Press Recap: Students from Nashville Symphony’s Accelerando Program Perform Year-End Recital
Students from the Nashville Symphony’s Accelerando music education initiative – Angelina Bautista, Xayvion Davidson, Bernard Ekwuazi, Isabel Evernham, Aalia Hanif, Emily Martinez-Perez, Riya Mitra, Max Robinson and Antonio Thai – performed for nearly 150 attendees during their annual year-end recital on the evening of Monday, June 11, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Nashville Symphony president and CEO Alan D. Valentine opened the event with welcoming remarks, followed by Rebecca Vest, vice president of Corporate Development and Social Responsibility for Nissan North America, Inc., who discussed Nissan’s support for Accelerando and praised the students’ hard work and dedication over the past year. A corporate education partner for all of the Nashville Symphony’s music education programs, Nissan had several representatives in attendance at the recital.
Launched in 2015, Accelerando seeks to shape the future of American orchestras by providing opportunities for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds to pursue serious music study. The nine students currently in the program were selected from an extensive pool of applicants, and each receives intensive instruction from Nashville Symphony musicians, along with other educational resources, including the opportunity to participate in master classes and performance juries.
Each year, Accelerando adds a new class of students to the program. The next class will be announced in August. Learn more about this groundbreaking program here.
Press photos: Sally Bebawy/Nashville Symphony.
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony has earned an international reputation for its innovative programming and its commitment to performing, recording and commissioning works by America’s leading composers. The Nashville Symphony has released 29 recordings on Naxos, which have received 24 GRAMMY® nominations and 13 GRAMMY® Awards, making it one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. The orchestra has also released recordings on Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and New West Records, among other labels. With more than 140 performances annually, the orchestra offers a broad range of classical, pops and jazz, and children’s concerts, while its extensive education and community engagement programs reach 60,000 children and adults each year.
Students from the Nashville Symphony Accelerando program prior to their year-end recital on June 11, 2018 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center Front row (L-R): Isabel Evernham, Angelina Bautista, Riya Mitra, Emily Martinez-PerezBack row (L-R): Bernard Ekwuazi, Xayvion Davidson, Aalia Hanif, Antonio Thai, Max Robinson. Photo credit – Sally Bebawy: Nashville Symphony.
Students from the Nashville Symphony Accelerando program with representatives from Nissan on June 11, 2018 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center Front row (L-R): Emily Martinez-Perez, Riya Mitra, Bernard Ekwuazi, Aalia Hanif, Antonio Thai, Angelina Bautista, Isabel Evernham, Back row (L-R): Max Robinson, Vicki Smith, Rebecca Vest, Hunter Fitzpatrick, Xayvion Davidson. Photo credit Sally Bebawy/Nashville Symphony.
