Nashville Symphony Schermerhorn Center to Celebrate Reopening With Itzhak Perlman

Eight months after massive flooding caused nearly $40 million in damages to Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Nashville Symphony's concert hall will reopen to the public with a New Year's Eve concert featuring violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman and the Nashville Symphony. Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero will lead the orchestra. The concert will begin at 9 p.m. and will be followed by a countdown to the New Year. Tickets will go on sale to Nashville Symphony season ticket holders this Friday, October 8, and will go on sale to the general public a week later, on Friday, October 15. Ticket prices start at $75 and include complimentary champagne and dessert.

One of the world's best-known classical soloists since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963, Perlman has a long history with the orchestra, having first appeared with the Nashville Symphony in 1967. "We are beyond thrilled about returning to Schermerhorn Symphony Center," says Nashville Symphony President and CEO Alan Valentine. "This is a truly momentous occasion, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by having Itzhak join the orchestra. We are deeply honored that he has decided to spend his New Year's Eve with us."

The program of festive musical favorites will include Three Dance Episodes from Leonard Bernstein's On the Town, Leroy Anderson's "The Syncopated Clock" and Dvorák's Romance in F minor, the last of which will feature Perlman as soloist.

To help concertgoers celebrate both the building's reopening and the New Year, Schermerhorn Symphony Center will offer several special dining options prior to the concert. A very limited number of seats are available for the Chef's Table, which will give patrons an opportunity to enjoy a gourmet meal in the Schermerhorn's newly restored kitchen; cost is $175 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Allegro, located in the Mike Curb Family Music Education Hall, will offer a buffet dinner, plus a bottle of wine or champagne, for $56 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations for both the Chef's Table and Allegro must be pre-paid and can be made by calling 615.687.6619 or emailing llusebrink@nashvillesymphony.org. In addition, the Schermerhorn's fine-dining restaurant Arpeggio will be open two hours before the concert in the building's East Lobby; cost for the prix fixe meal is $38 plus tax per person, and reservations can be made by calling 615.687.6400.

Schermerhorn Symphony Center has been closed for repairs since widespread flooding throughout Middle Tennessee in early May caused extensive damage to the building. At its highest point, the water reached 24 feet, filling the building's basement and sub-basement with an estimated 5 million gallons of water. In the months since, repair crews led by American Constructors, Inc. have worked around the clock to replace the building's electrical system, heat-and-air system and commercial kitchen, all of which were destroyed by the flood. In addition, the Symphony will be replacing two Steinway grand pianos and the 50 musical instruments in its educational "Instrument Petting Zoo." The console for the Schermerhorn's Martin Foundation Concert Organ is being rebuilt by San Francisco-based organ manufacturer Schoenstein & Co., and all repairs to the organ will be completed after the New Year.

Named in honor of the late Music Director Kenneth Schermerhorn, who led the GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony for 22 years, Schermerhorn Symphony Center opened to the public in September 2006. The Nashville Symphony annually performs more than 100 classical, pops and special concert events there each season. One of the building's most innovative features is a system that transforms seating in the concert hall from theater-style seating to a 5,700-square-foot hardwood ballroom floor in two hours. A unique motorized systEm Lowers rows of seats into a special storage space below the surface of the ballroom floor. Though this storage area was extensively damaged by the flooding, the concert hall and its seating were not affected.

Tickets for the Schermerhorn's New Year's Eve Grand Reopening with Itzhak Perlman are available at NashvilleSymphony.org or by phoning 615.687.6400.

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