ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS Recording Projects & Releases In 2018/19, the Nashville Symphony continued to build on its reputation as one of the most prolific recording orchestras in the United States with four active projects, all recorded live at Schermerhorn Symphony Center: • Aaron Jay Kernis’ Symphony No. 4, “Chromelodeon” and Color Wheel (release date: June 2020) • Christopher Rouse’s Concerto for Orchestra, Symphony No. 5 and Supplica (release date: July 2020) • Tobias Picker’s The Encantadas and Opera Without Words (release date: August 2020) • John Adams’ Harmonielehre (release date: early 2021) During the 2018/19 season, the Nashville Symphony also issued two new releases on Naxos: • John Harbison’s Requiem • Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 4, “Heichalos,” featuring the Violins of Hope Browse a complete list of recordings at NashvilleSymphony.org/recordings. Performance Highlights 2018/19 kicked off with a night of Leonard Bernstein, headlined by selections from On the Waterfront and West Side Story, in celebration of the centennial of the composer’s birth. The Symphony presented its third installment of the HD Odyssey series, featuring Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony accompanied by images of deep space from NASA. Messiaen’s large-scale masterpiece Turangalîla-Symphonie closed the season, featuring JeanYves Thibaudet on piano and Cynthia Millar on the ondes Martenot, a rare instrument utilized by Messiaen throughout his career. Other performance highlights included works by Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Mahler and a blend of established and new works by American composers, including John Corigliano, Samuel Barber, Michael Torke and more. Key Projects The Nashville Symphony hosted the League of American Orchestras’ national conference in June 2019, which convened thousands of leaders from across our industry to discuss trends in classical music, with a keynote speech by Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero. Working in partnership with Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Symphony created and presented Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with an original film by internationally renowned filmmaker Duncan Copp. Presented in a four-night run of sold-out performances, the project brought this bawdy medieval text vividly to life and made it relevant to contemporary audiences. The Symphony was proud to open its home to Casa de la Cultura and other local organizations to present México en el Corazón, a free mariachi celebration at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Nashville Symphony continued to engage in a long-term initiative committed to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, including the establishment of an EDIB work group and mandatory anti-racism training for staff. In recognition of this vital work, the Nashville Symphony received grant awards from the League of American Orchestras and Metro Arts, Nashville’s Office of Arts and Culture, to keep the work moving forward. 2 NASHVILLE SYMPHONY | 2018/19 ANNUAL REPORT
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