Nashville Symphony Earns Award for Adventurous Programming

Nashville Symphony is one of 24 American orchestras honored with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. The awards were announced on June 8, at the League of American Orchestras' annual conference in Dallas, and recognize orchestras that challenge the audience, build the repertoire and increase interest in the music of our time. Nashville Symphony was recognized with a second-place award for Programming of Contemporary Music because of its focus on showcasing the work of contemporary American composers, including Béla Fleck, Terry Riley and Richard Danielpour.

The League of American Orchestras and ASCAP present the awards each year to orchestras of all sizes. Approximately $700,000 dollars have been bestowed on orchestras since the awards were established in 1947.

"We are excited to be recognized for this award," says President and CEO Alan Valentine. "The Nashville Symphony has an extensive history of commissioning, premiering and recording contemporary American music. When the orchestra performs a brand-new piece, it adds to the excitement of the concert-going experience and allows us to hear the classics in a fresh context. We will continue our commitment to new music with more commissions and world premieres in the seasons to come."

Over the past year, the Nashville Symphony performed the following new works:

· Béla Fleck's Concerto for Banjo - world premiere and Nashville Symphony commission

· Richard Danielpour's Darkness in the Ancient Valley - world premiere and Nashville Symphony commission

· Daniel Bernard Roumain's Dancers, Dreamers and Presidents - Nashville premiere and co-commission with Sphinx Organization Commissioning Consortium

· Terry Riley's Palmian Chord Ryddle - world premiere and Nashville Symphony commission

· Roberto Sierra's Sinfonia No. 4 and Fandangos, both of which will be featured on an upcoming Nashville Symphony recording