September 17, 2020 - The Musicians of the Nashville Symphony have created a Financial Aid Fund that is now operational through their 501(c)5 organization, the Nashville Symphony Players’ Assembly (NSPA). All donations will go directly to the orchestra musicians to provide financial aid in this time of crisis. The NSPA is overseeing the collection and distribution of funds, but the Assembly will not receive any funds from these efforts. Since the NSPA is a 501(c)5, donations are not tax-deductible.

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The Musicians of the Nashville Symphony were furloughed on July 1 for up to 13 months. They are facing hard choices when looking at their future, as their ability to return to work is simply not yet known. Nevertheless, they still plan to independently serve the people of middle Tennessee through musical performance, education, and outreach. Melinda Whitley, Orchestra Committee Chair, says “Our goal is to create music for our community in whatever way possible, and we will do what we can to uplift our city through the power of music. But we need help to continue doing these things on our own. Without paychecks, the Musicians need to raise funds to stay afloat, especially the longer the furlough continues.”

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A new chamber music series was recently announced by St. George’s Episcopal Church to give the Musicians a platform to perform and to raise money for this new fund. The monthly series, “Play On at St. George’s,” will be live streamed for free to the public. The first performance is September 19 at 7:30PM and will feature a string quartet playing works by Dvorak, Bach, and Handel-Halvorsen. Visit www.stgeorgesnashville.org/inexcelsis for more information.

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Donations can be made to the Financial Aid Fund by going to the Musicians’ website at www.musiciansofthenashvillesymphony.org. Also, checks can be made out to “Nashville Symphony Players Assembly - Financial Aid Fund” and mailed to Nashville Symphony Players Assembly; P.O. Box 40812; Nashville, TN 37204.

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Ever since live performances came to a halt at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in mid-March, the Musicians have been creating a variety of virtual performances, ranging from individual solos to full ensembles. The Musicians will continue to maintain an online presence, and you can keep up with them on Facebook by following Musicians of the Nashville Symphony, and on Instagram and Twitter by following @nsomusicians.

For more information, please contact Melinda Whitley at 615-579-3101 or via email at info@musiciansofthenashvillesymphony.org.

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The Musicians of the Nashville Symphony consists of the professional musicians who are normally full-time employees of the Nashville Symphony. The Nashville Symphony has furloughed all musicians of the orchestra, so the Musicians are independently run and do not represent the Nashville Symphony. Regardless, the Musicians continue to serve their community through musical performance, education, and outreach, especially now when it is most needed.

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