Lang Lang, Americana Headliners Open Nashville Symphony Season 9/11

World-famous pianist Lang Lang makes his Nashville debut when he performs with the Nashville Symphony at its First Tennessee All-Beethoven Opening Night on Friday, September 11, at 8 p.m. The 2009/10 season-opening event also marks the official start of Giancarlo Guerrero's tenure as the Nashville Symphony's seventh Music Director. The following night, Saturday, September 12, at 8 p.m., the Symphony presents the First Tennessee Opening Special "Classical Americana," a groundbreaking collaboration between the Nashville Symphony and the Americana Music Association, featuring some of the biggest names in American roots music.

"With Giancarlo Guerrero now officially in place as our new music director, the Nashville Symphony is poised for a fabulous season of music-making," said Alan D. Valentine, President and CEO of the Nashville Symphony. "I can think of no better way to launch the season than by featuring one of the most electrifying classical performers in the world, Lang Lang, and the very next night featuring some of the Nashville music community's most talented artists."

FIRST TENNESSEE ALL-BEETHOVEN OPENING NIGHT:
Friday, September 11, at 8 p.m.

For the special opening concert of the Nashville Symphony's 2009/10 season, Giancarlo Guerrero will be joined onstage by guest pianist Lang Lang for an evening of Beethoven, highlighting a trio of works that all include the number "three." The evening begins with Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3 and moves on to his Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring Lang Lang. The evening closes with the powerful Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," one of the most enduring and beloved of his nine symphonies.

Heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by The New York Times, 27-year-old Lang Lang has played sold-out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world, and he is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and the top American orchestras. Lang Lang performed for a worldwide audience at the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, and he appeared on the 50th GRAMMY® Awards show in a memorable piano duet with Herbie Hancock. As further testimony to his tremendous success, Lang Lang recently made Time magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

"The Nashville Symphony's 2009/10 season opener will be an incredible event," Guerrero said. "We will honor one of the greatest composers who ever lived, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and we get to do so with Lang Lang, one of the music world's biggest stars."

For All-Beethoven Opening Night tickets, and more information, please call the Nashville Symphony Box Office at 615.687.6400 or visit us online at NashvilleSymphony.org. All-Beethoven Opening Night is made possible through the generous support of First Tennessee.

FIRST TENNESSEE SPECIAL OPENING EVENT - CLASSICAL AMERICANA:
Saturday, September 12, at 7 p.m.

On the second evening of the opening weekend, the Nashville Symphony is teaming up with the Americana Music Association for the one-of-a-kind musical event, "Classical Americana." Led by the Symphony's Resident Conductor Albert-George Schram and featuring a stellar list of guest performers, this innovative performance will honor the rich weave of our country's musical traditions - everything from blues and gospel to Aaron Copland and George Gershwin.

"This concert will illustrate the amazing connection between roots music and classical music that goes back generations," said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association, which promotes awareness of Americana music. "Some of the best-known classical composers, from Dvo?ak to Copland, have long used roots music as a foundation for composition."

Headliners will include Buddy Miller, the noted singer-songwriter and celebrated guitarist who has performed with everyone from Emmylou Harris to Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. GRAMMY®-winning banjoist Alison Brown is the founder and owner of independent label Compass Records. A founding member of the influential New Grass Revival, mandolinist Sam Bush is one of acoustic music's most respected figures, while Jerry Douglas is easily the world's best-known Dobro player. ByRon House's remarkable versatility has made him one of the top bass players in the country. Soprano Karen Parks recently released a critically acclaimed collection of operatic spirituals, and Abigail Washburn is a cross-genre banjoist and vocalist who has collaborated with Béla Fleck. A notable late addition is Delta bluesman David "Honeyboy" Edwards, a living link to such legendary blues musicians as Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf.

For Classical Americana tickets, and more information, please call the Nashville Symphony Box Office at 615.687.6400 or visit us online at NashvilleSymphony.org. Classical Americana is made possible through the generous support of First Tennessee.

 

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