November Events in Nashville

11/1 David Sedaris

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

11/1-11/3 The Power of Imagination

Few pieces unleash the power of the imagination more vividly than Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, a work written under the spell of all-consuming romantic infatuation. This is music that conjures astonishing visions, and it sounds like nothing that came before it. Korngold’s Violin Concerto is full of gorgeous melodies, expansive harmonies and explosive writing for the soloist, equally inspired by his work as a composer for Hollywood films and by the music of his childhood mentor, Gustav Mahler. An original thinker of an entirely different sort, Messaien wrote Un Sourire as a tribute to Mozart’s undying genius.

11/8-11/10 Disney in Concert

Disney in Concert: Magical Music from the Movies - Prepare to be enchanted. This magical evening will feature music and movie clips from some of Disney's best-known films, in a spectacular production that will bring out the kid in you! Relive some of the most memorable moments in the history of movies, including Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and much more!

11/9-11/11 The Difficulty of Crossing a Field

A plantation owner in the antebellum American South walks across his field and disappears - in plain view of his family, his neighbors and the slaves - forever altering their world. Everyone has his or her own theory of what that "disappearance" means in this haunting contemporary masterpiece by David Lang.

11/15-11/17 Fairy Tales & Fate

Experience the wonder of childhood through Ravel's magical Mother Goose, which brings centuries-old fairy tales to life with flights of fantasy and music of uncommon delicacy. Schumann's Second Symphony, which the composer wrote even as he struggled with depression, anxiety and poor health, is the sound of one human soul rallying against the forces of fate, with a triumphant spirit that recalls Beethoven's Fifth. One of the world's most esteemed maestros, Hans Graf will lead the orchestra as we welcome back pianist Ingrid Fliter, who is sure to captivate on Saint-Saëns' Second Piano Concerto.

11/29-12/1 All That Classical Jazz

No one quite blended classical music and jazz the way George Gershwin did, and his Piano Concerto is an unmatched blend of symphonic form and syncopated swing. This piece shows off his uncanny knack for timing and his distinctively American sense of style, and the sensational pianist Terrence Wilson will bring it all brilliantly to life. Guest conductor Bramwell Tovey opens the evening with a performance of his own Urban Runway, a witty take on New York and L.A. fashionistas. In a striking contrast, William Walton's First Symphony is a masterpiece of English orchestral music, overflowing with ambition and sheer human urgency.