Author: Stephen Turner

From Playhouse615

Sordid Lives: A Captivating Production

“A tale of Southern pride,” Del Shores’ 1996 play Sordid Lives is affectionately described as a white-trash black comedy. It juxtaposes conflicting, often humorous themes that reflect Southern life. WhileRead More

From the (not so) Far-Flung Correspondence:

Columbus, Georgia’s Ma Rainey House and Museum: A Testament to the “Mother of the Blues”

This past June, I attended a music history conference in Columbus Georgia, where a significant portion was dedicated to exploring the blues through legendary singer Ma Rainey’s life and legacy.Read More

Dum Spiro, Spero: SONUS Choir’s Tenth-Anniversary Concert

One of the things I love about being relatively still new to Nashville is discovering musical organizations unknown to me that call the Music City their home. On May 10,Read 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

The Lunar New Year with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra

Lunar New Year is the most important Chinese holiday, celebrated throughout the diaspora including in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and more. The Nashville Symphony—underRead More

At the Schermerhorn

Hallelujah!: NSO’s Production of Handel’s Messiah

I was fortunate to experience George Frideric Handel’s Messiah performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. I saw the last performance on Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.Read More

at the Blair School of Music

Nashville Scholars and Musicians Celebrate Florence Price

I attended the event Florence Price: A Celebration for Orchestra, November 14, 2023 in Martha Rivers Ingram Hall at the Blair School of Music in Vanderbilt University. The Vanderbilt UniversityRead More

Joachim’s ‘Frei aber einsam’ : The Nashville Chamber Music Society

I enjoyed attending the Nashville Chamber Music Society’s (NCMS) recent November 12, 2023 performance at Nashville’s Steinway Gallery on Sidco Drive. I’ve looked forward to this recital since my firstRead More

In the Blue Room...

White Lodge: An Evening with Music of Twin Peaks

It’s hard to believe that the original television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991) was aired and canceled a year later, over thirty years ago. However, the White Lodge: Evening with MusicRead More

The NCMS’s Opening Night:

Watercolor, Reverence, and some Drama.

The Nashville Chamber Music Society (NCMS) presented an outstanding opening-night performance of their current season featuring cellist and NCMS founder MaryGrace Bender, flutist Danielle Maeng, and pianist Brendan Jacklin (NCMS,Read More