Advocacy

This year, the Nashville Symphony will reach more than 200,000 people through its various education and community engagement programs — but our commitment to supporting the arts and arts education doesn't end there. The Nashville Symphony is also dedicated to raising awareness of the vital role that the arts play in helping to sustain thriving communities.

Our advocacy efforts include reaching out to elected officials to ensure that they're informed of the many ways that arts and music education programs are serving their constituents. By maintaining a calendar of educational activities taking place in the officials' own districts, we create opportunities for them to see the arts at work firsthand. In addition, the Nashville Symphony maintains membership in Americans for the Arts, Tennesseans for the Arts and Nashville Arts Coalition, and we work with these organizations to help ensure that music and the arts remain a budgetary priority at the federal, state and local levels.

The Nashville Symphony also takes an active role in spreading the word to the public about the well-documented benefits of music education. Members of our orchestra and our administrative staff serve as ambassadors in the community, speaking to civic clubs, church groups, professional organizations and other gatherings. We have partnered with notable local figures, such as Tennessee Titans Placekicker Rob Bironas, to champion this important cause. And through our partnerships with other local institutions such as the W.O. Smith/Nashville Community Music School and Metro Nashville Public Schools, we work every week to share life-changing educational experiences with children and families throughout our community.

For more information about the Nashville Symphony's arts advocacy efforts, please contact Maribeth Stahl, Director of Corporate Relations and Grants, at 615.687.6532 or email her

You Can Make an Impact

In just two minutes, you can contact your elected officials at the local, regional, state and congressional levels to let them know that you support the arts. Click here for direct links to your representatives.

To learn more about the Nashville Arts Coalition, a partnership of arts organizations, artists and supporters working together to ensure that our arts environment continues to grow and prosper, visit their website and find out how you can get involved.

To learn more about Tennesseans for the Arts, which advocates for the arts at all levels throughout Tennessee, visit their website.

To learn more about music and arts education, including research, advocacy, funding and more, visit the Americans for the Arts website.

Support the Arts with Your License Plate!

Did you know that proceeds from the sales of specialty license plates in Tennessee help provide more than two-thirds of the funding for the Tennessee Arts Commission's grants programs? These grants go to arts organizations like the Nashville Symphony whose mission is to improve the quality of life in the cities and towns they serve. So if you love the arts, consider investing in a specialty license plate. Not only will you help provide the primary source of funding for the Tennessee Arts Commission's grant programs, but you'll also help build Tennessee's next generation of artists and create tax dollars for the state. For more information or to order your own specialty license plate, click here. The Nashville Symphony thanks you for your support of the arts! Arts organizations can't succeed in their missions without funds from local, state and national government agencies.

Thank you to

Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County | Mayor Karl F. Dean | Metropolitan Council | Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission | National Endowment for the Arts | Tennessee Arts Commission