About NPO
OUR Mission:
The Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO) is a volunteer community orchestra committed to bringing free, high caliber concerts to area neighborhoods while providing musicians the opportunity to learn, connect, and play.
Our Vision
The Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO) embraces a vision to positively impact its members and audiences through the preparation and performance of distinctive orchestral literature. A core belief is that live music is an art form that has the potential to engage its presenters and consumers in a way that wonderfully and deeply affects the soul and contributes to fullness and well-being.
We envision a world where experiencing orchestral music together fulfills creative expression, builds community, and expands the horizons of all who participate, as musicians and as audience members.
Our Values
● Artistry. We support our members in pursuing musical excellence both individually and as an ensemble and are committed to providing high caliber performances.
● Community. We intentionally cultivate a warm and welcoming atmosphere for both our musicians and our audiences to build connection and belonging through music.
● Accessibility. We actively make symphonic music accessible and approachable to as many people as possible, both as musicians who play with NPO and to the diverse community audiences for whom we perform.
● Inclusivity. We treat every one with humanity and respect, and work to ensure every member and listener feels heard and valued. We strive to select pieces that reflect the diversity of Nashville.
● Service. We serve each other and the community by learning about, playing, and experiencing high quality symphonic music.
● Learning. We value learning together over technical perfection. We bring audiences along by sharing the story of symphonic music as well as the performances.
● Integrity. We are committed to organizational excellence and transparency in all we do, stewarding the NPO for musicians and audiences to come.
Our History
The NPO was founded in January 2004 by Kelly Corcoran, who conducted the first season. Under Mark Putnam from 2004-2007, the orchestra grew to become Nashville’s premiere community ensemble, performing concerts of exciting, demanding repertoire for all audiences. During the Fall of 2007, violinist and charter member of the NPO, David Hahn served as Music Director, raising community awareness and support for the orchestra. In the spring of 2008, Chris Norton took up the baton to lead the NPO, and he continues advancing the mission of community outreach and musical excellence.
This ensemble offers players of differing levels and backgrounds the opportunity to make music together. The Nashville Philharmonic performs a diverse mix of repertoire – different genres and styles anchored in the classical tradition. Players in the Nashville Philharmonic collaborate with the Music Director in making repertoire decisions. The orchestra features area soloists and new music by local composers and also sponsors annual concerto and composition competitions.
New players are always welcome to inquire about membership in the orchestra!
Our Staff
Alan Fey
Executive Director
Alan Fey was named the first Executive Director of the NPO in 2024, having previously served in part-time roles with the organization since 2019. Alan is an arts administrator, percussionist, composer, arranger, and conductor who specializes in arts management and new music performance. In addition to his role with the NPO, Alan is a Co-Founder of Make Music Nashville and has previously worked with GRAMMY-Nominated ALIAS Chamber Ensemble and Portara Ensemble. He is currently serving as Interim Board Chair for SONUS Choir, a modern a cappella choir that champions music by living composers, and recently joined the Board of Community Arts Collective, an organization offering enriching music-based programming opportunities. He is also actively involved in advocating for equity in arts and cultural funding, especially from local government funding sources.
Alan's work as an arts administrator is focused on the communal aspect of music-making: Connecting communities with one another through music performance and education. His skill lies in managing the nitty-gritty logistics of performance while keeping the people engaged and focused on the overall Mission.
When not arts administer-ing, Alan can be heard performing new music, having been involved in the commissioning and world premieres of over thirty works. Alan has performed in spaces ranging from the Zeitgeist Art Gallery to Carnegie Hall. Alan studied primarily with Chris Norton while earning his Bachelor & Master of Music degrees in percussion performance. He spent a year studying at the Dresden Hochschule für Musik, which included multiple performances at the Dresden Semperoper. Alan has performed with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, Nashville Opera, Nashville Ballet, INTERSECTION, Paramount Chamber Players, and more. He directed the Nashville premiere of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit in 2015. Alan has arranged over a dozen works for a variety of instruments, and has completed a full-length Latin requiem mass for a cappella chorus.
Alan enjoys time with his professional-baker wife, their children, running (to make up for the baked goods), Nashville SC games, and Zelda video games.
Alan will be attending the League of American Orchestras’ National Conference in June 2026 for the first time! This learning and networking experience is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
Board of Directors
2026-2027
*NPO Musician
+Ex officio member
Crystal Armstrong
Daniel Bondaczuk
Andrew Floyd
Joe Gomez
Eric Hawkins
Erin Holt*
Dustin Kovacic*, Secretary
Clark Liddell*
Mackenzie Millet
Mickey Rybiski*
Elias Salazar*
Matthew Smith, Treasurer
Rebecca Teel*, Vice Chair
Isabel Tipton-Krispin
Yurina Yoshikawa*, Chair
Chris Norton, Music Director+
Elizabeth Jones*, Director of Happiness+
Emeritus Board:
Kelly Corcoran, Founding Music Director
Strategic plan
Financials & Reports
Annual Reports
Advocacy for the Arts
The Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra believes that our communities are strengthened through the arts, and that we can make great art communally.
The NPO is proud to be a member of Americans for the Arts, Tennesseans for the Arts, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, and the League of American Orchestras.
