TRAINING YOUNG MUSICIANS FOR THE FUTURE

The application window is now closed. Applications will be available for the 21/22 cohort in October, 2020.

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The Nashville Symphony's Accelerando initiative is an intensive music education program designed to prepare gifted young students of diverse ethnic backgrounds for pursuing music at the collegiate level and beyond. Accelerando seeks to create professional opportunities for musicians from ethnic communities underrepresented in today's orchestras by providing them with instruction, mentorship, performance experiences and assistance with applying to music schools. With access to the resources of a major American orchestra, these students will be able to realize their full potential and will form the next generation of orchestra musicians. 

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Accelerando has helped shape me into the person and musician I am today. It has pushed and challenged me to grow as a musician, and my playing is at a level that 10-year-old me would have never imagined. Slowly and steadily, I have learned that music is more than just a bunch of notes, a sprinkle of vibrato with some movement on top. It is the way the music can impact you as a whole, how the music can impact the audience, how the music connects the people in the orchestra. My musical persona and perception have changed, and I now am working toward my future in music.

— Emily Martinez-Perez, Accelerando student

About the Program

The Accelerando Program is designed for serious music students who have a high musical aptitude and the motivation to pursue a professional music career on a standard orchestral instrument.

• Students in grades 4-9 may audition in the spring
• When fully implemented, Accelerando will serve students in grades 5-12
• Participants receive year-round instruction from a Nashville Symphony musician or highly qualified local instructor
• Students and families receive complimentary tickets for Nashville Symphony Classical Series concerts
• Solo recital and chamber performance opportunities
• Students are required to participate in school band or orchestra and/or local youth orchestras
• Technical and performance juries each year
• Summer activities including workshops, camps, lessons and/or classes
• Supplementary music instruction at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music in music theory and music history
• College and career counseling provided to students and families
• Financial and logistical assistance applying for music school (transportation and room costs, scheduling, etc.)

Eligible instruments include:

This program is open only to orchestral instrumentalists. Applications for piano, saxophone, guitar and voice will not be accepted.

 Questions? Click the links below, or email accelerando@nashvillesymphony.org.

Eligibility Requirements  Instrument Requirements

Brochure   Frequently Asked Questions