Clarksville, TN – The Clarksville Community Concert Association as part of their Community Concert Series in partnership with Austin Peay State University brought the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Nashville Symphony Chorus to Clarksville to play the first concert in the soon to be re-dedicated concert Hall.
After the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus opened with George Mabry’s newest composition “If Music Be the Food of Love,” a small ceremony was held to rededicate the Austin Peay State University Music/Mass communication building concert hall in honor of Dr. George Mabry and his wife Sharon Mabry. The Mabry’s have been members of the faculty at university since the 1970s and have made their mark on both the university and the community.
Dr. Kenneth Lee, an associate professor of music at Elon University of North Carolina was a former student of Dr. George and Sharon Mabry began the dedication. He was followed by Mr. Evans Harvill, who originated the campaign to rename the concert hall and was one of the people who made it all possible. Austin Peay State University President Tim Hall finished the ceremony on stage with George and Sharon. The Mabry’s made short remarks and then the concert continued.
The Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus continued with Johannes Brahms’ Nänie, for Chorus and Orchestra, Opus 82; and Schicksalslied [Song of Fate] for Chorus and Orchestra, Opus 54.
After the intermission. They played Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67; and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music.
The Nashville Symphony was proud to be participating in the concert honoring Dr George and Sharon Mabry, as George Mabry directed the Nashville Symphony Chorus for 13 years and was instrumental in bringing national recognition to the Nashville Symphony Chorus. Under his leadership, the chorus reached several milestones: the addition of of professional section leaders, and expansion of the choruses annual program offerings, and the participation in a total of six Nashville Symphony recordings.
After the concert, a small ceremony was held unveiling the George and Sharon Mabry’s names at the entrance to the concert hall.
In 2006, the Robb Report listed the George and Sharon Mabry Concert Hall as one of the top 10 concert halls in the country, right alongside the likes of Carnegie Hall. “We are so proud of this wonderful facility, we know it’s a great venue, and we hope that more people discover after today just how fine of a venue it is. And the great concerts that we are able to bring to Austin Peay State University through our partnership with the Clarksville Community Concert Association and their Community Concert Series,” he concluded.
George Mabry said, “This Is the most overwhelming thing I can imagine you know, it’s just a true honor! Sharon and I have been blessed over these years to be a part of this community and this University. We’re both thrilled to accept this honor on behalf of the music faculty, because without them and their collaboration with us and outstanding talent ours would not of been focused as greatly as it was. We’re absolutely thrilled about it.”
Sharon added, “All my this is probably the most exciting day that we’ve had ever! So surprising really, we never expected to have any kind of honor like this. And when it actually happened. I think both of us were overcome emotionally. We were afraid we were going to be a speaker. We got up on the stage, but somehow we managed to get some words out. We just appreciate so much the support of the community and of the alumni and of the faculty over the years. We couldn’t have had such an enjoyable time here without that.”
When asked about the new composition that the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus played at the beginning of the program, George Mabry described it. “It’s a setting of a 17th century poem. If music be the food of love. The first line is taken from a Shakespeare play, but it is not Shakespeare. It was written by an Englishman by the name of Heveningham. Anyway it is the setting of that poem, and it is rather lush, and romantic, because I thought the poem itself is highly romantic.” He continued, “It’s one of the setting of three pieces. The whole setting is called music of the spheres. The first one is if music be the food of love. The 2nd one is Music when soft voices die by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The last one is an Emily Dickinson poem called musicians wrestle everywhere. I hope someday that all 3 will be performed at the same time because they are set.
Speaking on the Nashville Symphony Chorus, he said, ” The Chorus; what can I say, I worked with them for 14 years, almost 15 years. They are still singing as beautifully as ever, and I know that they will continue to do so.”
Sharon Mabry added, “The Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus was remarkable. It was so wonderful to have them all here. The University is just pleased to have them come and play and the community. You can see the audience’s response, they gave three standing ovations for the concert. It was absolutely amazing. Of course, they are the best of the professionals and it was wonderful to have that caliber playing in our concert hall. It was just fantastic.”
