The Nashville Symphony has announced the lineup for its 2019/20 season, which kicks off in September and features an extensive variety of classical, pops, jazz and family concerts, including top-flight guest artists, film favorites with live orchestral accompaniment, unique speaker events and much more. At the heart of this concert programming, Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero will lead the orchestra in its flagship Classical Series, which includes everything from masterworks by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Berlioz and Beethoven to boundary-pushing contemporary American works.
The 83-member Nashville Symphony is currently experiencing one of the most prolific and productive periods in its seven-decade history, thanks to a string of Grammy®-winning recording projects, continued expansion of its concert programming and its recent leading role in the Violins of Hope Nashville community initiative last spring. The 2019/20 season builds on those successes with programming that invites everyone from the community to experience the full breadth of what the orchestra has to offer.
Highlights of the 2019/20 Classical Series include a celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday, a live recording of Latin Grammy®-winning composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s Conquest Requiem, the return of former Symphony Artistic Advisor Leonard Slatkin and an appearance by Musical America’s 2018 Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov, as well as works by American composers John Adams, Jennifer Higdon and Brad Warnaar and a special appearance by the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra led by Giancarlo Guerrero, who also serves as music director of the Polish ensemble.
The Schermerhorn will host a string of big-name guest artists 2019/20, including country star Trisha Yearwood, classic rock heavyweights Foreigner and a centennial tribute to Nat King Cole, all featuring the Nashville Symphony. The Jazz Series will welcome legendary pianist Ahmad Jamal in his first Nashville appearance in recent memory, and the Symphony’s Saturday-morning sensory friendly Family Series returns with four programs designed to delight and engage young listeners. For the first time ever, the public will be able to purchase season ticket packages for the Nashville Symphony’s popular film screenings with orchestral accompaniment, which this year include Coco and Return of the Jedi.
For a full listing of the Nashville Symphony’s 2019/20 lineup, visit NashvilleSymphony.org/2019-20.
“We are immensely proud of the Nashville Symphony’s growing international profile, but what continues to motivate and inspire all of us is serving our incredible community, for whose generous support we are deeply grateful,” said Alan D. Valentine, Symphony president and CEO. “Our mission is to provide world-class programming for everyone, and our new season delivers just that – with an expansive and creative array of concerts designed to inspire and entertain music lovers, whether they’re fans of classical, country, jazz or pop. And at the heart of everything we do is our belief that music can serve as a transformational force in the life of our community, and in the lives of our listeners. That means when people purchase tickets to the Nashville Symphony, they’re investing in an organization that seeks to make Middle Tennessee a better place.”
Customers purchasing season ticket packages can access all Nashville Symphony 2019/20 concerts listed below. Tickets to individual concerts go on sale July 19, 2019.
Classical Series
Led by Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero, the 2019/20 Classical Series consists of 14 concert weekends blending popular repertoire with the Symphony’s longstanding commitment to contemporary American music. Classical staples by Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Mozart and more will be performed alongside works by leading American composers including Gabriela Lena Frank, whom the Washington Post has called “one of the most significant women composers in history.”
“Championing the music of our time is a fundamental part of the Nashville Symphony’s artistic vision, and we are grateful to have an audience that is always willing to embrace the new, bold and daring,” said Guerrero. “The masters of the classical repertoire will always have their place, but giving a voice to what is happening in the world today through the music of such visionary artists as Gabriela Lena Frank is vital as we continue to invest in the future of classical music.”
The Symphony will also continue its ongoing partnership with the Franklin-based Naxos label, which has garnered 13 GRAMMY® Awards and 24 nominations to date, with five recording projects in the new season planned for future worldwide release. The live recordings begin in October with John Adams’ My Father Knew Charles Ives, part of a program that also features Ives’ own Three Places in New England.
Highlights of the 2019/20 Classical Series lineup include:
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, September 12-14, 2019
Beyond the Score: Shostakovich’s Fourth, September 27-28, 2019
Symphonie Fantastique, November 7-9, 2019
Romantic Rhapsodies, January 30-February 1, 2020
Beethoven’s Birthday Bash, February 20-23, 2020
Appalachian Spring, March 6-7, 2020
Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, March 19-21, 2020
Mahler’s Tenth, April 9-11, 2020
Slatkin, the Sorcerer & the Sea, May 15-17, 2020
Guerrero Conducts Bruckner, May 29-30, 2020
FirstBank Pops Series
This eight-weekend series features legendary artists and popular themed programs, all accompanied by the Nashville Symphony. Some highlights include:
Trisha Yearwood, October 3-5, 2019
Don Williams: Music & Memories of The Gentle Giant, October 31-November 2, 2019:
Foreigner, January 16-18, 2020
Celtic Journey, March 12-14, 2020
Celebrating Nat King Cole at 100, April 16-18, 2020:
The Ann & Monroe Carell Family Trust Family Series
Created especially for children ages 10 and under, Family Series concerts also offer a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere and resources for patrons with autism and other disabilities that cause sensory sensitives. Family-friendly activities, including the Symphony’s Instrument Petting Zoo, begin one hour before all performances:
Halloween at Hogwarts, October 5, 2019
Holiday Spectacular & Sing-Along, December 7, 2019
The Gold Rush: An American Musical Adventure, March 14, 2020
Symphony in Space, April 18, 2020
Learn more about the Nashville Symphony’s sensory-friendly programming here.
Movies at the Schermerhorn Series
Movie lovers of all ages can experience some of their favorite films as never before, with the Nashville Symphony providing live accompaniment to beloved movies screened in high-definition above the stage:
Disney in Concert: Coco, October 10 -11, 2019
Home Alone in Concert, December 12-13, 2019
Star Wars in Concert: Return of the Jedi, February 6-9, 2020
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ in Concert, May 21-24, 2020:
Batman (1989) Live in Concert, July 2-3, 2020
HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are ©️ & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights ©️ JKR. (s19)
Blakeford Jazz Series
The Schermerhorn remains a top destination for jazz lovers, and this four-concert series offers the chance to hear world-class artists in a sparkling acoustical setting:
Ahmad Jamal, October 18, 2019
DeeDee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap, February 28, 2020
The Hot Sardines, April 24, 2020
Gregory Porter, June 5, 2020
National Geographic Live Speakers Series
These one-of-a-kind, family-friendly events bring National Geographic adventurers to the Schermerhorn to share their experiences exploring every corner of the globe and beyond, accompanied by dramatic imagery and video footage:
Bryan Smith – Capturing the Impossible, September 10, 2019
David Doubilet & Jennifer Hayes – Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice, January 14, 2020
Terry Virts – View From Above, April 7, 2020
Special Events & Presentations
Michael W. Smith: Christmas with the Nashville Symphony, December 10, 2019
Guerrero Conducts Handel’s Messiah with the Nashville Symphony & Chorus, December 19-22, 2019
Guerrero Conducts NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, January 21, 2020
Voctave: The Corner of Broadway and Main Street, January 24, 2020
Season ticket packages are now available for all 2019/20 concerts and may be purchased at NashvilleSymphony.org/2019-20, by phone at 615.687.6400, or in person at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Box Office. Season ticket holders enjoy a long list of benefits, including priority seating, bonus tickets, free unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking and much more.
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Bethany Bowman is an entertainer writer for The Tennessee Star. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Photo by Nashville Symphony.
