Incoming Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Dan Allcott

The Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra is ramping up for another season, and it has a lot to offer. Formerly better known as the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, this musical organization’s reach continues to grow throughout the Middle Tennessee area. While the season usually begins in autumn, this summer the orchestra participated in three local events including the Uncle Dave Macon Days music festival, which celebrates the rich heritage of traditional music and the namesake Grand Ole Opry Hall-of-Famer Uncle Dave Macon.

In addition to adding summer performances, the TPO is also interested in branching out into more community events. This fall the orchestra will participate in local gatherings celebrating culture and history. Ultimately, they want to have a bigger presence in the community.

Jane McNulty, a wellness-based piano instructor in Murfreesboro and president of the TPO, appeared enthusiastic and passionate about discussing the prospects that the coming year would bring. There’s quite a lineup. Topping the list is an upcoming free concert that is put on in conjunction with Stones River National Battlefield. On Saturday, Aug. 10, citizens visiting the battlefield will be treated to a performance by the TPO Brass Quintet. The 1 p.m. program will run approximately one hour and will feature music from the Civil War era. Before and after the musical portion, a living history event will expose audiences to what historical life at the time would have looked like. Stones River Battlefield will also be hosting a cleanup earlier that day, seeking to maintain the landscape. Volunteers can contact the battlefield for more information.

McNulty also discussed the importance of reaching out to schools and becoming more involved in an educational capacity. Part of the orchestra’s educational initiative includes bringing more music into public schools. They have been meeting with the directors of music and are implementing participation in rotating activities with schools, hoping to create a wider dynamic of music appreciation and a well-rounded educational experience. The TPO has scheduled two promising events to assist in these efforts that will serve as fundraisers for their educational initiatives and other endeavors. There will be a Swing Band event in the fall and a Green Tie Casino event in the spring. Both programs will offer an evening of fun for a very worthy cause.

In addition, TPO is welcoming Dan Allcott to its team. He will be joining the orchestra as music director, and brings with him an impressive history. Along with holding a master’s degree in cello performance, he has served in a wide range of musical positions from conducting an extensive list of orchestras, including the Indianapolis and Dallas Symphonies and the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, as well as continuing to perform on a national level as a cellist. He was named the first Herbert von Karajan Fellow of the American Austrian Foundation at the Salzburg Festival, and is Professor of Music at the University of Tennessee where he has achieved distinguished honors and awards.

With all the excitement surrounding the new season, I wanted to know TPO Vice President Terry Goodin’s thoughts.

“So much of it is a matter of what parents and families value. I know that in my case, my mom took me to the opera a lot, and I just got hooked on opera and on the storytelling component of the opera,” Goodin said. “It was, to me, fascinating, and changed my life. It made me more aware that there’s this bigger world; a world of expression and adventure that is contained in the music, and the whole storytelling component of the music. I think that’s so important for our kids to get.”

Goodin added that opening our children’s minds to the broader range of life that music portrays is essential, and that all the arts contribute in a holistic manner. He believes that having a greater exposure to the arts will help children test higher in other areas of academia as well.

Following the Aug. 10 brass show at Stones River Battlefield, the TPO will open its full season on Sept. 26 with Time Travel—Music You Didn’t Know You Knew.

With such an exciting season ahead and so many opportunities to look forward to, the broader reach that the Tennessee Philharmonic Symphony has sought to extend is beginning to come to fruition. The current lineup of events, information and tickets to these and other events are available at tnphil.org.