Statements
Mission
The Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO), an all-volunteer community orchestra featuring amateur and professional players from throughout Middle Tennessee, is proud to play its part in enriching the already vibrant Nashville arts community. Our mission is to offer area orchestral musicians opportunities to perform while providing high-quality symphonic music free of charge to a wide variety of audiences.
Background
The Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO) is Nashville's leading volunteer community orchestra. We perform classical symphonic repertoire, including works by local composers. Founded in 2004, the NPO provides high-quality symphonic music free of charge to a variety of audiences while offering orchestral musicians opportunities to learn and perform. Our audiences are diverse because of the NPO's tradition of performing in many different parts of the city--in churches, community centers, schools, and libraries associated with persons of varied cultural backgrounds. Total yearly concert attendance stands at about 3000. The NPO has achieved this level of community impact through active outreach and publicity. The musicians of the NPO are a diverse group of over 80 musicians varying in age from 20's to 70's, with musical proficiency ranging from skilled amateur to conservatory-trained professional.We enjoy highly qualified professional artistic leadership. Our Music Director is Christopher Norton, Professor of Music at Belmont University. The NPO Concertmaster position is local violinist and frequent recording session musician Janet Darnall. The dedicated volunteer Board of Directors assist the orchestra with community sponsorships and support, public relations, grant procurement, and community outreach. Our expanding part-time staff role of Operations Director is filled by Alan Fey.
Impact
The Nashville Philharmonic continues to reach new audiences and build relationships with existing ones, performing free concerts at venues including Casa de Dios, St. George's Episcopal Church, Plaza Mariachi, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Apollo Middle School, East Nashville Magnet High School, and more within recent years. The ensemble also continues to grow artistically, performing some of the most challenging orchestral repertoire ever written and attracting talented performers from across the region. As the NPO begins our 20th Anniversary Season, we are launching a new website, a new brand identity, screening a new documentary film, and will be presenting the world premiere of a new commission by renowned composer Brian Raphael Nabors.
The organization's annual campaign, grants program, and sponsorship relationships continue to grow, and the NPO continues to cultivate collaborative relationships and invest in ways that improve the experience of the musicians. NPO recently begun implementing our three-year Strategic Plan, which includes increased resources available to our musicians, increased outreach to "non-traditional" venues (such as Plaza Mariachi), an increased role for our recently-promoted Operations Director, and additional performances outside our typical 8-concert season. Over the next year the NPO hopes to continue to reach larger audiences, expand its concert sponsorships, continue to pursue innovative collaborations with local artists and performers, and expand the artistic opportunities that they provide for their musicians.
Needs
The NPO seeks to build stronger relationships with its venue partners and the communities they serve. By involving community members as audience members, musicians, committee members, volunteers, and directors, they hope to create lasting relationships that increase interest and participation in orchestral music. The NPO also needs to develop more concert sponsorships and diversify its grant funders. This increased capacity will allow the group to reach greater audiences and also to develop more artistic and learning opportunities for the members of the NPO.
CEO Statement
The Nashville Philharmonic has been around for 20 years, growing in membership and quality as an orchestra, matched by a growth in audience size and diversity. It is an all-volunteer community orchestra with extraordinary diversity in membership with regard to age, ethnicity, musical training, and socioeconomic background. The NPO brings free programs of symphonic music to individuals--particularly traditionally underserved groups--who may have never attended a classical orchestral concert before. The musicians also volunteer in myriad non-musical capacities for the NPO, performing many of the tasks essential to the operation of the organization, such as setting up chairs and stands for rehearsals, and assisting with marketing efforts. The NPO involves professional musicians from the community as leaders, coaches, soloists, and volunteers. An annual concerto competition, with winners performing on NPO concerts, recognizes outstanding amateur musicians in the community. The programming includes standard symphonic repertoire, but also includes the works of local living composers, and in 2013 the NPO started a composition competition to promote the performance of new symphonic music. The willingness of professional and amateur musicians to volunteer and support the NPO is inspiring. It demonstrates the importance of symphonic music to both performers and audience members alike, and brings together diverse elements of the Nashville community in the name of music.
Board Chair Statement
Listening to great music can be a stress-reducing, entertaining, thought-provoking, and even healing experience. The performing arts are an essential part of a healthy community, and the abundance of live music is part of what makes Nashville such an appealing place to live. The Nashville Philharmonic presents free concerts at venues across the city -- anyone can attend a performance, forgetting for a time the distractions and interruptions of the everyday world. As Nashville's largest volunteer community orchestra, the NPO also provides an opportunity for amateur and part-time musicians -- many of them doctors, lawyers, teachers, or scientists by trade -- to perform great orchestral music. For them, this can be a powerful learning experience and form of self-expression. The NPO seeks to grow in a way that capitalizes on its volunteer tradition, following the belief that orchestral music should be a part of the community at large. Investments in equipment and instruments allow us to perform at a wider range of venues. Effective marketing builds audience relationships and connects with potential orchestra members. Strong administration and stewardship will create more opportunities for the musicians of the NPO to perform great music and share it with audiences across the community for years to come.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Symphony Orchestras |
| Secondary Category: | - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
| TN - Davidson |
| TN |
| TN - Williamson |
