Nashville Symphony Association
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One Symphony Place
Nashville, TN 37201
Organization Details

Executive Director


Executive Director Mr. Alan Valentine
E-mail avalentine@nashvillesymphony.org
Term Start June 1998
Alan's Experience: Alan D. Valentine joined the Nashville Symphony as its President and CEO in June 1998. Since then, he has presided over an unprecedented period of growth at the Symphony, highlighted by 14 GRAMMY Awards and 27 GRAMMY nominations; over 40 highly regarded and best-selling CD releases on Naxos, Decca and other labels; a total of nine national television broadcasts, one of which won the Symphony an Emmy Award; multiple national radio appearances; a critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut and sold-out East Coast tour; two consecutive and very successful endowment campaigns in which a total of $145 million was raised; and the construction of the world-class, acoustically superb Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which opened in September 2006.

Prior to his Nashville appointment, Valentine served for 10 years as executive director of the Oklahoma Philharmonic Society in Oklahoma City, Okla. In addition, he served on the adjunct faculty of Oklahoma City University, where he taught graduate-level arts administration courses. A graduate of the University of Houston, Valentine also served as the chief executive of the Mid-Columbia Symphony in Richland, Wash., the Greensboro (N.C.) Symphony and the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association.

Senior Staff


Name Title
Ms. Geraldine Jackson Vice President of Human Resources & Inclusion
Mr. Dan Grossman Vice President of Marketing
Mr. Eric Swartz Vice President of Venue Management
Ms. Alison Bolton Vice President of Artistic Administration
Kimberly McLemore Vice President of Education and Community Engagement
Ms. Julia Kirchhausen Interim Vice President of Communications
Ms. Kat Cloud Vice President of Development
Jenneen Reed Chief Financial Officer
Melinda Phillips Chief Development Officer
Max Chester Vice President of Production

Staff

Full Time Staff 140
Part Time Staff 254
Volunteers 204
Contractors 2
Retention Rate 93%

Plans & Policies

Does your organization have a Fundraising Plan? Yes
Does your organization have a Strategic Plan? Yes
Years Strategic Plan Considers 3
When was the Strategic Plan adopted? December 2022
Does your organization have a Management Succession Plan? Yes
Does your organization have a Policy and Procedure Plan? Yes
Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy? Yes
Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy? Yes
Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy? Yes

Evaluation

Is there a formal evaluation for... Frequency (if applicable)
CEO/Executive Director Yes Annually
Senior Management Yes Annually
Non-Management Yes Annually

Affiliations

Affiliation Year
AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) 1997
American Association of Grant Professionals 2010
Americans for the Arts 2009
ANE (Association of Nonprofit Executives) 2001
Center for Nonprofit Management Excellence Network 1999
International Auditorium and Arena Managers Organization 2006
League of American Orchestras 1946
Metro Arts Commission 1991
Nashville Arts Coalition 2001
Nashville Downtown Partnership 2006
National Endowment for the Arts 1987
National Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences (NARAS) 1999
Planned Giving Council of Nashville 2005
Tennesseans for the Arts 2002
Tennessee Arts Commission 1987
Williamson County Chamber of Commerce 2008

Awards


Award / Recognition Organization Year
Achievement in Marketing Award Nashville American Marketing Association 2009
Award for Excellence in Fundraising Internat'l Association of Fundraising Professionals 2008
Awards for Adventurous Programming - 2nd place ASCAP 2007
Awards for Adventurous Programming - 2nd Place ASCAP 2012
Awards for Adventurous Programming - 3rd Place ASCAP 2008
Awards for Adventurous Programming - 3rd Place ASCAP 2011
Awards for Adventurous Programming - 3rd Place ASCAP 2013
Awards for Excellence, recognizing building projects across North and South America - Finalist Urban Land Institute 2009
Emmy Award - Best Live Special Televised Event (for Opening Gala 2006) National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 2008
Excellence in Development Award Urban Land Institute - Nashville Chapter 2009
Gold Addy Award - for nsokids.org website Nat'l Advertising Federation - Local Chapter 2008
Grammy Award - Best Classical Album National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2008
GRAMMY Award - Best Classical Compendium National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2016
Grammy Award - Best Classical Contemporary Composition National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2011
Grammy Award - Best Engineered Album, Classical National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2011
Grammy Award - Best Instrumental Solo, Classical National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2012
Grammy Award - Best Orchestral Performance National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2008
Grammy Award - Best Orchestral Performance National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences 2011
GRAMMY Awards - Best Classical Compendium, Best Classical Instrumental Solo, and Best Contemporary Classical Composition National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences 2017
GRAMMY Awards - Best Contemporary Classical Composition National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences 2018
presented to the Nashville Symphony?s fundraising team for the A Time for Greatness Campaign Campbell & Company National Awards for Excellence in Fundraising 2007
Silver Anvil Award Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2011
Silver Anvil Award of Excellence Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2009
GRAMMY Awards - Best Contemporary Classical Composition National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences 2021