On the Circuit: Symphony Fashion Show Kickoff Party

“We do the music that nobody else does. It’s classics. It’s pop. It’s film scores. It’s special events. In particular, it’s the education we give our young people, and that’s what events like this help us to accomplish,” Nashville Symphony music director Leonard Slatkin told the sold-out crowd at the Symphony Fashion Show kickoff.

The fashion show raises funds for the Nashville Symphony and community programs such as Accelerando, which helps young musicians from diverse backgrounds prepare for further study and careers in music.

Guests gathered at Gus Mayer, the show’s retail partner, where roaming models wore designs by featured designer Lela Rose. 

Mark Tillinger spoke about the importance of fundraisers like the fashion show and thanked co-chairs Natalie Clements and Mayra Lehman-Grimes before introducing Slatkin, who recalled what drew him back to Nashville.

“I don’t really care about career anymore," he said. "I’ve had a wonderful life. Now it’s about giving back, and it’s about reaching into a community that I think has the most incredible potential, perhaps of any in this country.”

Natalie and Mayra encouraged guests to attend the show and shop that evening, with a portion of sales benefiting the Nashville Symphony. Natalie recalled how she and Mayra once imagined chairing the event together.

“Mayra and I have spent every Symphony Fashion Show together, and in our little childhood dreams, we would sit there and think, ‘Oh my goodness, what if we could do this one day? Like, would they trust us?’”

The room answered with a resounding “Yes.”