RoadtoCarnegie.com

From a presser sent out this morning:

Nashville Symphony invites community
to May 2012 Carnegie Hall concert
Performance will be the finale
of the national Spring for Music festival
NASHVILLE, TN (September 1, 2011) The Nashville Symphony invites members of the community join the orchestra when it performs at Carnegie Hall on May 12, 2012. The Saturday-night concert will be the finale of the Spring for Music festival, a celebration of America’s most innovative orchestras. Tickets can be purchased through Sailair Travel and include an invitation to a special post-performance party with Nashville’s civic and business leaders at New York’s renowned Russian Tea Room. Airfare and discounted hotel rooms are also available through the agency. Visit RoadtoCarnegie.com for additional information and to submit an order form.

The Nashville Symphony was just one of six orchestras invited to perform at the 2012 Spring for Music festival, which spotlights ensembles committed to adventuresome programming. Nashville-based electric violinist Tracy Silverman will be the featured soloist on a brand-new piece written for him by Terry Riley, the groundbreaking American composer whose music has influenced everyone from Philip Glass to The Who. In addition, the orchestra will perform the New York premiere of Charles Ives’s Universe Symphony. This breathtaking work, which involves the participation of multiple ensembles and conductors, will unite the Nashville musical community as peers from local ensembles join the orchestra in this high-profile appearance.

“The Nashville Symphony’s Carnegie Hall concert will showcase the dynamic, forward-thinking spirit of our community in front of a national audience,” says CEO and President Alan Valentine. “In Nashville, we’ve seen firsthand that audiences are eager to hear new music, and our participation in this festival is a testament to the incredible support we’ve received from our patrons, who value our commitment to creative, risk-taking programming. This is a thrilling opportunity for our orchestra, and we hope that the community will join us for what promises to be an exciting adventure.”

The May 2012 concert is the orchestra’s second time to appear at Carnegie Hall. The Nashville Symphony’s first Carnegie Hall performance, in 2000, launched the community’s effort to build a world-class concert hall for the city of Nashville. In the decade since, the orchestra has opened the $123.5 Schermerhorn Symphony Center; hired its current Music Director, Giancarlo Guerrero; and released a string of critically acclaimed recordings, which have earned a total of six GRAMMY® Awards and 13 GRAMMY® nominations.

For more information and updates about the Nashville Symphony’s Carnegie Hall concert, visit RoadtoCarnegie.com.

About Nashville Symphony
Led by Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero and President and CEO Alan D. Valentine, the Nashville Symphony has a growing international reputation for its recordings and innovative programming. With more than 140 performances annually, the 84-member Nashville Symphony is an arts leader in Nashville and beyond, offering a broad range of classical, pops and jazz concerts; special events; children’s concerts and community engagement programs. The Nashville Symphony has received far-reaching acclaim for its 19 recordings on Naxos and one on Decca, making it one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. These recordings have received 13 total GRAMMY® nominations and six GRAMMY® wins, most recently for the orchestra’s recording of works by Michael Daugherty.

About Spring for Music
Led by Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris, Spring for Music is a concentrated festival of concerts by North American symphony and chamber orchestras presented annually at Carnegie Hall at affordable prices, with an artistic profile built around innovative and creative programs. The festival is designed to allow participating orchestras to showcase their artistic philosophies through distinctive and adventurous programming in one of the world’s most competitive musical environments. Participating orchestras in the 2012 Spring for Music, which runs May 7-12, include Houston Symphony, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Alabama Symphony and Milwaukee Symphony. Nashville Symphony will perform on the closing night of the festival.

Howard Gentry's Oath of Office

Adapted from an invitation emailed out this morning:

The Office of the Criminal Court Clerk
requests the honor of your presence
as the Honorable Judge
Angelita Blackshear Dalton
administers the oath of office to

Howard C. Gentry, Jr.
Criminal Court Clerk

Metropolitan Government of Nashville,
Davidson County, Tennessee


Tuesday, the Thirtieth Day of August
Two Thousand and Eleven
3:00 p.m.
Justice A.A. Birch Building, Courtroom 1A

My New Gig: ArtNowNashville.com

I'm very excited to be working with the good folks of St. Claire Media Group, the inimitable John Pitcher and the super-talented Adrienne Outlaw. From the release that was sent out today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nashville Arts Magazine Announces
The Launch Of A New Daily Arts Review Website

ArtNowNashville.com
NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville Arts Magazine will launch a new website September 1, 2011 that will provide comprehensive daily news and reviews of the city’s vibrant and varied arts scene.

ArtNowNashville.com will publish overnight reviews of major symphony, opera, chamber music, jazz, dance and theatre performances as well as reviews on the visual arts and film scene. It will also feature timely news and preview stories about important art events. Veteran arts writers Evans Donnell (theater, opera and film), Adrienne Outlaw (visual arts) and John Pitcher (classical music, jazz and dance) will serve as the site’s chief critics, providing regular coverage along with other contributing writers.

“ArtNowNashville.com gives us the opportunity to report on the thriving art scene with up-to-the-minute reviews and will keep Nashville informed on what is happening as it happens. The Nashville Arts Magazine will continue its monthly in depth look at the art world, while ArtNowNashville.com will deliver daily news and reviews. We are very excited to launch this site, as it will be a perfect compliment to the magazine, and a wonderful resource for all Nashvillians that love the arts,” says Meagan Nordmann of Nashville Arts Magazine.

ArtNowNashville.com will be a model of local arts journalism in the digital age. The site will publish the sort of thoughtful arts criticism that was once the hallmark of the traditional print media. But it will also include videos, podcasts and other digital features that will bring the arts into sharper focus.

