Movement & Music Profiles: Nashville Symphony

While Nashville is known as Music City, it is a variety of performing and visual arts that truly bring character to Nashville. This year we profiled just some of the incredible organizations dedicated to music and movement that elevate the city.

Since their inception, these organizations have helped Nashville’s light shine brighter and to bring arts to a greater section of the community. Step inside as we talk history, legacy and the future with some of Nashville’s institutions of music and movement.

So much has changed since the Nashville Symphony was first established back in 1946. But throughout the years, the organization’s commitment to outreach and education has remained constant.

“Community engagement and education have been a key part of our mission from the very beginning,” says Alan D. Valentine, Nashville Symphony’s president and CEO, who has spent more than 40 years working as an orchestra administrator. “We are here to serve the community, first and foremost — whether it’s through free concerts such as the annual Let Freedom Sing celebration, educational programs like our Young People’s Concerts, or community-based collaborations like The Jonah People, which just recently premiered at the Schermerhorn. But we couldn’t support any of these incredible programs without the generosity of our donors. When you look at fundraising events like the Symphony Ball or the Fashion Show, that’s what those events are about.”

Alan says he is particularly proud of the Symphony’s Accelerando initiative — a comprehensive educational program designed to give students from under-represented communities and backgrounds the opportunity to pursue a career in music. Students accepted into the program receive intensive instruction, coursework, mentorship and other resources — all free of charge. And the results are hard to deny. The five seniors who graduated from the program this year accepted a combined $572,204 in scholarship funds — to attend the University of Louisville, Vanderbilt University, Yale University, Eastman School of Music and Montclair State University. That brings the total scholarship money — accepted by 15 students over the last five years — up to $1.83 million. 

“We’re so very proud of the Accelerando program,” Alan says. “I feel like it’s qualitative versus quantitative. We’re changing real lives here, offering students a bridge to a future they might not otherwise have. But it’s not just about investing in these young artists; we’re also changing the depth and breadth of the application pool to better reflect our changing community.”

In fact, as the city continues to grow, the Symphony has renewed its commitment to community engagement, expanding its efforts in fresh and meaningful ways. For example, Music in My Neighborhood is a new neighborhood residency program that offers free ensemble performances, educational activities and innovative partnerships that highlight a community’s unique history and culture. 

“We were proud to present the inaugural Music in My Neighborhood … in the Edgehill neighborhood, reaching over 1,700 local residents,” Alan says. “A culminating community celebration invited residents to gather for food, performances, artwork and interactive activities highlighting their neighborhood’s unique arts and culture scene. Music in My Neighborhood is helping the Symphony to serve the city of Nashville by working with the community to make music for the community. When you think about how much Nashville is growing and changing, it’s more important than ever for us to find new ways to listen to and engage with the community, so that we can continue to meet its expectations and serve its needs.”