Eight months after massive flooding caused nearly $40 million in damages to Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Nashville Symphony’s concert hall will reopen to the public with a New Year’s Eve concert.
Featuring violin virtuoso, Itzhak Perlman, and the Nashville Symphony, the performance will be led by Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero. A countdown to 2011 will follow the entertainment.
While the symphony has never offered a New Year’s Eve event, Guerrero says “the fact that it sold out pretty quickly shows that people might want something like this in the future.
“We’ll hopefully start the new year with the right foot again,” he said. “This is going to be a first for all of us.”
The early-May flooding damaged the basement and many behind-the-scenes areas, according to Guerrero. While the concert hall itself wasn’t touched, the entire Schermerhorn has been out of commission, forcing the symphony to perform elsewhere.
“We have been moving around—TPAC (Tennessee Performing Arts Center), War Memorial Auditorium, Lipscomb University—we’ve been in a few places around town that have been kind enough to open their doors and allow us to play while renovations take place,” Guerrero continued.
And concertgoers have followed the symphony from venue to venue.
Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero
“People have continued attending our concerts as we’ve been kind of nomadic over the past few months—it’s actually very impressive to us,” he said. “And the orchestra itself has also been very flexible. All of the musicians have been grateful for not canceling any shows.”
Symphony executives also organized the Nashville Symphony Council, a group of more than 450 civic, business and government leaders from Davidson, Sumner, Wilson, Rutherford and Williamson counties who have come together to support Tennessee’s largest performing arts organization. The Council aims to increase awareness of the Nashville Symphony and its benefits to residents in all of Middle Tennessee, not just Davidson County.
At its first group meeting, the Nashville Symphony Council featured Kevin P. Lavender, Fifth Third Bank senior vice president, who serves with Howard Stringer as co-chair of the Nashville Symphony Council.
Lavender said the large crowd attending the meeting “shows that leaders from across Middle Tennessee really understand the benefits that our region reaps from having a world-class orchestra.”
Upon its reopening, Guerrero says the symphony orchestra will return with great sound and great performances.
“We are beyond thrilled about returning to Schermerhorn Symphony Center,” said Nashville Symphony President and CEO Alan Valentine. “This is a truly momentous occasion, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by having Itzhak (Perlman) join the orchestra. We are deeply honored that he has decided to spend his New Year’s Eve with us.”
One of the world’s best-known classical soloists since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963, Perlman has a long history with the orchestra, having first appeared with the Nashville Symphony in 1967.
Guerrero emphasized that live orchestral music is for everyone to hear and to appreciate.
“One of the greatest plans that I have for the future is making it available to everyone—whether Classical music is relatively new (to someone), you can appreciate music in all of its glory,” he said. “Once someone takes the leap and attends a concert for the first time, there’s a great likelihood that they’re going to be hooked because it’s probably going to exceed their expectations.”
Guerrero says regardless of education, income level or background, “music is for everybody, and the Nashville Symphony is available to perform for everyone. All you need to enjoy great music is a pair of ears.”
