André Kertész’s Eiffel Tower from 1929 is part of the Frist Center’s Twilight
Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris from Sept. 10 – Jan. 3
Wicked, Sept. 2 – 20
Andrew Jackson Hall
So much happened before Dorothy dropped in. Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the Land of Oz. One-born with emerald green skin-is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for “the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time” (USA Today). On Broadway and around the world, Wicked has worked its magic on critics and audiences alike. Winner of 20 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, Wicked is “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times).
Shakespeare Allowed! Romeo & Juliet, Sept. 5
Nashville’s Main Public Library
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival hosts this monthly gathering at the Nashville Public Library (Main Library) on the first Saturday of each month to read one of the works of William Shakespeare, beginning with the first play he wrote and ending with his last. No need to commit to the whole canon, and all voices, ages and dialects are welcome. Listeners are also encouraged! This month features Romeo & Juliet.
Garden Gallery Tours: Dig Deeper, Sept. 5 – 26
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
Just as our museum staff manages our art exhibits, our horticulturists and gardeners are continuously assembling, editing, and designing the plant collections at Cheekwood. Take a tour of our living exhibitions with our expert botanical garden staff, stopping to “dig deeper” and further explore a different garden each month. The September tours will be of the Robertson Ellis Color Garden.
Scarecrows, Sept. 5 – Nov. 1
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
Get ready for some good old-fashioned fall fun at Cheekwood! Scarecrows is an annual outdoor exhibition that is created by individuals, families, community groups, and corporations. It showcases dozens of fabulous, weird, frightening, serious, funny, and traditional scarecrows lurking along the Garden’s paths.
Contemporary Jazz Series featuring The Marcus Finnie Band
Sept. 6, Nashville Jazz Workshop
NJW presents a new series starting Sunday, August 2. The Contemporary Jazz Series features local contemporary jazz artists, and takes place the first Sunday of each month in the Jazz Cave. The series is hosted by Rahsaan Barber. The September 6 show features The Marcus Finnie Band.
Blair Signature Series presents John Johns on Guitar Sept. 10
Ingram Hall
Blair Signature Series presents John Johns on guitar in Ingram Hall, A Plucked String Event featuring duets with Blair’s Marian Schaffer, harp and Amy Dorfman, harpsichord. Even though the guitar, harp and harpsichord have their individual sounds and tone colors, they share one thing in common – their strings are plucked by either fingers or quills. When played in combination, they produce color sonorities. The program features Fantasia para un gentilhomme by the great Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, Sonata in C Major, BWV 529 by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sonata in A Major by Antonio Vivaldi, and the Introduction and Fandango by Luigi Boccherini. Johns also presents a set of his own solo guitar transcriptions of Bach, Mendelssohn and Gluck. This event features complimentary valet parking.
Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris, Sept. 10 – Jan. 3
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Including more than 120 photographs by such artists as Man Ray, Eugène Atget, Brassaï, Hans Bellmer and André Kertész, Twilight Visions will celebrate Paris as the literal and metaphoric foundation of Surrealism.
All-Beethoven Opening Gala with Lang Lang
Sept. 11, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
All-Beethoven Opening Gala with Lang Lang featuring Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor, and Lang Lang, piano. Beethoven’s genius shines through brilliantly in a trio of works that all include the number 3. Celebrated young pianist Lang Lang is a superstar in his native China, where he made an unforgettable appearance last summer at the Beijing Olympics. This international sensation will light up the stage of Laura Turner Concert Hall with his dramatic stage persona and passionate performance style, which have rocketed him to worldwide acclaim. The evening closes with the powerful Symphony No. 3 “Eroica,” a major turning point in the composer’s towering oeuvre.
