The Nashville Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Schermerhorn Symphony Center next season in high style, with a performance of Gustav Mahler’s glorious Resurrection Symphony, the premiere of a new work by Edgar Meyer, and the return of Ben Folds and his sparkling piano concerto, among other things.
Since the opening of the Schermerhorn in September 2006, the NSO has emerged as a leading champion of contemporary American music. So it comes as no surprise that the orchestra’s 2016-17 season, announced Sunday, will be a sort of year-long American music festival. Indeed, every classical subscription concert next season will include at least one important American work.
“When the Schermerhorn opened a decade ago, our music adviser, Leonard Slatkin, conducted American music on every program,” NSO music director Giancarlo Guerrero tells the Scene. “We’re doing that again for the Schermerhorn’s 10th anniversary.”
The new season will begin Sept. 10 with a gala opening night performance of the Ben Folds Piano Concerto. Folds’ three-movement, 21-minute-long concerto is a proudly and overtly derivative piece, sounding like the music of Prokofiev one minute, and Gershwin the next. But Folds’ own idiosyncratic style, which he describes as “piano for left-handed drummer,” always comes through, providing this glistening work with a welcome degree of thrust.
Few people probably remember that the concert hall’s namesake, the NSO’s late music director Kenneth Schermerhorn, was also a composer. As a tribute, Guerrero will lead the NSO in performances of Schermerhorn’s Jubilee: A Tennessee Quilting Party for Orchestra (Sept. 22-24). That program will also feature the orchestra and chorus in Mahler’s magnificent Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection.”
“Leonard Slatkin conducted a couple of movements from the Resurrection Symphony at the gala opening of the concert hall in 2006,” Guerrero says. “So for the 10th anniversary, we’re going to perform the entire symphony.”
The 2006 gala opening of the concert hall also featured a triple concerto written by banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, bassist Edgar Meyer and tabla player Zakir Hussain. For the 10th anniversary, Guerrero and the NSO will premiere a commissioned work by Meyer (March 16-18, 2017).
“All the music we’ve commissioned from Edgar in the past featured him playing double bass,” says Guerrero. “The new piece will be his first all-orchestral work, either a symphony or tone poem.”
American music will get its due throughout the season. The music of the orchestra’s inaugural Composer Lab & Workshop fellow, Gabriella Smith, will make its debut on a classical subscription program with a performance of her Tumblebird Contrails (Oct. 7, 8).
The NSO will lavish attention on the great American composer Samuel Barber, with performances of his Violin Concerto (Oct. 28-29), Essay No. 2 (Nov. 4-5) and Symphony No. 1 (Feb. 10-11, 2017). Other highlights include Philip Glass’ Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring NSO concertmaster Jun Iwasaki (Jan. 12-15, 2017) and John Harbison’s Requiem (May 12-13, 2017).
Subscription packages for all 2016-17 concerts go on sale Monday, Feb. 8 at NashvilleSymphony.org/SubscribeNow, by phone at (615) 687.6400, or in person at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Box Office.
Here’s the NSO’s complete 2016-17 season:
AEGIS SCIENCES CLASSICAL SERIES
MAHLER’S SECOND
A Tribute to Kenneth Schermerhorn
Thursday, September 22, 2016, at 7 pm
Friday, September 23, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, September 24, 2016, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Nicole Cabell, soprano
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
Nashville Symphony Chorus
Schermerhorn – Jubilee: A Tennessee Quilting Party for Orchestra
Mahler – Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”
PROKOFIEV’S FIFTH
Grieg’s Piano Concerto
Friday, October 7, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, October 8, 2016, at 8 pm
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano
Gabriella Smith – Tumblebird Contrails
Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor
Prokofiev – Symphony No. 5
BRAHMS’ SECOND
Friday, October 28, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, October 29, 2016, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Simone Porter, violin
Dvořák – Othello Overture
Barber – Violin Concerto
Brahms – Symphony No. 2
MOZART & TCHAIKOVSKY
Friday, November 4, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, November 5, 2016, at 8 pm
Vassily Sinaisky, conductor
Inon Barnatan, piano
Barber – Essay No. 2
Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 24
Tchaikovsky – Manfred Symphony
RACHMANINOFF’S RHAPSODY
& Piano Concerto No. 4
Thursday, November 17, 2016, at 7 pm
Friday, November 18, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, November 19, 2016, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Boris Giltburg, piano
Jonathan Leshnoff – Starburst *Live Recording
Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 4
Aaron Jay Kernis – Color Wheel *Live Recording
Rachmaninoff – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
HOLST’S THE PLANETS — AN HD ODYSSEY
Exclusive Space Footage from NASA
Thursday, January 12, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, January 13, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, January 14, 2017, at 8 pm
Sunday, January 15, 2017, at 3 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Women of the Nashville Symphony Chorus
Jun Iwasaki, violin
Josef Strauss – Music of the Spheres
Philip Glass – Violin Concerto No. 1
Holst – The Planets, with film produced by Duncan Copp
RESPIGHI’S PINES OF ROME
Friday, February 10, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, February 11, 2017, at 8 pm
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Javier Perianes, piano
Berlioz – Roman Carnival Overture
Saint-Saëns – Piano Concerto No. 2
Barber – Symphony No. 1
Respighi – Pines of Rome
THE RITE OF SPRING
A Schermerhorn Premiere
Thursday, February 23, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, February 24, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, February 25, 2017, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Cameron Carpenter, organ
Buxtehude (orch. Chavez) – Chaconne in E minor
Terry Riley – At the Royal Majestic *Live Recording
Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring
RAVEL’S BOLÉRO
Thursday, March 16, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, March 17, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Edgar Meyer, double bass
Debussy – Ibéria
Edgar Meyer – New work to be announced *World Premiere / Nashville Symphony Commission
Bottesini – Concerto for Double Bass
Ravel – Boléro
BERNSTEIN’S SERENADE
Friday, March 31, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, April 1, 2017, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Gabrieli – Fanfare
Bernstein – Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”)
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10
BEETHOVEN’S SECOND
Symphony Soloists Play New American Classics
Friday, April 14, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, April 15, 2017, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Erik Gratton, flute
Leslie Norton, horn
Kerry Turner – Concerto for Horn and Orchestra “The Gothic” *Live Recording
Behzad Ranjbaran – Flute Concerto *Live Recording
Beethoven – Symphony No. 2
MOZART & RACHMANINOFF
Thursday, April 27, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, April 28, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, April 29, 2017, at 8 pm
Edo de Waart, conductor
Michael Ippolito – Nocturne, for orchestra
Mozart – Symphony No. 35 “Haffner”
Rachmaninoff – Symphony No. 3
AN AMERICAN REQUIEM
Friday, May 12, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, May 13, 2017, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Nashville Symphony Chorus
Jessica Rivera, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Kelly Markgraf, baritone
Schumann – Symphony No. 1 “Spring”
John Harbison – Requiem *Live Recording
COPLAND’S THIRD
Dvořák’s Cello Concerto
Thursday, June 1, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, June 2, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, June 3, 2017, at 8 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Zuill Bailey, cello
Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor
Copland – Symphony No. 3
BLAKEFORD COFFEE & CLASSICS SERIES
BRAHMS’ SECOND
Friday, October 28, 2016, at 10:30 am
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Brahms – Symphony No. 2
RESPIGHI’S PINES OF ROME
Barber’s First
Friday, February 10, 2017, at 10:30 am
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Respighi – Pines of Rome
Barber – Symphony No. 1
NEW AMERICAN CLASSICS
Featuring Nashville Symphony soloists
Friday, April 14, 2017, at 10:30 am
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Erik Gratton, flute
Leslie Norton, horn
Kerry Turner – Concerto for Horn and Orchestra “The Gothic” *Live Recording
Behzad Ranjbaran – Flute Concerto *Live Recording
COPLAND’S THIRD
Featuring “Fanfare for the Common Man”
Friday, June 2, 2017, at 10:30 am
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Copland – Symphony No. 3
FIRST BANK POPS SERIES
PETER CETERA WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
Thursday, September 29, 2016, at 7 pm
Friday, September 30, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, October 1, 2016, at 8 pm
THE NASHVILLE SONGBOOK WITH MANDY BARNETT & THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
Thursday, November 10, 2016, at 7 pm
Friday, November 11, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, November 12, 2016, at 8 pm
A VERY MERRY POPS
with Jeff Tyzik, Broadway stars Lisa Vroman & Doug LaBrecque,
& the Nashville Symphony
Thursday, December 1, 2016, at 7 pm
Friday, December 2, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, December 3, 2016, at 8 pm
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
The Best of the American Songbook – Gershwin, Berlin & Porter
Thursday, February 2, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, February 3, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, February 4, 2017, at 8 pm
THE TEMPTATIONS WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, February 17, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, February 18, 2017, at 8 pm
THE CHIEFTAINS – A ST. PATRICK’S POPS
with the Nashville Symphony
Thursday, March 9, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, March 10, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, March 11, 2017, at 8 pm
MATTHEW MORRISON
Sings Broadway & Standards with the Nashville Symphony
Thursday, April 6, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, April 7, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, April 8, 2017, at 8 pm
CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR
with the Nashville Symphony
Thursday, May 4, 2017, at 7 pm
Friday, May 5, 2017, at 8 pm
Saturday, May 6, 2017, at 8 pm
JAZZ SERIES
Big Band Holidays:
THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS
& Special Guest Catherine Russell
Friday, December 9, 2016
BONEY JAMES
Friday, April 21, 2017
A TRIBUTE TO ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG
with Byron Stripling, Marva Hicks & the Nashville Symphony
Friday, May 26, 2017
THE ANN & MONROE CARELL FAMILY TRUST PIED PIPER CHILDREN’S SERIES
Kid-friendly Saturday-morning concerts for the whole family, with free pre-concert activities starting at 10 am
PETER AND THE WOLF
Saturday, October 1, 2016, at 11 am
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
Wishing Chair Productions, puppet troupe
HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR & SING-ALONG
Saturday, December 3, 2016, at 11 am
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
Saturday, February 4, 2017, at 11 am
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
DR. SEUSS’ GREEN EGGS AND HAM
Saturday, April 8, 2017, at 11 am
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
Singer & narrator to be announced
SPECIAL EVENTS
Gala Opening Night
BEN FOLDS’ PIANO CONCERTO
Saturday, September 10, 2016, at 8:30 pm
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Ben Folds, piano
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Silent Film with Organist Peter Krasinski
Monday, October 31, 2016, at 7:30 pm
MICHAEL W. SMITH
Spirit of Christmas with the Nashville Symphony
Wednesday, December 7, 2016, at 7:30 pm
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
with the Nashville Symphony and Chorus
Thursday, December 15, 2016, at 7 pm
Friday, December 16, 2016, at 8 pm
Saturday, December 17, 2016, at 8 pm
Sunday, December 18, 2016, at 3 pm
Christopher Warren-Green, conductor
