Music

The Nashville Symphony Orchestra (One Symphony Place, 615/687-6400, www.nashvillesymphony.org [1]) is now housed in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center next to the Country Music Hall of Fame [2]. Nominated for four Grammies and selling more recordings than any other American orchestra, the symphony is a source of pride for Music City. Costa Rican conductor Giancarlo Guerrero will begin his tenure as music director in 2009.

The symphony puts on more than 200 performances each year, including classical, pops, and children’s concerts. Its season spans September to May. Buying tickets online is a breeze, especially since you can easily choose where you want to sit. There is free parking for symphony-goers in the Sun Trust parking garage on the corner of 4th Avenue and Commerce Street.

During the summer, the symphony plays its Centennial Park Concert Series. Come to the Centennial Park band shell to hear free big-band, ballroom, and classical concerts.

The Blair School of Music (2400 Blakemore Ave., 615/322-7651) presents student, faculty, and visiting artist recitals frequently during the school year. Vanderbilt University’s [3] music school, Blair addresses music through academic, pedagogical, and performing activities.

Listen to new works by American composers performed by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra (615/322-1226, www.nco.org [4]). The orchestra’s concerts include masterpieces and new works commissioned by the chamber orchestra, many of which fuse tradition with new genres, including jazz, Celtic, Latin, and world music.