Curator’s Perspective: The City in Twilight: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris
Sept. 11, Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Join Therese Lichtenstein, Ph.D., independent guest curator and organizer of the Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris exhibition, as she focuses on the Surrealists’ conception of twilight, as seen in the photographs of Paris taken during the 1920s and 1930s. Lichtenstein will discuss how Brassai, Ilse Bing, Germaine Krull, Andre Kertesz, Man Ray and other photographers transformed iconic views of the city and its monuments by shooting at strange, disorienting angles and focusing on unexpected details. Everyday streets, signs and cafes become unfamiliar and evocative; the ordinary is seen as extraordinary.
Tango by Moonlight
Sept. 11
Centennial Park Bandshell
Metro Parks and Tango Nashville present Argentine Tango dance lessons, demonstrations and dancing to live music with Tango Trio PAD at the Centennial Park Event Shelter. Café will sell food and beverages. Some of the music will be original compositions by local composers from the Nashville Composers Association.
Path and Pen Spiritual Writer’s Conference
Sept. 11 – 12
Scarritt-Bennett Center
Join us for the Fourth Annual Path and Pen Conference: a hands–on weekend encounter with various forms of spiritually oriented writing including memoir, poetry, liturgy, inspirational writing and creative nonfiction. Attend practical workshops for learning new techniques and sharpening old skills facilitated by some of Nashville’s most creative writers and lyricists.
Frist Center Kids Club: Cityscapes that POP!
Sept. 12
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Designed for children ages 5-10, the Frist Center Kids Club offers exciting opportunities for children to discover, explore, and create art. In September Kids Club members will take traditional cityscapes one step further by creating low-relief FUNscape skylines. Free membership includes a Kids Club card, a variety of art classes and activities, and rewards for participation. Due to a limited number of spaces in each class, reservations are strongly suggested and can be made two weeks prior to each class. Walk-ups are welcome as long as space is available.
The Second Saturday Summer Drive-In: Young Frankenstein Sept. 12
Belcourt Theatre
It’s a Drive-In. It’s a Walk-In. It’s a Bike-In! Starting after sunset, the evening kicks off with a pre-show hodgepodge of fun shorts, kitsch commercials and serials of yesteryear followed by the evening’s feature presentation: Young Frankenstein. A laugh riot from beginning to end, this classic parody from director Mel Brooks stars Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein, who detests his family history but ultimately can’t resist the temptation to follow in his infamous grandfather’s footsteps. It’s FREE and be sure to bring your favorite chair or blanket.
The 10th Annual Americana Music Festival and Conference Sept. 16 – 19
Nashville Convention Center and Various Live Music Venues
The 10th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference will offer seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center by day, and bring a stellar lineup of musical showcases each evening at premiere venues like the Mercy Lounge, Cannery Ballroom, The Station Inn, the Basement and 3rd & Lindsley. As always, the Festival’s capstone will be the annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards, scheduled for September 17th at the historic Ryman Auditorium. The ceremony will toast winners in six member-voted of the year categories and bestow Lifetime Achievement Awards on several honored guests.
Lunch and Lecture: Delightful Daffodils
Sept. 17
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
It may be early fall, but it is time to start thinking about spring color in your garden! Join us as we host Becky Fox Matthews of the Middle Tennessee Daffodil Society and 2nd Vice President of the American Daffodil Society for a program on all things daffodil. We will explore the 13 divisions of daffodils, discover some exciting new varieties, and learn about the best performers for our area. You will leave wanting to start your very own daffodil collection.
Salute to Excellence 2009
Sept. 17
Renaissance Nashville Hotel
Every year, The Center for Nonprofit Management hosts a dinner and awards presentation that honors area nonprofits for their commitment to management excellence. Nine awards and more than $155,000 will be awarded to deserving nonprofit organizations and leaders.
27th Annual African Street Festival
Sept. 18 – 20
Tennessee State University
The African Street Festival is the phenomenal festival that features approximately 150 street vendors and has grown to attract more than 50,000 people interested in African American culture. The festival will feature automotive displays, spoken word, dance, a new African Expo pavilion, a children’s pavilion, authentic cuisine and an eclectic mix of live music. This celebration has expanded to even include the cultures of the Caribbean, North, Central and South America and other places around the world where Africa is also represented.
