Fired Nashville Symphony Clarinetist Says Cancel Culture Cost Him His Job and Will Eventually Damage the Music Industry

Cancel culture has forced one Nashville Symphony performer out of a job, but this musician has an impressive resume and he and former colleagues of his say the allegations leveled against him are completely unfounded. This, according to former Nashville Symphony Orchestra clarinetist James Zimmermann, who recently lost his position due to what he said were false accusations of racial harassment. Last week, The Washington Free Beaconprofiled Zimmermann and how the Nashville Symphony dismissed him as part of what that publication said was “an ideological cold war.”

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Nashville Symphony Releases Dates of Free Community Concerts

The Nashville Symphony has announced the schedule for its 2019 Community Concerts series, which will showcase the Grammy® Award-winning orchestra in free performances at seven public parks and green spaces throughout Middle Tennessee. An integral part of the organization’s mission to make great music accessible to everyone in the region, the Symphony’s Community Concerts have been a local summer tradition since 1974 and annually draw thousands of concertgoers. Admission to all seven concerts is free of charge. The 2019 series opens with a return to Centennial Park on June 6 as part of a special partnership with Musicians Corner. This year also features two first-time Community Concerts locations: Smith Springs Community Center in Antioch and The Estate at Cherokee Dock in Lebanon. The complete schedule is listed below: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, June 6: Centennial Park at Musicians Corner 7 p.m. Friday, June 7: Cumberland University, Lebanon 7 p.m. Saturday, June 8: Smith Springs Community Center, Antioch 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9: Two Rivers Mansion, Donelson 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11: Historic Rock Castle, Hendersonville 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 25: Key Park, Lafayette 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26: The Estate at Cherokee Dock, Lebanon The Nashville Symphony once again invites the…

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Alison Krauss and Other Guests to Join Keith and Kristyn Getty for ‘Sing! An Irish Christmas’ at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on December 21

Modern hymn-writers Keith and Kristyn Getty will bring their seventh annual Sing! An Irish Christmas tour to Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Friday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m. The duo will revisit popular hymns and Christmas carols during a performance that will include appearances by Alison Krauss, Phil Keaggy and Scott Mulvahill.

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Nashville Symphony Welcomes Seven Local Students to Accelerando Music Education Initiative

Nashville Symphony/Sally Bebawy

Seven local students have been selected for the third class of Accelerando, the Nashville Symphony’s groundbreaking music education initiative designed to facilitate the studies of gifted young musicians from diverse backgrounds and to prepare them for careers in music. The seven students were introduced during an event at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Thursday, August 2, that was attended by current Accelerando students and their families, as well as Nashville Symphony staff members, including President and CEO Alan D. Valentine and Director of Education and Community Engagement Walter Bitner. The addition of the seven students brings the total number of participants in the program to 16. All from Middle Tennessee, the third class of Accelerando students are: Icsis Church, clarinet: Grade 8, Bellevue Middle School, MNPS Treasure Eckles, viola: Grade 10, Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School, MNPS Angel Elbano, flute: Grade 4, Una Elementary School, MNPS Rose Majett, cello: Grade 8, home-schooled student Xavion Patterson, bassoon: Grade 10, Stewarts Creek High School, Rutherford County Schools Mario Shaw, percussion: Grade 11, Stewarts Creek High School, Rutherford County Schools Alexander Vinson, cornet: Grade 7, MLK Jr. Magnet Middle, MNPS  Aalia Hanif, a member of Accelerando’s inaugural class, offered remarks during the event. “As…

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Tickets for Multiple Nashville Symphony Concerts Go on Sale Friday, July 20

Nashville Symphony

Single tickets for the Nashville Symphony’s 2018/19 season — including 100+ classical, pops, jazz and family concerts, as well as a host of special events — will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 20. Featuring four classic works by one of America’s greatest composers, the Bernstein Centennial Opening Night will kick off the season on September 8, 2018. A special, multimedia presentation of Carmina Burana in collaboration with Nashville Ballet and British filmmaker Duncan Copp will close the season on May 31-June 3, 2019. In between, the Symphony’s concert calendar features diverse programming across a variety of genres, all in the intimate setting and superior acoustics of one of the world’s finest concert halls, Schermerhorn Symphony Center.  Highlights of the 2018/19 concert schedule include:       ·         Symphony Under the Stars at Ascend Amphitheater (Sept. 9, 2018) ·         Ax Plays Brahms (Sept. 13-15, 2018) ·         Kristin Chenoweth with the Nashville Symphony (Sept. 27-29, 2018) ·         Beethoven’s Violin Concerto featuring James Ehnes (Oct. 4-7, 2018) ·         Jon Batiste: Solo (Oct. 19, 2018) ·         Russian Masters, featuring Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky & more (Nov. 2-3, 2018) ·         The Mavericks with the Nashville Symphony (Nov. 8-10, 2018) ·         The…

