The Score | Memphis Symphony Heads to School

On May 5, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra announced a partnership that will move its base of operations to the University of Memphis, while still maintaining a presence at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, its current performance venue. The orchestra is rebranded as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in Residence at the University of Memphis, and its headquarters will move this fall to Newport Hall on the U of M campus. Memphis Symphony musicians will complement faculty at the U of M School of Music, with guest conductors and soloists offering master classes for U of M students. Another component of the collaboration—the Institute for the Arts, Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurism—will involve the orchestra and university working with community partners to make arts and culture a catalyst for social change. From a financial standpoint, Board President Gayle S. Rose called the partnership “a game-changer for the MSO,” following several difficult post-recession years that entailed musician and staff cutbacks. U of M President M. David Rudd predicted the collaboration will “become a model for future relationships between professional symphonies and universities.” Robert Moody will lead his inaugural concert as principal conductor on October 1 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.