Nashville Symphony

What it reported doing in 2024

Education & Community Engagement Programs: During the 2024-2025 season, the Nashville Symphony strengthened its commitment to accessibility and community connection through 278 free and low-cost education and community engagement programs, reaching nearly 36,000 students and adults. We expanded our presence beyond Schermerhorn Symphony Center through programs such as Music in My Neighborhood, Lunar New Year, and MLK: A Celebration in Song, bringing orchestral music directly into communities across the region. Music in My Neighborhood focused on the Antioch community, offering free ensemble performances, workshops, and family concerts in local schools and community centers. The third year of this community residency fostered cultural connection, neighborhood pride, and direct engagement with Symphony musicians. In partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, Symphony musicians reached thousands of students through in-school performances, classroom visits, and interactive concerts at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. These programs provide students with direct access to live orchestral music and meaningful artistic mentorship. We also hosted the We Are Nashville Festival 2025, where more than 400 students from across the city gathered to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and young artistry. The festival reflected the unifying power of music and the diversity of Nashville's student voices. Our beloved Summer Parks Concerts once again invited families to experience live orchestral music outdoors, creating accessible cultural moments that united audiences across the region. Collectively, the Symphony's education and community initiatives reach more than 550,000 people annually, reflecting our enduring commitment to the transformative power of music. Signature Education & Engagement Programs: * Accelerando: A nationally recognized initiative supporting young musicians from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. * Ensembles in Schools: Symphony musicians bring live chamber performances into classrooms across Middle Tennessee to introduce students to live orchestral music. * Free Community Concerts: Brings orchestral music directly to local neighborhoods across Middle Tennessee. * MNPS String Residencies: Providing string sectional and side-by-side rehearsal experiences for Metro Nashville Public School students. * Masterclasses, Sectionals & Private Lessons: Providing invaluable resources, instruction, and performance coaching for aspiring musicians and small ensembles throughout Middle Tennessee. * Music in My Neighborhood: A week-long residency that brings free cultural events to a different neighborhood each year. During the 2023/24 season, the Symphony collaborated with North Nashville schools, libraries, and community spaces. * Open Dress Rehearsals: A behind-the-scenes look at Classical Series rehearsals to demystify the orchestral world. * Sensory-Friendly Events: Inclusive programming designed for audiences with autism and sensory sensitivities, featuring flexible accommodations, closed captioning, quiet spaces, trained staff, and additional resources. * STEAM Expeditions: Interactive programs blending music, science, and the physics of sound. * Storytime with the Nashville Symphony: Early learning interactive music programs to help children develop a love for reading and an early interest in music. * Young People's Concerts: Orchestral performances tailored for K-12 students, with curriculum-aligned lesson plans that meet statewide leadership objectives. Other free and low-cost Symphony programs, include: * Lifelong Listeners for seniors * Is it a Fiddle or Violin? - a collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum * $20 Student Tickets through our Soundcheck program Every concert, workshop, and outreach initiative advances the Nashville Symphony's mission to enrich lives through music, strengthen cultural connections, and ensure that extraordinary artistic experiences remain accessible to all.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 83.1%; rating input score 83
• Fundraising efficiency: $9.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 94.3%; rating input score 94; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.87; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -6.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings