Projects

Piano Rainbow Program:  This initiative places pianos in schools and community centers located in under-resourced and underprivileged areas across Nashville. We provide these wonderful instruments free of charge, as well as mentorship, artistic guidance, and educational materials. This project aims to honor the cultural diversity of Music City while empowering students through music education.  The program gives plans to give away 10 beautiful upright pianos each cycle to metro schools where kids will paint and decorate them in celebration of their diverse backgrounds. We will host a special ceremony on December 16th 2024 in which we are donating the first 5 of this cycle's 10 beautiful, artistically-inspired pianos to five incredible Metro Nashville schools: Napier Elementary School, Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary, John Early Museum Magnet Middle School, Warner Elementary Arts Magnet School and Bellshire Elementary. These pianos will bring the joy of music and creativity to students in under-resourced communities, empowering them to explore their talents and celebrate Nashville’s rich diversity. We also recognize the support of our generous sponsors: The Nashville Predators, Southern Land Company, Mercedes-Benz of Music City, Clymer Facial Plastic Surgery, Buchalter Law, Falcetti Pianos of Franklin, Brett Manning's Singing Success, Katrin Keiningham, Dr. Sarah Richie, Kimberly and Toben Nelson, and all of our amazing volunteers.

Piano Truck Program: This initiative is a mobile music venue that makes live music accessible to all by transforming a 16-foot box truck into a state-of-the-art concert hall, complete with lighting, sounds system, and piano. It performs pop-ups at pre-approved, municipally licensed and permitted locations around Nashville, providing free community concerts, engagements, and education. All performances are free and open to the public. Check our calendar for event dates/times and locations.

Commission of Compositions: Music City Chopin prioritizes the commissioning of compositions from leading living composers to shine a spotlight on the incredible music being composed by a diverse and talented group of musicians. We are honored to have Tyshawn Sorey composing the commissioned work for the 2025 Nashville International Chopin Piano Competition. Tyshawn Sorey, 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, is renowned for blending composition and improvisation with masterful virtuosity. A MacArthur Fellow and 2018 United States Artists Fellow, his works have been performed at prestigious venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall and Lincoln Center. Sorey has composed for ensembles such as the International Contemporary Ensemble and Roomful of Teeth. In addition to touring, he teaches composition at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to push boundaries in modern Black/Afrodiasporic creative practices. More at tyshawnsorey.com

Nashville International Chopin Piano Competition: The Nashville International Chopin Piano Competition is one of the highest-level and significant international competitions to be launched in recent years. Featuring a week of performances from two dozen of the world's greatest young Chopin interpreters culled from hundreds of polished applications, the competition features $100,000 prize pool, prestigious solo and orchestral engagements around the USA and world for the winners, management contracts for winners, and exposure to hundreds of thousands of viewers on traditional and social media. The competition features a highly diverse staff and jury, equitable judging procedures, and a deeply human and inclusive approach to career building. We are also thrilled to announce that the commissioned work for the 2025 competition will be composed by 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Tyshawn Sorey. Music City Chopin actively invites its laureates and participants to engage with the other programs including Piano Rainbow and Piano Truck.