Bluegrass Mass with the Nashville Symphony Chorus

Nashville Symphony Chorus | Tucker Biddlecombe, chorus director | Charles Butler, banjo | Jacob Jolliff, mandolin | Jerry Kimbrough, guitar | Craig Nelson, bass | Gabe Terracciano, violin

Experience the perfect harmony of bluegrass and classical music! The Nashville Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Tucker Biddlecombe, joins with bluegrass musicians for A World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass. This joyful, foot-tapping celebration blends banjo, fiddle, and rich choral sound. Composer Carol Barnett's uplifting score brings together two great traditions in one unforgettable Nashville performance.

This performance is presented without the Nashville Symphony.

 

This concert is dedicated to the legacy of Billy Ray Hearn and his commitment to the Nashville Symphony, the larger Nashville community, and the music industry. Please join us as we honor those commitments and celebrate the endowment of the Billy Ray Hearn Choral Loft and Choral Director.

If you’d like to make a gift in memory of Billy Ray and in support of these efforts, please visit NashvilleSymphony.org/Hearn. 

 

Billy Ray Hearn, 1929-2015 

 black and white photograph of Billy Ray Hearn

Billy Ray Hearn lived his life through his passion for choral music. He was the son of a church pianist/organist and the nephew of a minister of music and grew up in church. Hearn was the first to earn a degree in church music from Baylor University. While a student, he was a member of Baylor's original BRH Choir and was the first student to ever lead the hymn singing at Baylor Chapel. He was presented with the Exemplary Leader in Church Music Award and named a Baylor Distinguished Alumnus years later.

Once he graduated, Hearn spent 15 years developing choral programs and leading churches in music and worship. This led to him creating a city-wide choir in Georgia that performed Handel's Messiah and named "Man of the Year." His revolutionary approach to using music to appeal to young people grabbed the attention of Word Records, who brought him on to create and promote contemporary music for church choirs.

While with Word Records, he founded Myrrh Records. He went on to create his own label, Sparrow Records, and began producing. This included his hymn series "Hymns Triumphant," Andy Griffith's "I Love to Tell the Story," and the Dove award-winning recording of Handel's Messiah with the London Philharmonic and Choir. While in the recording industry Hearn was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and awarded the President's Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Gospel Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award and the Francis Preston Lifetime Music Industry Achievement Award, among many others.

Once he retired from the recording industry, he continued to play a pivotal role in the industry he helped create. Hearn also served on the Nashville Symphony's board and created the much beloved program Hymn Sing. The naming of the Nashville Symphony choral loft and chorus director position is a fitting testament of Hearn's life-long passion for choral music.