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Alan Valentine, President and CEO of the Nashville Symphony, addressing an audience at the dedication of the Fred Dettwiller Grand Lobby in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
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Bill Wade, Laura Ross, Tracy Wade
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Joshua Hickman, Alan Valentine
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The Nashville Symphony and CEO Alan D. Valentine have renamed the Schermerhorn Symphony Center’s main lobby, to the Fred Dettwiller Grand Lobby.
This naming recognizes the legacy of community activist and longtime Nashville Symphony supporter, Fred Dettwiller. The naming ceremony took place on Friday, September 13, and leaders from the Dettwiller Foundation, Nashville Symphony board members, staff, and supporters were in attendance.
Fred Dettwiller’s advocacy for the Nashville Symphony spanned decades. His support included numerous mission-driven initiatives, such as the annual Symphony Ball, the “A Time for Greatness” campaign that funded the building of Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and the Violins of Hope project, which showcased historic instruments owned and played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. He also provided funding to purchase state-of-the-art timpani for the Nashville Symphony.
“We are thrilled that the Dettwiller Foundation has chosen to honor Fred’s extraordinary commitment to the Nashville Symphony with this transformational gift,” says Alan D. Valentine, President and CEO of the Nashville Symphony. “Fred deeply loved the orchestra, and we loved him in return. His involvement with the Symphony brought him immense joy, and we dearly miss seeing him at concerts. The naming of the Fred Dettwiller Grand Lobby is a fitting tribute to his legacy and memory, and we are profoundly grateful to the Dettwiller Foundation for this generous and thoughtful gift.”