George agreed, “No one could have asked for a better performance anywhere than the one this orchestra and chorus gave today. It was just gorgeous.”
Gail Robinson-Oturu the president of the Clarksville Community Concert Association Board of Directors said, “This was a wonderful concert experience and we were proud to be able to do our part in making it possible. It was a great concert! It was also a sign of what is possible when the Clarksville Community Concert Association, Austin Peay State University, and the community come together. More, more, more…”
Photo Gallery
About Kelly Corcoran
The orchestra was directed by Kelly Corcoran, and this is her 6th season with the Nashville Symphony. During this time she has conducted a variety of programs, including the Symphony’s SunTrust Classic Series and Bank of America’s Pop Series, and has served as the primary conductor for the Nashville Symphony orchestras education and community engagement concerts. She also conducted the Nashville Symphony’s CD collaboration with Riders in the Sky’s, “Lassoed Live” at the Schermerhorn, and made her Carnegie Hall conducting debut in May 2012 with the Nashville Symphony during the Spring for Music Festival. This season she is also the acting director for the Nashville Symphony Chorus.
Corcoran appears the season with the Cleveland Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony, and as a music director candidate with the Topeka Symphony and Fargo Moorhead Symphony.
She has conducted major orchestras throughout the country, including performances with the Atlanta, Colorado, Charlie, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Milwaukee, National, and Utah symphonies, often with return engagements. In 2009, she made a successful South American debuted as guest conductor with the Orquesta Sinfonica UNCuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, and return for multiple subscription programs in 2011. She’s developed a reputation for exciting energizing performances. The Washington Post called a conducting “sure and sensitive”, while the Tennessean hailed her work on the podium as “Lively ” and “Fresh”.
About the Nashville Symphony Orchestra
The Grammy award-winning national Symphony has earned an international reputation for its innovative programming and commitment to performing, recording, and commissioning works by America’s leading composers. The Nashville Symphony has released 19 recordings on Naxos, which is received 14 Grammy nominations and 7 Grammy awards, making the Nashville Symphony Orchestra , one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. With more than 140 performances annually, the 85 member orchestra offers a broad range of classical, pops, and jazz as well as children’s concerts, while its extensive education and community engagement programs inspire more than 250,000 children and adults each year.
- Giancarlo Guerrero, Music Director
- Albert-George Schram, Resident Conductor
- Kelly Corcoran, Associate Conductor
First Violin
- Jun Iwasaki, Concertmaster, Walter Buchanan Sharp Chair
- Gerald C. Greer, Associate Concertmaster
- Erin Hall, Assistant Concertmaster
- Mary Kathryn Van Osdale, Concertmaster Emerita
- Denise Baker
- Kristi Seehafer
- John Maple
- Deidre Fominaya Bacco
- Alison Gooding
- Paul Tobias
- Beverly Drukker
- Anna Lisa Hoepfinger
- Kirsten Mitchell
- Erin Long+
- Isabel Bartles
Second Violin
- Carolyn Wann Bailey, Principal
- Zeneba Bowers, Assistant Principal
- Kenneth Barnd
- Jessica Blackwell
- Rebecca Cole
- Radu Georgescu
- Benjamin Lloyd
- Louise Morrison
- Laura Ross
- Lisa Thrall+
- Adrienne Watkinson++
- Jeremy Williams
- Rebecca J Willie
Viola
- Daniel Reinker, Principal
- Shu-Zheng Yang, Assistant Principal
- Judith Ablon
- Hari Bernstein
- Bruce Christensen
- Michelle Lackey Collins
- Christopher Farrell
- Mary Helen Law
- Melinda Whitley
- Clare Yang
Cello
- Anthony LaMarchina, Principal
- Julia Tanner, Assistant Principal
- James Victor Miller, Chair
- Bradley Mansell
- Lynn Marie Peithman
- Stephen Drake
- Michael Samis
- Matthew Walker
- Christopher Stenstrom
- Keith Nicholas
- Xiao-Fan Zhang
Bass
- Joel Reist, Principal
- Glen Wanner, Assistant Principal
- Elizabeth Stewart
- Gary Lawrence, Principal Emeritus
- Kevin Jablonski
- Joe Ferris
Flute
- Erik Gratton, Principal, Anne Potter Wilson Chair
- Ann Richards, Assistant Principal
- Kathryn Ladner
Piccolo
- Kathryn Ladne, Chair
- Norma Grobman Rogers, Chair
Oboe
- James Button, Principal
- Ellen Menking, Assistant Principal
- Roger Wiesmeyer
- English Horn
- Roger Wiesmeyer
Clarinet
- James Zimmermann, Principal
- Cassandra Lee, Assistant Principal
- Daniel Lochrie
E-flat Clarinet
- Cassandra Lee
Bass Clarinet
- Daniel Lochrie
Bassoon
- Cynthia Estill, Principal
- Dawn Hartley, Assistant Principal
- Gil Perel
Contra Bassoon
- Gil Perel
Horn
- Leslie Norton, Principal
- Beth Beeson
- Radu V. Rusu, Acting Associate Principal/3rd Horn
- Hunter Sholar
- Jennifer Kummer, Acting Assistant 1st Horn
Trumpet
- Jeffrey Bailey, Principal
- Patrick Kunkee, Co-Principal
- Gary Armstrong+, Assistant Principal
- Preston Bailey, Acting Assistant Principal
Trombone
- Susan K. Smith, Acting Principal
- Prentiss Hobbs, Acting Assistant Principal
Bass Trombone
- Steven Brown
Tuba
- Gilbert Long, Principal
Timpani
- William G. Wiggins, Principal
Percussion
- Sam Bacco, Principal
- Richard Graber, Assistant Principal
- Trent Leasure
Harp
- Licia Jaskunas, Principal
Keyboard
- Robert Marler, Principal
Librarian
- D. Wilson Ochoa, Principal
- Jennifer Goldberg, Librarian
Orchestra Personnel
- Anne Dickson Rogers, Personnel Manager
- Carrie Marcantonio, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager
* Section seating revolves for all strings
+ Leave of absence
++ Replacement/extra
About the Nashville Symphony Chorus
For nearly half a century, the Nashville Symphony chorus regularly has presented significant works from the classical choral repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary. Now numbering more than 130 voices in concert the chorus performs at least twice each season as part of the Nashville Symphony’s Sun Trust Classical Series, in addition to Handel’s Messiah. Each December. Every year the course also takes the spotlight at the Voices of Spring, a special concert of choral works. In 2013-14, the Nashville Symphony Chorus will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Officers
- Lisa Cooper, President
- John Manson, President-Elect
- Stephen Sparks, Immediate Past President
Soprano
- Beverly Anderson
- Karen L. Argent
- Esther Bae
- Amie Bates
- Kimberly Begin
- Stephanie Breiwa
- Mallory Broadfoot
- Miranda Burnett
- Anna Caldwell
- Rose Christian
- Leslie Crowder
- Amanda Leigh Dier
- Katie Doyle
- Jennifer Leilani Erickson
- Lindsey Ervin
- Becky Evans-Young
- M. Kathleen Figaro
- Loretta Fowlkes
- Abbey Francis
- Gillian Frank
