Nashville Symphony’s Fifth Annual Spirits of Summer: Live Music and Craft Cocktail Competition
Popular fundraising event to feature notable mixologists from trendy restaurants and bars paired with music performed by the Nashville Symphony on Tuesday, June 27
Nashville, Tenn. (May 1, 2023) – Spirits of Summer, a widely popular fundraising event supporting the Nashville Symphony, will take place at Schermerhorn Symphony Center Tuesday, June 27. Blending the experience of a live orchestra performance and a cocktail competition, the curated concert event pairs musical works with creatively crafted cocktails designed by notable Nashville mixologists. The event is presented annually by Crescendo Club, the Nashville Symphony’s young professional organization. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit nashvillesymphony.org/sos.
Following the theme “Symphony Royale,” VIP guests kick off the evening in a High Rollers Lounge complete with gaming tables, open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, and champagne. In the main event, Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads four musical selections while each mixologist presents how the piece inspired their cocktail. The audience will experience a journey of all the senses, enjoying signature cocktails paired with the music while comparing tasting notes with friends and enjoying delicious bites between each “round.” At the end of the night, the audience votes for their favorite music and cocktail pairing, with the winning mixologist taking home the Symphony’s Spirits of Summer award and a Nashville Symphony prize package. After the concert, the audience is invited to mix and mingle with Nashville Symphony musicians and the mixologists.
This year’s event is chaired by Catherine Grace (Associate Board, Spirits of Summer Chair) and Hank Ingram (Board of Directors, Secretary; Associate Board, Chair Emeritus). Spirits of Summer began in 2017 to raise awareness of and funds for the Symphony among Nashville’s young professional community. “Spirits of Summer is truly a one-of-a-kind experience in our community,” said Catherine Grace. “The event showcases the incredible artistry and creativity of both our city’s world-class Nashville Symphony and craft cocktail scene and embodies the collaborative spirit our city is known for.”
Featured mixologists include Ryan Barrentine (The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club), Bode Craig (Otto’s Bar), Antonio Gutierrez (The Greenhouse), and Jonathan Vereecken (The Optimist), with award presentation by 2022 Spirits of Summer Craft Cocktail Award Winner Rhonda Cammon (Perfectly Cordial). The musical program includes an exciting range of compositions including works by Matt Catingub, George S. Clinton, Sverre Indris Joner, Monty Norman, and John Barry.
“I look forward to Spirits of Summer every year because it is a such a unique musical event in a town full of options,” said Hank Ingram. “Not only is the experience inside the hall special, but so is the opportunity to sample the work of some of the best mixologists working in Nashville today.”
Spirits of Summer is supported by Advanced Financial, Akerman, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Nissan, FirstBank, and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Nashville Symphony, whose mission is to inspire and engage a diverse and growing community with extraordinary live orchestral music experiences. Event tickets go on sale May 2 at a starting price of $75.
About The Crescendo Club: The Crescendo Club is a dynamic group of Nashville-area young professionals ages 21-40 who share a love of music and a desire to support the Nashville Symphony’s artistic and educational mission. Join Crescendo Club to network, enjoy amazing performances at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and get special, behind-the-scenes access to Music City’s biggest band, the Nashville Symphony.
About the Nashville Symphony: The Nashville Symphony has been the primary ambassador for classical music in Music City since 1946. 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 and 27 nominations. In addition to its 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, 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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