Featured Art Connection
Nashville Opera
Nashville Opera is a community-based, locally-funded non-profit organization dedicated to creating legendary productions and programs. Its main stage performances at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center play to over 17,000 people annually, last season playing to an average of 94 percent capacity.
Governed by a 39 member Board of Directors and a 23 member Advisory Board, the Opera has a staff of 13 dedicated employees and a 300 member volunteer Guild. Nashville Opera is proud to be the largest opera company in Tennessee and one of the fastest growing opera companies in the nation.
Nashville Opera productions are made possible by the generous support of guardian sponsors, HCA-TriStar and Ingram. Season Sponsors include the Nashville Opera Guild, Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission. Baldwin is the official piano of Nashville Opera. The Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel is the official hotel of Nashville Opera.
Nashville Chamber Orchestra
Loosen the tie, and prep your ears for something different. This isn’t the symphony, and this definitely isn’t your parents’ chamber orchestra. The Nashville Chamber Orchestra (NCO) provides “Music Without Boundaries” for Nashvillians, and while nationally recognized for its traditional sounds, the NCO’s reputation for breaking musical molds makes it stand out as a leader in the field.
NCO is a leader in the community as well. Their education initiatives – benefiting our community’s youth – include the award winning and GRAMMY nominated songwriting project Kid Pan Alley and the nationally heralded ENCORE project for teens.
Kid Pan Alley Nashville, a project NCO did in collaboration with Kid Pan Alley founder Paul Reisler, presents a creative environment for children to co-write songs with acclaimed songwriters, help arrange the songs with NCO musicians in their classrooms, and then record the songs with celebrity artists. The 2003 project’s grand finale was a CD release concert with the NCO and celebrity guest artists at the Ryman Auditorium that was attended by 1,900 students, their family members, teachers and community leaders.
The NCO created the interactive ENCORE Project (East Nashville Concert OutReach & Education) in partnership with NashvilleREAD, which presented programs to develop creative thinking skills in young adults working to achieve their GED certification at inner-city community learning centers. The program concluded with a concert and luncheon in East Nashville honoring the student’s participation. This program was featured at the 1997 National Family Literacy Conference in Louisville, KY, as a model of integrating the arts into family literacy programs.
This season, the NCO boasts an all-new lineup, two exciting musical series and a groundbreaking online initiative “Uncovered,” offering an insider’s look at the creative process.
Under the direction of music director Paul Gambill, the NCO kicked off its three-concert Adventure Series at the Schermerhorn Center with TANGO! in partnership with Tango Nashville on October 13. Remaining Adventure Series performances include the NCO’s Thanksgiving Celebration concerts November 23 & 24 r – featuring the NCO Gospel Choir; and on March 8, 2008, “Music Of The Spirit” featuring the NCO Chorus.
The NCO’s Acoustic Cafe Series at Grace Chapel in Leipers Fork launched with Artist-in-residence Darrel Scott’s November 2 performance with the NCO String Quartet and the Acoustic All-Stars – a group composed of Nashville’s finest studio and touring musicians. Upcoming Acoustic Cafe performances will include February 2008’s An NCO Valentine with world-renowned, Nashville-based singer/songwriters Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss, Gretchen Peters and Raul Malo; and Darrell Scott’s Artist-in-Residence finale performance with Appalachian and Cajun phenomenon Dirk Powell and Balfa Toujours with the NCO String Quintet.
Further demonstrating “Music Without Boundaries,” the NCO has also launched NCO Uncovered. As any creative entity must, the NCO is meeting and exceeding expectations for technological integration with the artistic experience and the marketplace. Reaching out to all nations, the NCO is pioneering unexplored territory with Uncovered, a behind-the-scenes look at how the music is made. Fans pay a one-time fee for one year’s access to never-before-seen footage, interviews and more as the orchestra works on new music and recordings, collaborating with stellar performers who share the same vision. It’s VIP access at the click of a mouse.
The first NCO Uncovered project, which was launched in July, features NCO artist-in-residence and famed guitarist, John Jorgenson (Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, Elton John), as he collaborates with the NCO to make new music. Next up is NCO Uncovered, a glimpse at Nashville’s world-class orchestra as it prepares for it’s latest season, creating new compositions and more. Fans will especially appreciate the access Uncovered gives them to relive the best from both the Adventure and Acoustic series.