- Heather Funderburg
- Delphine Gentry
- Laurens Glass
- Tosha Greenway
- Grace Guill
- Laura Hamilton
- Jane Harrison
- Jamie Hormuth
- Vanessa D. Jackson+
- Carla Jones
- Young-Soon Kang
- Alesia Kelley
- Sara King
- Barbara Jean Laifer
- Heather Lannan
- Megan Latham
- Jennye Laws-Woolf
- Vivian Layne
- Hayley Lewis
- Jennifer Lynn
- Janet Macdonald
- Lora Manson
- Rebecca Mathias
- Diana McCormick
- Kimberly McLaughlin
- Marcy McWilliams
- Dori Mikus
- Jean Miller
- Carlie Moore
- Jessica Moore-Hooten
- Clementina Moreira
- Linda T. Naron
- Carolyn Naumann+
- Lisa Pasto-Crosby
- Iris Walton Perez
- Catherine Pratt
- Lauren Price
- Jennifer Robinson
- Robin Rogers
- Sonya Sardon
- Deborah S. Schrauger
- Esther Sooter
- Maria Spear
- Jennifer Goode Stevens*
- Lauren Strange
- Barbara Sullivan
- Brandi Surface
- Marva Swann
- Leah Taylor
- Marla Thompson
- Beth Thorneycroft
- Jennice Threlkeld
- Valerie Trantum
- Jan Volk
- Janelle Waggener
- Sarah Warner
- Debra Waters
- Kathryn Whitaker
- Amy Wirdzek
- Sylvia Wynn
- Becky Young
Alto
- Ashley Nation Bassel
- Sarah Boone
- Gretchen Brecht
- Rachel Burkey
- Allison Campbell
- Lyn Camping
- Cathi Carmack*
- Kelly Christie
- Teresa C. Cissell
- Courtney Clark
- Lisa Cooper**
- Jaci Cordell
- Karen Crow
- Beth Cyrus
- Janet Keese Davies*
- Carla M. Davis*
- Leriel Davis
- June Dye
- Susan Fouche
- Shanon Harris Freeman
- Elizabeth Gilliam*
- Judith Griffin
- Leah Handelsman+
- Marah Kirsten Harrington+
- Sallie Hart
- Heidi Herzog
- Gay Hollins-Wiggins
- Younhee Kim
- Jessica Laven
- Janice Lewis
- Aynsley Martindale
- Shelly McCormack
- Sarah Miller
- Karen R. Mitchell
- Lauren Ramsey
- Pamela Raney
- Stacy Reed
- Gerda Resch
- Debbie Reyland
- Nancy Roberts
- Stephanie Robinson
- Ursula Roden
- Gretchen Roth
- Carmen Sanders
- Jill Sayler
- Patricia Sharp
- Laura Sikes
- Carla Simpson
- Maribeth Stahl*
- Emily Stubbs
- Sharon Taylor
- Allison Thompson
- Debra Greenspan Watts
- Debra Lee Williamson
- Sarah Wood
Tenor
- David Carlton
- Christon Carney
- Thomas Clay
- Joe Fitzpatrick
- David W. Hayes
- William F. Hodge
- Cory Howell
- John Manson**
- Mark Naumann
- William Paul
- John Perry+
- David W. Piston
- Gary Rabideau
- Robert C. Richardson
- Josh Ritter
- David M. Satterfield+
- Bill Seminerio
- Daniel Sissom
- Eddie Smith*
- Stephen F. Sparks**
- Wes Suitt
- James W. White
- Bruce Williams
- Scott Wolfe
- Jonathan Yeaworth
Bass
- Gary Adams
- Matt Adrian
- Gilbert Aldridge
- Robert A. Anderson
- Eric Boswell
- Bill Caruso
- Justin E. Combs
- Kent Dickerson
- Kyle Duckworth
- Patrick Dunnevant
- Andrew DuPerrieu
- Scott Edwards
- Justin Fitch
- Gabe Ford
- John Ford
- James Harrington*
- Richard Hatfield
- Charles Heimermann
- Kentaro Hirama
- Michael W. Hopfe
- Stanley Jenkins
- Clinton Anthony Johnson
- Carl Johnson
- Adam Ketron
- Gary King
- Matt Landman
- Dewight Lanham
- Joshua Alan Lindsay
- Christopher Loftin
- William B. Loyd**
- Bob MacKendree
- Don Marshall
- Matt McDonald
- Ben McKeown
- Matthew McNeill
- Bruce Meriwether
- Andrew Miller
- Stephen A. Mitchell
- Christopher Mixon
- Dwayne Murray
- Darryl Pace
- Steve Prichard
- J. Paul Roark
- Fred Rowles
- Matthew Smedberg
- Larry Strachan+
- Chad Stuible
- David B. Thomas+
- David Binns Williams
- John Williams
- Karl Wingruber
- Eric Wiuff
Accompanist
- Elizabeth Smith
Chorus Manager
- Emma Smyth
Librarian
- John Roberts
* NSC Board Appointment
** NSC Board Member
+ Section Leader
