Ben Folds is Serious....

Ben Folds is serious about rebuilding the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, even if he does like goofing around on the Internet (Nashville Scene)

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Thanksgiving Sale

$20 Tickets!

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Rob Bironas Kicks Off Music Mobile Project!

Rob Bironas, placekicker for the Tennessee Titans, presented a major gift from the Rob Bironas Fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. This contribution kicks off Nashville Symphony’s new Music Mobile project. The Music Mobile is a rolling music activity center featuring an “Instrument Petting Zoo” filled with classical, country and bluegrass instruments. Children and adults alike will also share music-making experiences, live music demonstrations and multi-media instrument exhibits. “Children, when introduced to music, are more likely to succeed in school and in life,” Bironas says. “Applying the same commitment to mastering an instrument can be as challenging as attaining touchdowns on a football field. I am proud to be a part of this project.” The Music Mobile will become one of the many learning opportunities offered through the Nashville Symphony’s commitment to music education. Last year, the Nashville Symphony served more than 170,000 children and families through music education and community engagement activities. Goals for this ambitious project are to provide children with a hands-on introduction to instruments; to bring music activities to community locations; to serve as the region's instrument lending library for at-risk youth; to inspire and motivate participants to pursue musical studies; and to bring music education to underserved populations with this “musical field-trip on wheels.”

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Unfortunate News

Just heard that Thomas Hampson had to cancel his NSO appearances this weekend due to illness. But, turning lemons into lemonade, we'll be performing Mozart's Symphony 40 in the place of Danielpour's Songs of Solitude. Here's a preview:

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Thomas Hampson this Weekend!

I know a lot of you are excited to hear the orchestra perform Stravinsky's masterpiece, The Rite of Spring, this weekend at TPAC. You may not know it, but the first half of the concert - featuring the music of composer Richard Danielpour - will be recorded each evening for a future Naxos CD release. Much of Danielpour's work embodies his distinctive American sound, and indeed many of his compositions are influenced by American authors and themes.

It's fitting, therefore, that the NSO, whose own rich history of recording American music has earned it three Grammy Awards, will be collaborating with the great American baritone, Thomas Hampson. Hampson has been a force in the world of classical music since he won the famed "Met Competition" almost 30 years ago. It's hard to imagine a more popular and revered singer working today. He'll be singing Danielpour's Songs of Solitude, a piece written for the baritone.

If you don't have tickets to these concerts, I urge you to purchase them today and lend your applause to what promises to be another great Nashville Symphony recording.

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