Nashville Symphony to Open 2026/27 Season Under Leonard Slatkin
Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, Storm Large, and Sylvia McNair join the program at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Nashville Symphony will open the 2026/27 Season with a bold bill to celebrate America 250, the 80th Anniversary of the Nashville Symphony, and the 20th Anniversary of Schermerhorn Symphony Center. In his first full season as newly appointed Music Director, Leonard Slatkin conducts a program of American masterworks including Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture, Copland's Old American Songs, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, and Barber's Adagio for Strings. The bill also includes Joan Tower's Made in America, a work for which the Nashville Symphony's recording received its first GRAMMY Award in 2008, and local composer Christina Spinei's Strut. The concerts take place on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Tickets are available at NashvilleSymphony.org/OpeningWeekend.
The concert also features the vocal talents of iconic performers including country legends Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss alongside Pink Martini vocalist Storm Large and two-time GRAMMY Award winner Sylvia McNair.
Additional 2026/27 Season Highlights
Music Director Leonard Slatkin will conduct 6 of the 14 Classical Series programs, featuring seminal works to showcase the virtuosity and versatility of the Orchestra's musicians, including Mozart's Symphony No. 39, Brahms's A German Requiem, Schubert's Symphony No. 9, and Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. In addition to beloved staples of the classical repertoire, the Orchestra continues its commitment to champion American music by featuring music by 20 American composers, including Cindy McTee's Adagio for String Orchestra and African Queens for Soprano and Orchestra by Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson, among others.
With 14 GRAMMY Awards and 27 nominations, the Nashville Symphony is one of the country's most prolific recording orchestras, championing American composers and sharing definitive performances of their music — and the Orchestra — to a global audience. This season, the Orchestra will record live for future commercial release its performances of David Del Tredici's Final Alice for a future commercial release. Music Director Leonard Slatkin leads the theatrical program, which pairs Final Alice with Saint-Saëns' whimsical Carnival of the Animals. Inspired by the final chapters of Alice in Wonderland, Final Alice combines lush orchestral music with visuals and stagecraft, while two-time GRAMMY-winning soprano Hilá Plitmann sings, speaks, narrates, and even performs through a bullhorn. (Jan. 8 & 9, 2027).
Special Events and Presentations
The Orchestra's annual holiday performances of Handel's Messiah with the Nashville Symphony Chorus will be led by Nashville Symphony Chorus Director Tucker Biddlecombe (Dec. 18 to 20). Biddlecombe also conducts two one-night-only programs with the Nashville Symphony and Chorus: Holiday Voices (Dec. 1) and a spring celebration of Bach's birthday featuring eight of his masterworks (Mar. 31, 2027). Nathan Aspinall returns to conduct a program of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 and Symphony No. 2, featuring pianist Inon Barnatan (May 7, 2027).
The Nashville Symphony welcomes the return of the Orchestra's annual holiday performance of Holiday Brass Spectacular returns for one night only (Dec. 13). Other popular holiday offerings include Elf in Concert with the Nashville Symphony (Dec. 2), and the beloved Schermerhorn tradition, Home Alone (Dec. 4 to 6).
The Nashville Symphony's hugely popular Movie Series returns for five hit films, presented in full with the Orchestra performing the scores live. Four feature iconic scores by the legendary composer John Williams: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Nov. 6 to 8), Jurassic Park (Apr. 2 to 4, 2027), Superman (Apr. 30 to May 2, 2027), and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (May 28 to 30). The Orchestra will also perform The Wizard of Oz (Feb. 5 to 7, 2027). Additional live-to-film performances include Top Gun: Maverick (Oct. 7) and Frankenstein (Oct. 27).
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Playhouse Pours Playhouse on the Square (10/08-10/08) |
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The 49th Annual Art Auction Playhouse on the Square (4/24-4/24) |
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Come From Away Chattanooga Theatre Centre (9/01-9/30) |
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An Enemy of the People The Circuit Playhouse (9/11-10/04) |
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The American Revolution (in 40 Minutes or Less!) Chattanooga Theatre Centre (9/01-9/30) |
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Ain't Too Proud Playhouse on the Square (3/26-4/18) |
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Disney's The Little Mermaid Ramsey Theatre Company (6/26-6/27) |
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C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In The Fisher Center at Belmont University (10/17-10/17) |
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The Night Shift Before Christmas The Circuit Playhouse (11/20-12/20) |
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Sister Act Hendersonville Performing Arts Company (5/27-6/13) |