Wine on the River
Sept. 19, Shelby Street Bridge
In its seventh year, Wine on the River features wine tastings from vineyards across the country and around the world, and an educational insight into the wine-making process. Enjoy live Jazz music featuring local musicians and the Nashville Symphony Quartet. A portion of the funds generated by the event will go to benefit l’Ete du Vin, a non-profit corporation dedicated to raising money to fund programs, services and research projects directly related to the treatment, patient assistance and eradication of cancer.
Cumberland Heights presents Boz Scaggs with John Hiatt Sept. 21, Ryman Auditorium
Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs joins John Hiatt for his annual concert benefiting Cumberland Heights, a nationally recognized alcohol and drug treatment center located west of Nashville.
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Sept. 22 – Oct. 11, Nashville Children’s Theatre
In 2004, TIME magazine rated the Nashville Children’s Theatre as one of America’s top five children’s theatres after their theatre critic attended a production of Ludwig and Schlitz’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This toe-tapping Broadway musical is back again this year as part of Nashville’s yearlong celebration of America’s greatest author!
Blair Nightcap Series: The Violin Now!
Featuring Guest Artist Peter Sheppard Skaerved
Sept. 24, Turner Recital Hall
Blair’s Nightcap format is the perfect vehicle for this evening’s guest artist, world-class violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved and Blair faculty member Michael Alec Rose, who will explore in a lecture/demonstration style what it is to be a violinist today, drawing on Skærved’s unique repertoire of rare works from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the many works written for him. A dedicatee of well over 200 works for solo violin, Peter is the only living violinist to have been invited to play on Paganini’s, Viotti’s and Kreisler’s violins. Leader of the acclaimed Kreutzer Quartet, Fellow of Performance Studies at the Royal Academy of Music, Peter also directs a series of concerts at the world’s oldest music hall, Wiltons Music Hall in London. This year Peter is curating an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, holding a residency at the British Museum and proudly collaborating with Blair School on the third exchange program with the Royal Academy of Music, which will be launched as part of the Blair Nightcap Series visit. He plays Joseph Joachim’s 1698 Stradivari.
Great Performances at Vanderbilt: Kidd Pivot presents Lost Action Sept. 24, Blair School of Music
Catch Canada’s very current choreographer Crystal Pite, unrestrained and defiant with her exceptional seven member team of performing strategists – mercurial and spectacular.
Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb
Sept. 24 – 26, Schermerhorn Symphony Center
This Bank of America Pops Series will feature Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb performing with the Nashville Symphony and Albert-George Schram, conductor. Webb and Campbell are responsible for some of the most enduring songs in the history of popular music: “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” and “Galveston.”
31st Annual TACA Fall Craft Fair
Sept. 25 – 27, Centennial Park
Showcasing the craftsmanship of 200 exhibitors, the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists (TACA) Fall Craft Fair offers shoppers the opportunity to meet and talk with exhibiting artists, enjoy children’s activities, visit special exhibits and demonstrations, and purchase a wide variety of uniquely handcrafted art.
12th Annual Harvest Days
Sept. 26 – 27, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Step back to the days of yore, and help the Zoo celebrate its favorite “past” time, Harvest Days. Taking place on the lawn around the Zoo’s Historic Home and Farm, Harvest Days is a celebration of life at harvest time in the 1800s. Crafts people and artisans will be demonstrating 19th century trades, such as yarn spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, pottery, woodcarving and more.
International Black Film Festival of Nashville
Sept. 30 – Oct. 4, Tennessee State University
The International Black Film Festival of Nashville (IBFF) brings African American and other communities together to showcase their work as emerging and skilled independent filmmakers, actors, composers, screenwriters, directors and other film industry professionals.