Published: September 30, 2026 · 3:32 AM EDT
All 77 orchestra musicians and 27 full-time staff members will be furloughed beginning October 18 as the 80-year-old organization launches a major financial restructuring
The Nashville Symphony will suspend the remainder of its 2026–27 concert season effective October 18 as the organization confronts a $10 million operating deficit and what its leadership describes as an unsustainable financial structure.
The Symphony’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the suspension on September 28 as the first step in a restructuring plan. The move will place all 77 musicians in the orchestra and 27 full-time staff members on furlough, affecting 104 employees in total.
Music Director Leonard Slatkin will conduct the orchestra’s final currently scheduled concerts of the season on October 16 and 17. Slatkin, who only began a new three-year term as Nashville Symphony Music Director in August, said he intends to remain in the position and participate in efforts to rebuild the organization.
The suspension does not mean the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is closing. Several events that do not involve the orchestra will continue as scheduled, including The Legendary Life of Tom Petty on October 18, No Small Endeavor LIVE on November 22 and holiday concerts featuring Ricky Skaggs, Dave Barnes and Drew and Ellie Holcomb. The Symphony Ball, Symphony Fashion Show, weddings and other venue rentals will also continue.
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Ticket holders for Nashville Symphony-presented concerts scheduled after October 18 are being contacted directly. Customers can retain the value as credit for a future performance, convert it into a tax-deductible donation or request a refund. The Symphony has warned that it cannot currently provide a timeline for processing refunds because of its financial condition.
The crisis follows years in which, according to Symphony leadership, operating costs and revenue remained out of balance. Nashville Scene reported that the organization had also relied heavily on the extraordinary financial support of longtime Nashville philanthropist Martha Ingram, who died in August. Symphony leadership has said the restructuring will focus on fundraising, revenue growth and developing a financially sustainable operating model.
The situation changed again on September 29 when President and CEO J. Mark Cantrell stepped down, according to Nashville Scene. The board appointed former Nashville Symphony board member and business executive Mark Tillinger to lead the organization through the restructuring process.
Founded in 1946, the Nashville Symphony has become one of the most recognized American orchestras for contemporary U.S. music and recording projects, earning 14 Grammy Awards and 27 nominations. It normally performs nearly 200 concerts annually at Schermerhorn Symphony Center and through community programs.
Watch a 2026 preview of Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony with the Nashville Symphony below:
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of Nashville Symphony.
