On the Circuit: Symphony Ball Kickoff Party

On a beautiful October evening, guests gathered at Susan and Keith Hoogland’s stunning home for the Symphony Ball Kickoff Party. The annual celebration brings together donors and supporters of the Nashville Symphony ahead of the December ball, which raises funds for the orchestra's operations and community outreach programs.

This year's gathering carried particular significance after the Symphony announced that it would cancel its season and furlough musicians and staff amid financial challenges. Days later, a $10 million gift from Oracle changed the organization's trajectory, allowing the Symphony to reinstate its season and bring back employees and musicians.

Guests mingled with event co-chairs Haden Cook and Lynn Scarola before enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres by the pool. Mark Tillinger, the Nashville Symphony's newly appointed president and CEO, then addressed the crowd, sharing his optimism for the orchestra's future and the remarkable story behind Oracle's gift.

“It changed our ability to continue to make world-class music every week, and, as importantly, it gave us the runway to fix what needs to be fixed in the system,” he said.

He recounted the whirlwind negotiations that led to the gift. Just moments before he planned to present his vision for the Symphony's future to its board, Mark received a call inviting him to Oracle's offices. During the meeting, he saw an opportunity to make a transformative request.

“If you really want to make an impact, we have a $10 million hole that caused us to shut everything down,” Mark recalled telling the Oracle representative.

The representative stepped away to make a phone call and returned less than five minutes later with an extraordinary response: “We're in.”

Mark concluded by emphasizing the importance of philanthropy and the critical role events such as the Symphony Ball play in sustaining the orchestra.

“Less than half of the revenues needed to drive the operations comes from tickets,” he said. “The rest comes from investing partners, be it companies, be it individuals, be it foundations.” The Symphony Ball and Symphony Fashion Show play vital roles in sustaining the organization, providing critical funding for its operations, community outreach programs and mission to bring world-class music to Nashville.