Nashville Symphony’s Community Concerts, A Beloved Summertime Tradition, Returns to Regional Parks Throughout Middle Tennessee June 7–11
Five outdoor performances feature summertime classics
Are fun for the whole family, and absolutely free
Nashville, Tenn. (May 11, 2023) – The Nashville Symphony has announced dates and programs for their popular annual Community Concerts, a beloved summer tradition throughout Middle Tennessee. From June 7 through 11, the Orchestra will perform free concerts in local parks and communities in Davidson, Macon, Sumner, and Wilson counties.
Nashville Symphony Associate Conductor Nathan Aspinall will conduct a program featuring American classics including Aaron Copland’s “Hoe Down” from Rodeo, Samuel Ward’s America the Beautiful, and Bob Lowden’s Armed Forces Salute; John Williams’ “Flight to Neverland” from the score of the movie Hook; “Kum Ba Yah” from Adolphus Hailstork’s Three Spirituals for Orchestra. The Orchestra will also perform popular excerpts from Georges Bizet’s Carmen; and a summertime favorite, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
“The Nashville Symphony audience extends well beyond the walls of Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and our parks concerts are one of the best ways we can connect with our extended community,” said Tonya McBride Robles, Nashville Symphony Chief Operating Officer. “We invite our neighbors, one and all, to pack a picnic and join us in one of our beautiful parks.”
Several of the concert locations will offer pre-concert activities and food options, and concertgoers are encouraged to pack a picnic and come early to enjoy a beautiful summer evening in the parks. More information can be found at NashvilleSymphony.org/CommunityConcerts.
Benefits, Inc. sponsors the Nashville Symphony’s Free Community Concerts. Thank you also to Publix Super Market Charities, Middle Tennessee Electric, and Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County for providing funds to make these free concerts possible.
Aaron Copland: “Hoe Down” from Rodeo
Aaron Copland: “Saturday Night Waltz” from Four Dance Episodes Antonin Dvorak: Slavonic Dance Op. 72 No. 2
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 6
Rafael Hernandez/Gonzales: El Cumbanchero
Georges Bizet: Excerpts from Carmen
Prelude and aragonaise Habenera
Intermezzo
Danse Boheme
John Williams: Flight to Neverland
Aldolphus Hailstork: “Kum Ba Yah” from Three Spirituals for Orchestra Samuel Ward/arr. Alfred Reed: America the Beautiful
Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Historic Rock Castle*
Wednesday, June 7 at 7:30 pm
139 Rockcastle Lane
Hendersonville, TN 37053
Sumner County
Presented by Friends of Rock Castle
Additional pre-concert performances to be announced Rain location: Hendersonville High School
Musicians Corner Stage, Centennial Park*
Thursday, June 8 at 7:30 pm
2500 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Davidson County
Co-presented with Musicians Corner Pre-concert performances to be announced
Key Park Pavilion
Friday, June 9, 7:30 PM
208 Church Street
Lafayette, TN 37083
Macon County
Presented by Macon County Arts Council Rain location: Lafayette Elementary School
Cumberland University Memorial Lawn*
Saturday, June 10, 7:30 PM
1 Cumberland Square
Lebanon, TN 37087
Wilson County
Presented by Cumberland University Fine Arts Council Pre-concert performances to be announced
Rain location: Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena
Smith Springs Community Center
Sunday, June 11, 4:00 PM
2801 Smith Springs Road Nashville, TN 37217
Davidson County
*There will be concessions vendors at these locations
About the Nashville Symphony
Since 1946, Nashville Symphony has served as the primary ambassador for classical music in Music City and throughout Middle Tennessee. Currently led by Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero, the ensemble is internationally acclaimed for its focus on contemporary American orchestral music through collaborations with composers including Jennifer Higdon, Terry Riley, Joan Tower, and Aaron Jay Kernis; commissioning and recording projects with Nashville-based artists including Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Ben Folds and Victor Wooten; and for its 14 GRAMMY® Awards. In addition to the classical season, the orchestra performs concerts in a wide range of genres, from pops to live-to-film movie scores, family-focused presentations, holiday events, jazz and cabaret evenings, summertime concerts in the parks, and more.
An established leader in the Nashville and regional arts and cultural communities, the Symphony spearheads groundbreaking community partnerships and initiatives, notably, Violins of Hope Nashville, which engaged tens of thousands of Middle Tennesseans through concerts, exhibits, lectures by spotlighting a historic collection of instruments played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. Similarly, this spring, the Nashville Symphony presented the world premiere of an epic opera commissioned from Hannibal Lokumbe, The Jonah People: A Legacy of Struggle and Triumph. Retracing his family’s ancestry and journey from slavery to the present day, Hannibal’s story celebrates the spirit of those who endured and thrived to become Black visionaries and world changers. More at nashvillesymphony.org.
In addition to support from Metro Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission, Nashville Symphony is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Nashville Symphony is also supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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