Kelly Corcoran (Nashville Symphony photo) [Click to enlarge]

Preliminary planning has begun for the 2008 "Symphony at the Celebration" concert featuring the Nashville Symphony at Calsonic Arena.

The steering committee for the concert met on Tuesday at the Fly Arts Center. Dawn Holley was re-elected chair of the committee, which includes both local representatives and Nashville Symphony staff members.

The 2008 concert has been set for April 29. The symphony, under the direction of Assistant Conductor Kelly Corcoran, will perform a family-friendly, casual-dress concert, with a variety of familiar pieces, often including popular music or classical tunes that have become familiar through movies and television. Children are admitted free of charge, and adult tickets are normally $5, with all ticket proceeds to benefit Bedford County Arts Council.

Cascade High School Band will be special guest artists for the 2008 event. Organizers planned last year to rotate through the three local band programs; Community High School Band performed at the 2007 concert and was extremely well-received.

The evening includes pre-concert entertainment and an art show on the arena concourse.

The Nashville Symphony has performed in Shelbyville since 1989. In the first few years, organizers experimented with various seasons of the year in which to hold the concert and, as a result, there was at one point a year-and-a-half break between concerts. Except for that break, the concert has been an annual event. The first concert was held in the main outdoor arena at the Celebration; since that time, the concerts have been held in Calsonic Arena, the indoor arena on the Celebration grounds.

The concert was originally sponsored by Berol Corp. (now Sanford Corp.). Later, after First American Bank became the presenting sponsor, a local steering committee was established and the concert became affiliated with Bedford County Arts Council.

Today, Regions Bank is the region-wide sponsor of the Nashville Symphony's community concert series, making it the presenting sponsor of the local concert. The Celebration, which makes Calsonic Arena available, and the Arts Council are also principal sponsors.

Information about the concert is available at its web site, lakeneuron.com/symphony.

This will be Corcoran's first time to conduct the Shelbyville concert. As Assistant Conductor, she leads a variety of programs for the orchestra, serves as the primary conductor for its educational programs and is a spokesperson for the "MusicEducation City" initiative.

Prior to her position in Nashville, Corcoran completed three seasons as Assistant Conductor for the Canton Symphony Orchestra in Ohio and Music Director of the Canton Youth Symphony and the Cleveland area Heights Chamber Orchestra.

Corcoran has conducted orchestras throughout the mid-west and the east coast, including performances with the Milwaukee Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Originally from Massachusetts and a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for 10 years, Corcoran received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory. She received her Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Indiana University.