The NCO’s mission to engage and inspire audiences and musicians with the innovative presentation of traditional classical repertory and new music that celebrates Nashville’s eclectic music community is being fulfilled right here in Middle Tennessee – and new with Uncovered, worldwide!
Season tickets are available as well as on a per-show basis. For a full schedule and tickets call 615-322-1226 or visit www.nco.org
Nashville Public Television
Nashville Public Television is committed to providing Middle Tennessee with high-quality arts and educational programming, including exceptional locally produced programs focused on culture, arts, music, history and public affairs. NPT chronicles and preserves the many facets of Middle Tennessee’s rich cultural landscape through locally produced documentaries and performance programs which have aired nationally including The Carter Family, Christmas at Belmont, Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues, Rachel and Andrew Jackson: A Love Story and Deford Bailey: A Legend Lost. On September 9, 2006, NPT presented the live, high-definition broadcast of the Nashville Symphony’s inaugural concert from Schermerhorn Symphony Center. In December 2006, NPT shared an hour-long version of One Symphony Place with a national audience on PBS, reaching over 80% of U.S. households.
Other local documentaries which provide a wider view of the region’s history and culture include Beautiful Tennessee: Our Scenic Waterways, Tennessee Town Squares, The Ryman, Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust, Memories of Nashville and Designed for Worship. NPT is also the home to one of the few programs in the nation offering in-depth discussion with authors as A Word on Words with John Seigenthaler continues its 34th year. In addition to this local focus, NPT serves many hundreds of thousands of arts patrons on a yearly basis through the broadcast of PBS programs such as Great Performances, American Masters, Live from Lincoln Center, Power of Art, Masterpiece Theatre, Art 21: Art in the 21st Century, Andy Warhol, How Art Made the World and Renoir to Rothko: The Eye of Duncan Phillips.
NPT’s commitment to Nashville’s arts community is typified by NPT Arts Break, http://www.wnpt.net/arts/home/index.html a series of three minute shorts highlighting exhibitions and performances throughout the area. Arts Break airs on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings, immediately following Tennessee Crossroads, NPT’s most watched hour of the week and are seen by over 219,000 individuals each month―reaching new, non-traditional audiences for the arts. Since the program began in 2003, over 100 Arts Breaks have aired, providing a rich and diverse snapshot of Nashville’s dynamic cultural community to NPT viewers and website visitors.
NPT has become a true home for the arts in Nashville through the exceptional alliance of well-matched organizations which are now headquartered under one roof at NPT’s 161 Rains Avenue campus. In recognition of the challenges that many creative organizations in Nashville face, NPT’s leadership has developed strategic partnerships with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, the Nashville Film Festival and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. This convergence of creative organizations all housed on the same campus presents a unique opportunity for the advancement of television, film and performing arts in Nashville.
One of NPT highest priorities is educational programming for children which reaches more than 75% of homes with children ages 2-5. Each week NPT provides over 69 hours of children’s programming designed to ensure that the youngest viewers arrive at kindergarten ready to learn, well-versed in basic concepts such as counting, the alphabet and colors. Community-based workshops and on-line resources for parents and children enhance the impact of this programming. NPT2, NPT’s first digital channel offers locally based educational, civic and cultural programs, series and documentaries including coverage of the State House of Representatives. Through partnerships with educational and cultural institutions including Vanderbilt, Belmont and Fisk Universities and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, NPT2 is presenting educational lecture series and events and providing an avenue to information that was previously unavailable.
Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (TNVLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal assistance and education to low-income artists of all disciplines and emerging nonprofit arts organizations located in the greater Nashville area.
TNVLA volunteer lawyers help artists and arts organizations of all disciplines including painters, musicians, playwrights, authors, photographers, songwriters, graphic artists, dancers, filmmakers, actors, poets, sculptors, craft organizations, theater companies, visual arts organizations and others pursuing or supporting artistic endeavors.
TNVLA also educates artists and arts organizations about their legal rights and responsibilities with our seminar programs, free clinics and resource library. We conduct several seminars each month on various art law and business matters, often in partnership with other nonprofit organizations or the Vanderbilt University Law School Community and Economic Development Clinic. To see the current schedule of upcoming seminars, please visit our website at www.tnvla.org (click on “Calendar”). Past seminars include Copyright Basics, Legal Issues for Filmmakers, Nonprofit Board Member Rights and Responsibilities, and Understanding the Visual Artists Rights Act.
