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Photo by Randee St. Nicholas
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This year's Harmony Award recipient, Miranda Lambert, will be accompanied by the Nashville Symphony for a one-of-a-kind collaboration during the 31st annual Symphony Ballthe organization's largest fundraiser and a premier winter social affair. Set to take place on December 12 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, co-chairs Sarah Reisner and Laura Niewold will host an evening of old Hollywood glamour complete with Lambert and the orchestra's dynamic musical performance.
'I've never performed with an orchestra before, so this will be a first,” confesses Grammy-winning artist Miranda Lambert.
The event culminates a yearlong planning process with the assistance of more than 150 committee volunteers. This year's co-chairs are seasoned veterans when it comes to throwing lavish events inside the Laura Turner Concert Hall: Niewold co-chaired the Nashville Symphony Fashion Show in 2012, and Reisner co-chaired last year's Ballet Ball, where she worked with event designer Bruce Pittman.
'When Laura and I first met with [Pittman] to discuss our vision for the 2015 Symphony Ball decor, he wowed us with his uncanny ability to bring our vision to life,” says Reisner. 'Be on the lookout for accents of drape, fur, and classic leather pieces presented in unexpected ways to create a classic old Hollywood mood.”
The chosen color scheme is marsalaPantone's color of the yearwith hints of silver and lush white; that's what inspired the regal theme, which will reflect the grandeur of a Gatsby-esque affair. As for the entertainment, the Harmony Award honors an individual who not only exemplifies the harmonious spirit of Nashville but also is committed to supporting the vitality of its artistic community.
'Miranda was someone we identified at the onset of this process more than a year ago because she really does represent everything that the Harmony Award stands for,” says Niewold.
Lambert joins an impressive lineup of past recipients that includes Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. The Symphony Ball supports the organization's mission to inspire, entertain, and educate through excellence in musical performance as well as benefit their education and community engagement programs.
'Music is what makes Nashville special and what gives it a heartbeat, so we have to keep pumping creativity into it,” adds Lambert.
The star recently established a scholarship for women at Belmont Universitya generosity that further cemented the co-chairs' decision of her deserving this honor.
'As two professional women ourselves, we were both very impressed with Miranda's commitment to helping other women advance their careers in music through the scholarship,” says Reisner. 'That kind of groundbreaking initiative speaks volumes about Miranda as a person and how much she cares about Nashville.”
Photos by Randee St. Nicholas, Nik + Cali Photography, Nashville Symphony, Susan Adcock.