Contemporary Reviews

This category is for reviews of contemporary art and music.


Cheekwood's Winter Concert Series

Music City Latin Orchestra turned up the heat on a cold winter night

Versión en español Beginning with the setting where we had the privilege to enjoy the Music City Latin Orchestra’s show, every element in this concert was a delightful peculiarity. As part of the Winter Concert Series organized by Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, the Massey Auditorium was transformed into a dance floor. The space was arranged both for those who wished to appreciate tropical rhythms from the comfort of their chairs and for those overcome by the spirit of dance who inevitably had to yield. Daniel Enrique’s (Venezuela) warm voice encouraged the first couples to break the ice in a venueRead More

Boundless Beats: Encouraging New Perspectives Between Music, Composer, and Audience

Boundless Beats, described on its website as “a casual, public sharing of collaborations and creations,” unfolded on May 3, 2024, from 3:30 p.m. to around 5:00 p.m. at the NashvilleRead More

Alvin Ailey: A Thriving Legacy of Excellence

  When Alvin Ailey premiered Revelations in 1960, he was not quite 30 years old and his dance company had only been performing for two years. Ailey, son of aRead More

Jazz at the Schermerhorn

The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Joy of Music

On March 1st, 2024, the Duke Ellington Orchestra performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, filling the space with extraordinary playing and, above all, a sense of joy and connectedness. WithoutRead More

From OZ Arts

MazelFreten presents Rave Lucid at OZ Arts Nashville

Absolument incroyable! In Nashville for three performances, February 29 – March 2, MazelFreten helped audiences escape into a pulsing, euphoric world scored by house music. Described as a combination ofRead More

La Serie de Conciertos de Invierno organizado por Cheekwood Estate & Gardens

Music City Latin Orchestra subió la temperatura en plena noche de invierno

Version in English Comenzando por el escenario en el que tuvimos el privilegio de disfrutar el espectáculo de Music City Latin Orchestra, cada elemento en este concierto fue una grataRead More

From the First Bank Pops Series:

Patti LaBelle with the Nashville Symphony

Patti LaBelle has enjoyed one of the longest careers in contemporary music, singing everything from girl group pop and gutsy soul to space-age funk and hard-hitting disco. This past weekend,Read More

From the Annals of Activism

A Conversation on Art and Activism

Last week, an exhilarating yet casual, interactive community conversation around art and activism took place at Tennessee Justice Center, a nonprofit public interest law & advocacy firm serving families inRead More

The Nashville Ballet’s got an Attitude

On February 9 – 11 Nashville Ballet held its annual program Attitude, a program “known for its groundbreaking choreography, original music, and cross-disciplinary collaborations” that often push the limits onRead More

OZ Arts presents

TRIBE – Black Hole: Trilogy and Triathlon

Darkened space, a throbbing mass of blue glimmering lights upstage center. Gradually, one by one, dancers emerge from a primordial ooze as if crawling into a new reality or allowingRead More