If you think you might need legal assistance or to find out more about the services we provide, contact TNVLA at (615) 312-7224 or tennesseevla@gmail.com. Many of the questions we receive from artists and arts organizations can be answered by TNVLA staff or resolved by our educational programs. If you need additional assistance, TNVLA can connect you with one of our volunteer lawyers.
To find out more about TNVLA and our programs, please visit www.tnvla.org.
Tango Nashville
At Tango Nashville, we like to inspire people to connect. Our Tango Aficionados, Tango ‘Curious’ and our dance Troupe and Board Members interact with each other, using the tango as an excuse. We connect thru the dance, thru the music, thru the social gatherings and, mostly, thru the enthusiasm to grow both personally and professionally by means of this connection.
We thrive in our joint initiatives with partner organizations, and get a kick – literally! – out of the excitement Tango generates in the younger audiences. We go on-site to present live dance and music performances, regular dance classes/workshops and cultural programs to spread the word about not just the many cultures that have contributed to the Argentine Tango, but also the health benefits of dancing the Tango, from boosting brain power to building self-esteem.
All our programs are tailored to the specific audience we serve: from elementary school kids to Seniors.
Giving back to those who support us makes us ‘kick up our heels’ and motivates our partners and sponsors to get involved. We’d love to have you connect with us. Please check us out online at www.tangonashville.com, and let us know how we can connect…and remember…it takes Two to Tango!
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival
As The Nashville Shakespeare Festival celebrates its 20th season of producing Shakespeare in The Park, it is poised to bring its other year round programs and services into the spotlight. Established in 1988, NSF enriches the lives of Middle Tennesseans with bold, innovative and relevant productions, setting the community standard of excellence in productions of Shakespeare. NSF employs Nashville’s finest theater artists to create innovative programs accessible to audiences of all ages, cultural backgrounds and socio-economic circumstances. NSF provides intensive workshops in the classroom! One teacher commented; “Your presentations to my classes, both English and Theatre have been excellent. Not only was there a lot of concrete information presented, but you did it with an enthusiasm and energy that drew in the students. It is always good for them to have information from outside sources. It is fresh and corroborates what the teacher has said as well. Additionally the interaction with you and the NSF has involved many of my students in the Shakespeare Monologue Competition, the high school summer workshop, and attending the summer productions. They have a relationship with Shakespeare and the power of language they would not have had.” “Our commitment to give back to business is strong.” stated Executive Director, Nancy VanReece. “We have a plan to provide workshops for business to assist in sales and marketing presentation skills as well as accredited continued education workshops for the legal profession.” NSF will have a full calendar! We are offering two bodacious comedies this summer to celebrate our 20 years in Centennial Park. In one, set to a New Orleans Mardi Gras theme, The Merry Wives of Windsor will trick the self obsessed Falstaff into making a grand fool of himself to the delight of the entire community, and in the other, The Two Gentlemen of Verona will discover that when life is a circus, it’s best to be one of the clowns. Education workshops begin in the autumn with our intensive Winter Teen program that will coincide with our production of Hamlet at the newly dedicated Trout Theater on the Belmont University campus. Spring will bring more workshops as they go into the traditional summer season at the park. For more information visit www.nashvilleshakes.org
The Metro Nashville Arts Commission
The Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission is a department of the Metro Nashville Government. The MNAC exists to provide leadership that stimulates and advances the arts to enrich the human experience for the community. To achieve this aim, The Metro Arts Commission promotes organizational stability and growth fosters excellence generates awareness increases accessibility responds to diverse community needs facilitates cooperation and partnerships The Metro Arts Commission carries out its mission with the wide-spread involvement of many volunteers, commission members and a small staff, including the executive director, special assistant to the director, development coordinator, program coordinator, secretary and web consultant. The MNAC administers a sizable city grants program that has grown significantly in recent years. Over $2.4 million was awarded in FY’03. In addition, the MNAC seeks and oversees public arts funding, such as the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts Build Communities grants in middle Tennessee. The Metro Arts Commission serves arts organizations, individual artists, and the general public as a facilitator, technical assistance provider, and partner-collaborator with other arts groups. Specifically, the Arts Commission presents workshops focusing on arts related issues. The Metro Nashville Arts Commissions website is www.artsnashville.org
