April is a great month to get over to Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center for several amazing classical musical events featuring phenomenal African American performers and a special Frenchman.

First up is a series of Accelerando Masterclasses with The Kinsfolknem Quartet. The first, already SOLD OUT, is Wednesday, April 9, as The Nashville Symphony and Black Orchestra Network present the Kinsfolknem Quartet for masterclasses with student musicians from the Nashville Symphony’s Accelerando program and Nashville-area collegiate programs. The Kinsfolknem Quartet comprises musicians Titus Underwood, oboe; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Demarre McGill, flute; and Andrew Brady, bassoon. The master class hour is followed by a panel discussion with the quartet. Kinsfolknem Quartet clinicians include: Demarre McGill, Principal Flute, Seattle Symphony: Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet, New York Philharmonic; Andrew Brady, Principal Bassoon, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Thursday, April 10, the final event in the Kinsfolknem Quartet masterclass series features Nashville Symphony Principal Oboe, Titus Underwood, at 6:00 PM. Performers include students from Nashville-area collegiate programs. Tickets were still available at press time.

Mendelssohn’s Fifth, Friday, April 11and Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 PM. Nashville Symphony | Anthony Parnther, conductor | Demarre McGill, flute | Titus Underwood, oboe | Anthony McGill, clarinet | Andrew Brady, bassoon. Anthony Parnther’s Nashville Symphony debut pairs works elevating underrepresented voices. Joan Huang masterfully blends Chinese folk music with Western compositional techniques in a vibrant work inspired by the rhythmic ritual dance traditions of the Tujia people of western Hunan.

Jasmine Barnes’ KINSFOLKNEM invites audiences to witness an extraordinary ensemble of Principal musicians, featuring Titus Underwood (Principal Oboe, Nashville Symphony), Demarre McGill (flute), Anthony McGill (clarinet), and Andrew Brady (bassoon) for a journey through familial spaces. The program concludes with Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony, written in commemoration of the Protestant Reformation, drawing inspiration from Bach and featuring the powerful Lutheran chorale “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

Monday, April 14, Big Blue Opera Initiatives Presents “Sankofa Sonority: Sounds of Our History, Propelling Our Future” at 7:30 PM, presented by Tennessee State University and Nashville Black Music Association.

Thursday, April 17 at 7:30 PM The Lafayette Music & Immersive Bicentennial Tour. The French National Orchestra of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes embarks on a U.S. tour to honor the bicentennial of Marquis de Lafayette’s 1825 return to America as “Guest of the Nation,” 50 years after his heroic fight for American independence. Born at the Château de Chavaniac in Auvergne, the Marquis de Lafayette symbolizes the enduring bond between France and the United States. Under the baton of Thomas Zehetmair, the French National Orchestra will present a captivating program inspired by Lafayette’s story and the era of his service, accompanied by an immersive sound and light experience that retraces his travels and remarkable life journey. Presented without the Nashville Symphony.

PROGRAM begins with JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER SAINT-GEORGE: “Anonymous lover, overture,” followed by Ruth Crawford Seeger: “Andante for strings”; W.A Mozart: “Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major KV. 219; Thomas Zehetmair: “Passacaglia, burlesque and chorale for string orchestra | world premiere); L. V Beethoven: “Great Fugue in B-flat major Opus 133”