Nashville Symphony suspends remainder of season amid $10m budget gap

All 77 orchestra musicians and 27 full-time staff positions will be furloughed from 18 October as the organisation confronts what it describes as a financial emergency.

The Nashville Symphony will suspend the remainder of its 2026–27 season from 18 October and furlough all 77 members of the orchestra as it undertakes a major financial restructuring.

The orchestra’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the decision on 28 September as the organisation confronts a $10 million gap in its current operating budget and says it has exhausted its available cash. Twenty-seven full-time staff positions will also be furloughed.

The announcement represents a sharp escalation of the financial difficulties disclosed by the Symphony last week, when President and CEO J. Mark Cantrell said the organisation did not have sufficient cash on hand to sustain operations at its current level.

“For too long, our costs and our revenue have been out of balance,” Cantrell said in a message announcing the suspension. He described the decision as the first step towards putting the organisation on sustainable financial footing.

The Symphony has not announced a date for the resumption of regular performances. Cantrell said management was working with the musicians towards a solution and intended to restore concerts as quickly as possible.

Slatkin to conduct final concerts before suspension

Music Director Leonard Slatkin will conduct the orchestra’s final scheduled concerts before the suspension on 16 and 17 October at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

The programme includes Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides, Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 and Wynton Marsalis’s Violin Concerto, with Kelly Hall-Tompkins as soloist. Slatkin, who became Music Director this season, remains committed to the orchestra and its eventual return, according to the Symphony.

Several independently produced events and fundraising activities at the Schermerhorn will continue despite the suspension, including the Symphony Ball on 12 December and Symphony Fashion Show on 27 April. Holiday performances featuring Ricky Skaggs, Dave Barnes and Drew and Ellie Holcomb will also proceed. Weddings, building rentals and other private events will continue.

Ticket holders for cancelled Nashville Symphony concerts will be contacted by the organisation and may retain the value as credit towards a future performance or convert it into a tax-deductible donation.

Years of financial pressure

The suspension follows several years of financial difficulties.

According to the Nashville Symphony Association’s latest US tax filing, the organisation reported revenue of approximately $28.1 million and expenses of $30.35 million for the fiscal year ending in July 2025, resulting in a deficit of about $2.26 million.

That followed a deficit of approximately $626,000 in the previous fiscal year. In 2023, the organisation reported a deficit of more than $7.1 million.

The Symphony has also carried out two previous rounds of staff reductions. Ten positions were eliminated in July 2024, followed by another eight employees in April 2025.

Cantrell, who became president and CEO on 1 August, has said the institution had operated for years on an unsustainable financial foundation. The restructuring is expected to focus on broadening the donor base, increasing fundraising and strengthening the Symphony’s endowment.