Remembering Martha Rivers Ingram

August 20, 1935 - August 6, 2026

The Nashville Symphony mourns the passing of our dear friend and greatest champion, Martha Rivers Ingram.

A fierce supporter of the arts and education, a philanthropist, and a devoted civic leader, Martha believed deeply in Nashville and in the essential role the arts play in a thriving city. Her lifelong passion for the arts guided her vision for what this community could become.

Martha’s leadership, vision, generosity, and tenacity profoundly shaped the Nashville Symphony. Quite simply, we would not be the institution we are today without her. Her belief in the arts grew from a deep desire to ensure that no Nashvillian would miss the cultural experiences she felt she had lacked growing up in the South. That desire drove her to help make the Nashville Symphony one of the country’s leading orchestras, performing in an acoustically superb, state-of-the-art concert hall worthy of its musicians and the community they serve.

After moving to Nashville in 1961, Martha began asking what she could do to strengthen the city culturally. That question guided a lifetime of leadership and service.

For Martha, the arts were not an amenity. They were essential to the life and identity of a thriving community. She understood that great cities need vibrant arts organizations and welcoming places that inspire creativity, bring people together, and present the arts at the highest level. She also knew that gathering places created for commerce, recreation, entertainment, or residential life must respond to the needs of the people they are intended to serve.

During Kenneth Schermerhorn’s 22 years as Music Director, the Nashville Symphony grew tremendously in artistic stature. But the acoustical limitations of its performance spaces constrained the orchestra’s continued development.

Martha was unwilling to accept constraints that prevented Nashville’s orchestra from truly shining as the artistic gem it had become, kept the community from fully appreciating its extraordinary artistry, and threatened its long-term sustainability. She brought together civic leaders, cultivated support, and secured the resources needed to build not just any hall, but one of the very best in the world for live orchestral music, a world-class hall that would allow the Nashville Symphony to flourish for generations. Her visionary leadership convinced all of us involved that setting our sights at the highest level would lead to greater success than retreating into our own limited perceptions of what was possible.

Following a successful fundraising campaign led by Martha, the project’s steering committee, and the building committee, Schermerhorn Symphony Center opened on September 9, 2006, becoming the permanent home of the Nashville Symphony.

The building bears lasting tributes to Martha’s influence. The Martha Rivers Ingram Garden Courtyard provides a beautiful outdoor gathering space, while the seven fountains on the property provide a sense of tranquility and peace. Martha was also an inspiring presence who worked side by side with the design team, staff, musicians, and various committees, making decisions large and small, from colors and materials to public art and room furnishings. Martha’s fingerprints are everywhere in the building, reflecting her passion for the project and attention to detail.

Schermerhorn Symphony Center stands today because Martha believed in what the Nashville Symphony could become. But her legacy extends far beyond the building itself.

It lives in every musician who takes the stage, every student discovering an instrument for the first time, every family attending a concert together, and every member of our community who finds inspiration, comfort, or connection through live music.

There is no way to fully express our gratitude for all Martha did for the Nashville Symphony and for Music City. We will miss her deeply and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and all who loved her.

Though she will no longer join us on concert nights, her presence will be felt for generations through the music we share, the people we serve, and the gathering place she helped create.