(l to r) Accelerando winds students Isabel Evernham, Bernard Ekwuazi, and Aalia Hanif at MTSBOA MidState Band, January 21, 2017 ~ photo courtesy of Shahnela Hanif
Tonight, January 24, 2017, Nashville Symphony EDCE staff will hold our first of three public information meetings for students interested in auditioning this year for the symphony’s award-winning Accelerando program. Tonight’s public meeting will be held at Casa Azafrán at 7 pm.
Founded in 2016, Accelerando is designed to prepare gifted young students of diverse backgrounds to pursue music at the collegiate level and beyond. Accelerando seeks to create professional opportunities for musicians from ethnic communities underrepresented in today’s orchestras by providing them with instruction, mentorship, performance experience and assistance applying to music schools. With access to the resources of a major American orchestra, these students will be able to realize their full potential and will form the next generation of orchestra musicians.
Our inaugural class of six students from grades 7 – 10 entered the program in the fall of 2016; we are seeking to grow our enrollment to a total of eleven students in 2017. Please help spread the word about this unique, ground-breaking program and help us find these students!
The purpose of Accelerando is to prepare students from ethnically diverse backgrounds to win auditions and gain entrance to music school, and to thereby eventually become professional orchestral musicians.
Families interested in learning more about Accelerando are invited to attend one of three public meetings with Nashville Symphony staff:
- 7-8:30 pm January 24 at Casa Azafrán, 2195 Nolensville Pike, Nashville
- 7-8:30 pm February 2 at Hartman Park Community Center, 2801 Tucker Rd., Nashville
- 7-8:30 pm February 16 at Casa Azafrán, 2195 Nolensville Pike, Nashville
Accelerando auditions are open to students in grades 4 – 10 from ethnic communities underrepresented in today’s orchestras. Students must audition on a standard orchestral instrument:
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(l to r) Accelerando strings students Antonio Thai and Emily Martinez-Perez at MTSBOA MidState Orchestra, January 14, 2017 ~ photo courtesy of Isabel Bitner
Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Bass
- Flute
- Oboe
- Clarinet
- Bassoon
- Horn
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Tuba
- Percussion
- Harp
This program is open only to orchestral instrumentalists. Applications for piano, saxophone, guitar or vocals will not be accepted.
Accelerando is a 100% scholarship program. Students who are accepted to the program will receive instruction, counseling, and many other opportunities, free of charge.
Accelerando is not a needs-based program. Financial/economic status will not be considered during the application process.
Click here to download our 2017 Accelerando bilingual brochure in PDF format.
Click here for Application Information & Audition Requirements.
Click here for the Accelerando category archives here on Off The Podium.
Deadline to apply for 2017 Auditions is February 17, 2017
Auditions will be held on March 4 & 11, 2017
at Nashville State Community College in the H Building
Nashville Public Television’s Arts Break feature on Accelerando, October 2016. Includes interviews with Accelerando students, Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero, and yours truly.
The Nashville Symphony is honored to partner with the following organizations in making the Accelerando program available to the Middle Tennessee community:
Blair School of Music
at Vanderbilt University
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Music Makes Us
Leadership funding for Accelerando is provided by
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Nashville Symphony Official Education Partner
Walter Bitner 