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NEW WORK DEDICATED TO EARL SCRUGGS
 Béla Fleck |
Béla Fleck
will present the world premiere of his Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra —
one of the first ever written for the instrument — with the Nashville Symphony on
September 22-24 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. To be performed by Fleck on his vintage
1937 mahogany Gibson Mastertone banjo, the Concerto marks a significant new
departure for Fleck, who calls the piece "a liberating experience for my efforts as a
composer and hopefully for the banjo as well." Commissioned by the Nashville Symphony,
Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra will be the centerpiece of the orchestra’s opening
concerts in the 2011/12 SunTrust Classical Series.
Fleck dedicates his new Concerto to pioneering banjoist Earl Scruggs, who first
inspired him to take up the instrument. The composer says that the piece reflects the
dual influences of classical music and bluegrass. “You can hear an evolution in my own
writing of the piece as it goes on,” Fleck observes, noting that he wanted to “explore the
new possibilities of the banjo as a member or the orchestra, while respecting its roots in
bluegrass and jazz.”
Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra is matched at the Nashville Symphony concerts with
Aaron Copland’s famous Appalachian Spring, which celebrates the American spirit
with music of breathtaking beauty and directness. Concluding the performance is
Tchaikovsky’s larger-than-life Fourth Symphony. The Thursday, September 22,
performance will be webcast live via the Nashville Symphony’s website.
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For more information about the concert or to purchase tickets, please call 615.687.6400 or
visit NashvilleSymphony.org
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