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Nashville Symphony to Hold Free Day of Music Saturday

The Nashville Symphony will holds its annual free day of music Saturday to give people a chance to enjoy free concerts and participate in other fun activities for the whole family. The event will run from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. There will be more than 20 performers, including the Nashville Symphony. Doors open at 10:30 am, music from 11 am – 9 pm Kids’ Zone in the East Lobby, featuring our Instrument Petting Zoo, crafts and more, from 11:45 am – 3 pm Food vendors including Burritos La Mina, Two Thompsons Airstream & Churro Diva, presented in partnership with Mesa Komal Beer garden, presented by Craft Brewed Quiet spaces for people with sensory sensitivities For a complete schedule of events, click here.    

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Violins of Hope Coming to Nashville in March to Teach About the Holocaust

Amnon violins of hope

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The Violins of Hope are coming to Music City. The instruments were played by Jewish musicians interned in concentration camps during the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. Today, the collection is traveling across the U.S. to educate people about the Holocaust and inspire discussions about music, art and justice. The collection came to the U.S. in 2012 and its stops have included the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Cleveland and Sarasota, Florida. The Violins of Hope will arrive in Nashville next year in mid-March and stay through May. The Nashville Symphony hosted a press conference Tuesday at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center downtown to unveil plans for related musical performances, art exhibits, lectures and more. More than two dozen Nashville-area groups are involved in the project. They include the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Nashville Public Library, Nashville Ballet, Frist Center for the Visual Arts and Vanderbilt University. “We are thrilled to be working with so many enthusiastic partners on this historic initiative,” said Alan Valentine, president and CEO of the Nashville Symphony. The instruments were restored and refurbished by Israeli luthiers Amnon and Avshi Weinstein. They are the subject a book by James…

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Nashville Symphony To Hold Rescheduled Tchaikovsky Spectacular Sunday

Tennessee Star

The Nashville Symphony will hold its rescheduled Tchaikovsky Spectacular on Sunday at the Ascend Amphitheater downtown. It was originally scheduled for Memorial Day weekend but got rained out. The weather forecast shows Sunday will be mostly sunny and nice, with a high temperature of 78. Giancarlo Guerrero will conduct the performance, which will feature renowned pianist Joyce Yang as a soloist for Piano Concerto No. 1. The show will also include the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and 1812 Overture. A fireworks display will accompany the 1812 Overture. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and will last about an hour and 45 minutes. The Ascend Amphitheater is located at 310 First Ave. S. General admission lawn seats are $20. Reserved seats are $30 and premium box seats are $45, which includes full wait service. For more information and to order tickets, click here.  Click here for options about what to do with tickets purchased for the canceled May 27 performance.

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Nashville Plans Solar Eclipse Viewing Party August 21 At First Tennessee Park

  A solar eclipse viewing party will be held Monday, Aug. 21 at First Tennessee Park north of downtown Nashville, according to a press release from Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. First Tennessee Park is home to the Nashville Sounds, and the minor league baseball team is working with the city of Nashville and the Adventure Center Center to host the party. This will be the first time since 1918 that a total solar eclipse will sweep across the U.S. Nashville is the largest city in its path. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth and the moon fully or partially blocks the sun. The viewing party will include science demonstrations and music from the Nashville Symphony. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. and Barry will welcome the crowd at 11:00 a.m. Everyone attending will receive special solar glasses for safe viewing of the eclipse. Seating is first-come, first-served, excluding club level and group areas. The eclipse will begin at 11:58 a.m., with totality beginning at 1:27 p.m. and lasting for nearly two minutes. After the viewing party, the ballpark will be cleared at 2 p.m. and will re-open at 3 p.m. for the Nashville Sounds…

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Nashville Symphony To Give Performance With Fireworks Saturday

  If you’re still looking for something to do over Memorial Day weekend, the Nashville Symphony will give a performance with fireworks Saturday evening at the Ascend Amphitheater. The “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” will feature the symphony as well as dancers with the Nashville Ballet and Joyce Yang on piano. Vinay Parameswaran will conduct. A performance of the 1812 Overture will accompany the fireworks display. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. General admission lawn seats are $20. Reserved and and premium box seats are also available. Tickets can be purchased by calling 615-687-6400 or visiting the Schermerhorn box office at One Symphony Place downtown. To buy tickets online, click here. The Ascend Amphitheater is located at 310 First Ave. S.

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