases/leonard-slatkin-returns-to-the-nashville-symphony-as-music-advisor/ | title=Leonard Slatkin Announced as the Nashville Symphony's Music Director | publisher=Nashville Symphony | date=11 February 2026 | accessdate=2026-02-12}}</ref>

==Music directors== * William Strickland (1946–1951) * Guy Taylor (1951–1959) * Willis Page (1959–1967) * [[Thor Johnson]] (1967–1975) * Michael Charry (1976–1982) * [[Kenneth Schermerhorn]] (1983–2005) * [[Giancarlo Guerrero]] (2009–2025) * Leonard Slatkin (designate, effective autumn 2026)

===Other conductors in leadership positions=== * [[Leonard Slatkin]] (artistic advisor, 2006–2009, 2025–present)

==Recordings== For the Naxos label, the orchestra has made more than 30 recordings since the year 2000. Several of these CDs have garnered a total of 26 [[Grammy Award]] nominations and 14 Grammy Awards. In 2008, the orchestra's CD of the music of [[Joan Tower]], ''Made in America,'' won 3 Grammy Awards, including Best Orchestral Performance and Best Classical Album. In 2011, the orchestra's CD of music by [[Michael Daugherty]], "Deus Ex Machina," won 3 Grammy Awards, and the following year its recording of music by [[Christopher Rouse (composer)|Christopher Rouse]], "Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra," earned one Grammy Award. The orchestra's 2016 recording of works by [[Jennifer Higdon]] earned two Grammy Awards and most recently their recording of "Christopher Rouse – Symphony No.5" won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://naxosusa.com/naxos-music-group-distribution-family-celebrates-five-grammy-wins/ | title=Naxos Music Group Distribution Family Celebrates Five Grammy Wins | date=March 15, 2021 | access-date=December 14, 2023}}</ref>

* ''Abraham Lincoln Portraits, featuring works by [[Charles Ives]], [[Aaron Copland]], [[Roy Harris]] and others'' (2009) * ''[[John Adams (composer)|Adams]]: My Father Knew Charles Ives • Harmonielehre'' (2021) * ''[[Amy Beach|Beach]]: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto'' (2003) * ''[[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]: [[Missa Solemnis (Beethoven)|Missa Solemnis]], Op. 123'' (2004) * ''[[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]: [[Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 7]]'' (1996) * ''[[Leonard Bernstein|Bernstein]]: Dybbuk / Fancy Free (complete ballets)'' (2006) * ''[[Leonard Bernstein|Bernstein]]: [[West Side Story (musical)|West Side Story]]: The Original Score'' (2002) * ''[[Elliott Carter|Carter]]: Symphony No. 1; Piano Concerto'' (2004) * ''[[George Whitefield Chadwick|Chadwick]]: Orchestral Works Thalia / Melpomene / Euterpe'' (2002) * ''[[John Corigliano|Corigliano]]: A Dylan Thomas Trilogy'' (2008) * ''[[Michael Daugherty|Daugherty]]: Metropolis Symphony; Deus ex Machina'' (2009) * "[[Richard Danielpour|Danielpour]]: Darkness in the Ancient Valley" (2013) * "[[Béla Fleck|Fleck]]: The Impostor" (2013) * ''[[George Gershwin|Gershwin]]: Porgy and Bess (Original 1935 Production Version)'' (2006) * ''[[Morton Gould|Gould]]: Fall River Legend; Jekyll and Hyde Variations'' (2005) * ''[[Howard Hanson|Hanson]]: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1'' (2000) *''[[John Harbison|Harbison]]: Requiem'' (2018) *''[[Jennifer Higdon|Higdon]] – All Things Majestic'' (2016) * ''[[Charles Ives|Ives]]: [[Symphony No. 2 (Ives)|Symphony No. 2]]; Robert Browning Overture'' (2000) *''[[Aaron Jay Kernis|Kernis]]: Color Wheel'' (2020) *''[[Jonathan Leshnoff|Leshnoff]]: Symphony No. 4 "Heichalos"'' (2019) * ''[[Gian Carlo Menotti|Menotti]]: Amahl and the Night Visitors'' (2008) * ''[[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]]: Pictures at an Exhibition (Compiled by Leonard Slatkin)'' (2008) * "[[Stephen Paulus|Paulus]]: Three Places of Enlightenment" (2014) * "[[Astor Piazzolla|Piazzolla]]: Sinfonía Buenos Aires" (2010) *''[[Tobias Picker|Picker]]: Opera Without Words'' (2020) * ''[[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]]: [[L'Enfant et les sortilèges]]; [[Shéhérazade (Ravel)|Shéhérazade]]'' (2009) *''[[Terry Riley|Riley]]: The Palmian Chord Ryddle / At the Royal Majestic'' (2017) *''[[Christopher Rouse (composer)|Rouse]]: Symphony No.5'' (2020) * "[[Joseph Schwantner|Schwantner]]: Chasing Light..." (2011) * "[[Roberto Sierra|Sierra]]: Sinfonía No. 4" (2013) * ''[[So There]]'' with [[Ben Folds]] (2015) *''[[Frank Ticheli|Ticheli]], Warnaar & Ranjbaran: Wind Concertos'' (2018) * ''[[Joan Tower|Tower]]: Made in America / Tambor / Concerto for Orchestra'' (2007) * ''[[Riders in the Sky (band)|Riders in the Sky]]: Lassoed Live at the Schermerhorn'' (2009) * ''[[Heitor Villa-Lobos|Villa-Lobos]]: Bachianas Brasileiras (Complete)'' (2005)

==Education and community engagement== Music education has been an integral part of the Nashville Symphony's mission for much of its existence. Early in the orchestra's history, ensembles of musicians visited local schools. The orchestra has also offered free concerts for Nashville-area students since at least the 1970s. Most recently, the orchestra launched the Accelerando program, which is designed to create opportunities for young musicians from ethnic communities underrepresented in American orchestras. The program has received funding from the [[Andrew W. Mellon Foundation]].

==See also== * [[Nashville Symphony Fashion Show]], a fund-raising event associated with the orchestra.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/ Official website of the Nashville Symphony] * [https://www.naxos.com/Bio/OrchestraEnsemble/Nashville_Symphony_Orchestra/35217 Naxos Records page on Nashville Symphony discography and profile page]

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[[Category:American symphony orchestras]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1946]] [[Category:Music of Nashville, Tennessee]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Nashville, Tennessee]] [[Category:Performing arts in Tennessee]] [[Category:Musical groups from Tennessee]] [[Category:1946 establishments in Tennessee]]