Nashville Symphony’s season is back, thanks to Oracle.
Oracle has given $10 million to the Nashville Symphony, a week after the orchestra suspended its 2026/27 season and said it would furlough every one of its musicians. When the symphony shut the season down, it disclosed a $10 million operating-budget deficit for the fiscal year. The symphony confirmed the gift in a letter to patrons on October 4, saying the season will resume and the furloughs will not go ahead. The season runs through June 2027. The crisis surfaced on September 28, when the symphony announced the suspension.
The furloughs were due to begin on October 18 and would have covered all 77 members of the orchestra along with 27 full-time staff.
“This gift from Oracle is a profound vote of confidence in the Nashville Symphony and the important role we play in the cultural fabric of our city,” wrote Mark Tillinger, the symphony’s president and CEO. Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk said the donation allows the symphony to bring all of them back. It was the tech giant that made the first move, asking how it could make “a real, meaningful difference”, according to Tillinger. “We shared what it would take to bring our season and our musicians back, and Oracle met that moment with extraordinary vision and generosity,” he said. “The organization has exhausted its cash and cannot continue operating as it has,” then CEO J. Mark Cantrell said at the time.
The amount matches the shortfall to the dollar.
Ticket holders affected by the cancellations will receive an email with their options. Some concerts are still being reconfirmed, depending on whether guest conductors and artists are available on the original dates.