The Great Middle Tennessee Flood: Nashville Symphony Faces $42 Million In Costs

The Nashville Symphony will face $42,000,000 in cleanup costs in the wake of the flood.

Schermerhorn Symphony Hall, opened in 2006, at a cost of 123,000,000 was flooded in its basement, within four inches of the performance hall. The two Steinways and the organ console will be covered by insurance, and the Symphony carried ten million in flood insurance. FEMA will pitch in some funds, but there will be a shortfall of several millions to raise separately.

OS, ever the culture warrior, thinks this presents the Symphony an opportunity to connect with the life of this region of the state. Professional orchestras suffer from the perception of being aloof from everyday life, and elaborate halls, as good as they are for musicians to perform in, tend to be off-putting. Many people simply won't walk through those ornate doors.

It's the 'Cathedral Effect'. OS heard a tale, a true one, of an outreach by an English cathedral located at some distance from London. Pains were taken to make certain that everyone in the area knew they were welcome to visit and see the splendors of the historic building. The great day arrives, and amongst the visitors are a married couple in their nineties, who had lived nearby their entire lives. They had a wonderful time, but when asked why they had never visited, they replied: 'We didn't know that people such as us would be allowed in the building!'.

It's time to show up and play in the churches and high school gyms around the region, and build audience and donor base. Musicians hate this, and bitch endlessly about it. Let them.

Rahm Emanuel's infamous quote does have a bit of truth in it--this is a real rough patch in the life of the organization, and an opportunity to serve the culture of Middle Tennessee. On the long pull, the Symphony will benefit as it weaves itself into the fabric of daily life.

The Great Middle Tennessee Flood: May 7 2010 Morning 2--Nashville Symphony In Concert Tonight with Christopher Cross, Free To The Public

Tonight, at the Public Square in Nashville in front of the courthouse, the Nashville Symphony will stage it's scheduled Pops concert, featuring Christopher Cross, free of charge for the city.


8:00 PM Central Time. The link has the map to the concert.

The Nashville Symphony's beautiful new hall suffered heavy damage in the flood, including the loss of two Steinways and the console to their concert organ. This is a classy response to an unfortunate situation.

Usually, an orchestra's music director is nowhere to be found when a pops concert is staged, but Guerrero will be on hand tonight to conduct portions of the concert.

Very classy.