Nashville Symphony: Upcoming May Events
Nashville Symphony May 2026 Concerts Feature
Music Director Laureate Giancarlo Guerrero Conducting
Bartók, Rimsky-Korsakov, and the Live Recordings of Two Mason Bates Works;
A Special Concert Featuring Renée Fleming with the Nashville Symphony;
Guest Conductor Bret Michaels Conducting Barber, Beethoven, and Edgar Meyer; and
Guest Conductor Teddy Abrams Closing the 2025/26 Classical Season with
Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Mason Bates’s Silicon Hymnal
Plus:
- Steep Canyon Rangers with the Nashville Symphony
- Michael Feinstein’s Tribute to Tony Bennett
- How to Train Your Dragon in Concert
- Mo Sabri’s Tennessee Desi
NASHVILLE, TN—April 1, 2026 The Nashville Symphony’s May 2026 schedule features Music Director Laureate Giancarlo Guerrero conducting performances of Bartók, Rimsky-Korsakov, and live recordings of Mason Bates’s Passage for mezzo-soprano, orchestra & laptop and The Rhapsody of Steve Jobs; Guerrero conducting one special night of the Nashville Symphony alongside soprano Renée Fleming; guest conductor Bret Michaels conducting Barber, Beethoven, and Edgar Meyer alongside Meyer himself and Nashville Symphony principal percussionist Sam Bacco; guest conductor Teddy Abrams conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Mason Bates’s Silicon Hymnal; a symphonic evening with Steep Canyon Rangers; a three-night tribute to Tony Bennett; live-to-film concerts of How to Train Your Dragon; and a historic Eid concert with singer/songwriter Mo Sabri. Listed concerts, dates, times, and pricing subject to change.
The Miraculous Mandarin and Music of Bates
Friday, May 1 & Saturday, May 2, 7:30 PM; Sunday, May 3, 2:00 PM
Tickets: Starting at $29
LIVE RECORDING
Technology meets tradition in this bold and forward-thinking program featuring two works by GRAMMY® Award-winning American composer Mason Bates – both being recorded live for future release. Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron shines in Passage, an emotionally charged fusion of orchestra and electronics that pays tribute to John F. Kennedy. Bates’s The Rhapsody of Steve Jobs is heard in a new light with the premiere of a specially arranged orchestral suite, offering a fresh perspective on the visionary tech icon. The program concludes with Bartók’s explosive The Miraculous Mandarin, a provocative work filled with raw energy, complex rhythms, and dramatic flair. With Maestro Guerrero returning to the podium and the microphones rolling, this is your chance to be part of a truly groundbreaking recording event.
Steep Canyon Rangers with the Nashville Symphony
Wednesday, May 6, 7:30 PM
Tickets: Starting at $36
Steep Canyon Rangers have long held traditional bluegrass paramount, while possessing an exceptional ability to bring it down the mountain, and to incorporate accessible influence from all walks of the region. With the band’s last few albums, they have gained recognition from well beyond the world of bluegrass, earning a reputation as some of the most influential songwriters in Americana today. Hear the Rangers perform live alongside the Nashville Symphony.
Michael Feinstein’s Tribute to Tony Bennett
Thursday, May 7; Friday, May 8; Saturday, May 9, 7:30 PM
Tickets: Starting at $36
Entertainer extraordinaire Michael Feinstein hits the road for a national tour of Because of You: My Tribute to Tony Bennett, following the program’s sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall. With tunes made famous by Feinstein’s close friend – including “Because of You,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and more – this concert celebrates the songs and stories of the legendary Tony Bennett, whose career spanned more than seven decades, featuring what Feinstein calls “a body of work surpassed by none.”
Friday, May 15 & Saturday, May 16, 7:30 PM
Tickets: Starting at $29
Beethoven’s “Eroica” marks a defining moment in classical music history – a bold work born out of personal crisis and creative transformation. As part of the symphony’s America 250 celebration, this powerful symphony anchors a program that also shines a spotlight on two of Nashville’s own. GRAMMY® Award-winning double bassist Edgar Meyer premieres his Bass Concerto No. 2 alongside the Nashville Symphony’s principal percussionist Sam Bacco. Barber’s explosive Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance opens the program with drama and fire. Don’t miss this thrilling showcase of American artistry—past, present, and future.
The Brightness of Light with Renée Fleming
Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 PM
Tickets: Starting at $71
Internationally celebrated soprano Renée Fleming joins baritone Rod Gilfry and the Nashville Symphony for The Brightness of Light, a powerful concert work written for them by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. Inspired by the deeply personal letters between acclaimed painter Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, the piece traces a relationship shaped by love and art. This multimedia concert features vivid projections of their artwork and correspondence, providing a visual backdrop for two extraordinary voices and the majesty of the Nashville Symphony, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert
Friday, May 22, 7:30 PM; Saturday, May 23, 11:00 AM & 7:30 PM;
Sunday, May 24, 2:00 PM
Tickets: Starting at $70
DreamWorks’s How to Train Your Dragon is a captivating and original story about a young Viking named Hiccup, who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes – a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. Together, these unlikely heroes must fight against all odds to save both their worlds. Featuring John Powell’s Oscar®-nominated score performed live to film, How to Train Your Dragon – In Concert is a thrilling experience for all ages!
Time for Three: Abrams Conducts Bates
Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30, 7:30 PM
Tickets: Starting at $29
Nashville Symphony concludes the Classical Series season as they started, celebrating the spirit of innovation in American music. GRAMMY®- and Emmy-winning trio Time for Three joins GRAMMY®-winning conductor Teddy Abrams for the genre-defying Silicon Hymnal by Mason Bates, a work blending orchestral sound with Bates’s DJing and electronic textures, with their Americana flair. Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”) follows, a sweeping epic that journeys from youthful innocence to triumphant transformation.
Sunday, May 31, 2:00 PM
Tickets: Starting at $25
In his groundbreaking fusion album, Tennessee Desi, vocalist and songwriter Mo Sabri explores the question of origin through music, sharing the story of growing up as a first- generation American in East Tennessee. Before earning national attention –with millions of streams of his take on country music, appearing at the GRAMMY® Awards in a cultural tribute, and participating in a prayer breakfast with the President of the United States – Sabri was raised in the foothills of Appalachia as the son of Muslim immigrants. Celebrate Eid in Music City with this one-of-a-kind concert featuring world-class musicians and a fresh musical perspective on the many musical traditions that shape the American experience. Presented with musicians of the Nashville Symphony.
The Nashville Symphony is where music comes alive for Middle Tennessee and beyond. Founded in 1946, the orchestra performs at the world-class Schermerhorn Symphony Center, presenting a mix of classical masterpieces, groundbreaking new works, jazz, pop, film concerts, and family programming. A champion of contemporary American orchestral music, the Symphony has premiered and recorded works by today’s most celebrated and innovative composers, earning 14 GRAMMY® Awards and 27 nominations. The Nashville Symphony performs nearly 200 concerts each year, including many free and low-cost education and community programs that annually reach nearly 550,000 people of all ages across the Middle Tennessee region. Through broadcasts, recordings, and streaming, the Nashville Symphony reaches an additional 13 million listeners worldwide each year. As a nonprofit organization, the Nashville Symphony is dedicated to enriching the community, inspiring the next generation of music lovers, and showcasing the power of live music to unite and inspire. Learn more at nashvillesymphony.org.
###
