Opening Weekend: An American Celebration
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Diverse. Devoted. Determined. In honor of America 250, the 80th anniversary of the Nashville Symphony, and the 20th anniversary of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, our opening program of the 2026-2027 season celebrates the rich sonic kaleidoscope of American composers past and present.
You’ll feel it all: from the boundless optimism of Joan Tower’s Made in America, a work for which the Nashville Symphony’s recording received our first GRAMMY® Award in 2008, to the solemn strains of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings marking the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. You’ll hear Leonard Bernstein setting the Chichester Psalms ablaze with fresh energy (featuring the Nashville Symphony Chorus) and Aaron Copland gathering folk songs and hymns from across the American landscape, featuring vocal stars from Nashville and beyond.
Turning to the present day, you’ll also encounter one of Nashville’s brightest composing talents: Cristina Spinei, whose piece, “Strut,” marches forward with unstoppable energy. The program concludes with music from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess sweeping you through sorrow and beauty in the same breath.
Music Director Leonard Slatkin, 2026 recipient of the Lincoln Medal for his lifelong advocacy for American music, opens the Nashville Symphony's 2026-2027 season exactly where it should begin: with the creativity and resolve of the American spirit. This is a legendary event you won’t want to miss.
PROGRAM
Tower: Made in America
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Spinei: Strut
Copland: Old American Songs
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
You’ll feel it all: from the boundless optimism of Joan Tower’s Made in America, a work for which the Nashville Symphony’s recording received our first GRAMMY® Award in 2008, to the solemn strains of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings marking the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. You’ll hear Leonard Bernstein setting the Chichester Psalms ablaze with fresh energy (featuring the Nashville Symphony Chorus) and Aaron Copland gathering folk songs and hymns from across the American landscape, featuring vocal stars from Nashville and beyond.
Turning to the present day, you’ll also encounter one of Nashville’s brightest composing talents: Cristina Spinei, whose piece, “Strut,” marches forward with unstoppable energy. The program concludes with music from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess sweeping you through sorrow and beauty in the same breath.
Music Director Leonard Slatkin, 2026 recipient of the Lincoln Medal for his lifelong advocacy for American music, opens the Nashville Symphony's 2026-2027 season exactly where it should begin: with the creativity and resolve of the American spirit. This is a legendary event you won’t want to miss.
PROGRAM
Tower: Made in America
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Spinei: Strut
Copland: Old American Songs
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
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Where is it happening?
1 Symphony Pl, Nashville, TN, United States, Tennessee 37201
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherNashville Symphony
