Nashville Has a New CEO

A 20-year veteran as bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops is to succeed Alan D. Valentine as president and CEO of the Nashville Symphony as of August 1. He is J. Mark Cantrell, arriving after two years at the helm of the Colorado Symphony and, before that, the top administrative post at the Florida Orchestra. Previously he managed the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and was executive director of the Boston Philharmonic.

"He is an accomplished musician who understands orchestral life from the stage as well as the executive office,” observed the chair of Nashville’s search committee. “That combination gives him a unique perspective.” Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra’s recently appointed music director, concurred on Cantrell’s “valuable perspective.” 

Cantrell joined the Colorado Symphony in 2023 and is credited with strengthening its finances, negotiating a collective bargaining agreement, and partnering with civic leaders to secure a $90 million city bond to renovate the orchestra’s concert hall.

In Nashville, he has very large shoes to fill. Valentine, in the job for 28 years, retired at the end of last season, having raised millions and overseen the construction of the Schermerhorn Center, not to mention raising the orchestra’s international profile with 14 Grammy awards during his tenure. The orchestra has an enviable record as a champion of new music and each year performs some 200 concerts and community programs.