“Nashville’s art scene has grown exponentially over the past decade,” says John Pitcher. “The Frist Center for the Visual Arts now imports some of the nation’s best shows, such as its current “Warhol Live” exhibit, the Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s New Works Festival has developed a play that will soon hit Broadway, and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra will soon be exporting one of its adventurous programs to Carnegie Hall. Our new website arrives on the scene just in time to chronicle this amazing period in Nashville’s art history.”

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Nashville Arts Magazine is the most focused and relevant resource for all creative endeavors in the central Tennessee region. The vibrant, colorful magazine covers the incredible wealth of painting, music, architecture, photography, theater, dance, sculpture, poetry, cooking, writing and living that makes Nashville a creative city.

Penterman Departs Nashville Opera

From a presser sent out this evening:

CAROL PENTERMAN TO DEPART NASHVILLE OPERA
AFTER ERA OF EXCELLENCE
Artistic Director John Hoomes named Executive Director
JULY 21, 2011 (NASHVILLE, TN) – After 17 celebrated years as executive director of the Nashville Opera Association, Carol Penterman will conclude her tenure with the organization at the end of the 2011-2012 season. Nashville Opera’s artistic director, John Hoomes, will assume Ms Penterman’s duties as executive director while maintaining responsibilities in his current role.

“Carol has transformed the Nashville Opera Association during her tenure and has left a lasting mark on the arts in Middle Tennessee,” said Elizabeth Papel, president of the Nashville Opera board of directors. “It has been so meaningful to experience the fantastic advancements under her leadership, including the development of the $7 million Noah Liff Opera Center, the Nashville Opera’s first home, as well as the establishment of a $5 million Fund for Artistic Excellence. We are eternally grateful to Carol for all she has done to propel the Opera to its current splendor and respect her decision to make a change. We are confident that John Hoomes will continue to move the Opera forward to greater heights still.”

Penterman has chosen to step out of her post at the Nashville Opera to pursue new endeavors.

“I will always treasure my time and service with the Nashville Opera,” said Penterman. “It is a remarkable organization with a talented team of visionaries, and I am excited to see the organization continue to excel and grow under John’s leadership. Serving as executive director has been an inspirational experience, but I am ready to explore new opportunities. We chose to announce this at this time to ensure a smooth and orderly transition, as well as the continued success of the company.”

Hoomes, who will assume his duties as executive director at the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season, has served as artistic director for the Nashville Opera since 1995. Also a free-lance stage director, he has directed more than 150 productions of opera and musical theatre in the US, South America and Canada. The New York Times declared his world premiere production of Elmer Gantry, “An Operatic Miracle… in Nashville.” Elmer Gantry was recorded by Naxos Records. A feature article in Opera News, opera’s premiere national magazine, said “Hoomes has proved himself one of the most interesting stage directors in the regional market today, with a seemingly limitless knowledge of repertoire.”

“It is an honor to take on the role of executive director and have the opportunity to support the growth and advancement of the arts in Middle Tennessee,” said John Hoomes. “I am grateful to Carol for our sixteen years of teamwork, and excited to embark on this new path in our lives.” Upon the departure of Penterman, the Nashville Opera Association will create a new Chief Operating Officer position to assume responsibility for employee management, accounting, fundraising and day-to-day financial administration. A search committee will be appointed to locate the ideal candidate to assume duties in summer 2012.

About Nashville Opera

Nashville Opera, Tennessee’s largest professional opera company, is dedicated to creating legendary productions and programs. Among the most successful regional companies in the United States of America, Nashville Opera has presented three different world premiere operas since its inception in 1981. Main stage performances are presented at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and play to over 17,000 people annually. Nashville Opera’s extensive education and outreach touring program reaches over 30,000 students throughout Middle Tennessee. These projects are supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission.

Metro District 18 Candidates Forum July 12!

From a flyer sent out on various listservs:

METRO COUNCIL
DISTRICT 18
CANDIDATES FORUM

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 @ 7:00 P.M.

Belmont United Methodist Church 2007 Acklen Ave.

Refreshments and Meet & Greet 6:30 p.m.

Hear from candidates Burkley Allen and David Glasgow

Neighbors who live or work in District 18 are invited to
email questions in advance for consideration to District18CandidatesForum@vanderbilt.edu
Question submission deadline: June 27th

The forum is sponsored by Belmont Hillsboro Neighbors,
Hillsboro West End Neighbors, Hillsboro Village
Merchants Association, Belmont University
and Vanderbilt University.

Meet Burkley June 15!

From a email blast sent out today:

Gary Bynum ▪ Bruce Carter ▪ Evans Donnell ▪ Mark Duren ▪ Gordan Gilbreath ▪ Jon Kaas ▪ Carole Kenner ▪ Barbara Martin ▪ Barbara Moutenot ▪ Ross Pepper ▪ Nathan Phillips ▪ Joe Prochaska ▪ Bill Ramsey ▪ Lisa Ramsey

invite you to a gathering of
friends and neighbors with

Burkley Allen
Candidate for Metro Council District 18

Wednesday, June 15
6:30 - 8pm
at the home of Bill & Lisa Ramsey
1711 Sweetbriar Avenue 37212

Meet Burkley. Share your ideas and concerns.
She wants to hear from you!

RSVP: info@Burkley.org or 974.7015

If you’d like to learn more about Burkley, please visit her website at www.Burkley.org. There, you can sign up to volunteer, view the Events Calendar, and donate to the Burkley for District 18 campaign.