Music City is host to two amazing arts events next weekend, a fantastic dance program celebrating David Bowie, and an incredible up and coming pianist visiting with the Nashville Symphony.
The Nashville Symphony, with Clayton Stephenson, piano, is continuing their America 250 celebration. “An American in Paris with Our Town” at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is here for three performances, Thursday, March 12, Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, at 07:30 PM each evening. The Program consists of Tan Dun: “Internet Symphony” (“Eroica”); Aaron Copland: “Our Town” Caroline Shaw: “The Observatory”; Maurice Ravel: “Piano Concerto in G major”; and George Gershwin: “An American in Paris.”
Guest conductor Andrew Grams leads a dynamic program that honors American music’s creativity, diversity, and global influence. From the gentle optimism of Copland’s “Our Town” to the rhythmic energy of Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw’s “The Observatory,” a stunning work by an American composer, this concert reflects the evolving soundscape of our nation. Pianist Clayton Stephenson, a rising star known for his charisma and expressive power, brings joy and flair to Ravel’s jazz-inflected “Piano Concerto.” Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” caps the evening with bold horns and bustling spirit, capturing an unforgettable portrait of an American abroad.
Get ready to witness the raw power and diversity of Complexions as they redefine what ballet can be. TPAC hosts The Complexions Contemporary Ballet company, as they bring to Nashville a dynamic and captivating program that opens with favorites from Retro – Suite, a series of short works celebrating 30 years as a company. The show concludes with STAR DUST, an utterly transfixing tribute to the life and music of David Bowie, full of glitter and glam. This ballet takes an array of his hits and lays a visual imprint, inspired by his unique personas and his restless invention artistically – to create a Rock Opera style production in his honor. With Bowie’s 40+ year career and 25 albums, that stretch across musical borders – STAR DUST pays homage to the iconic and chameleonic spirit of what can only be described as… BOWIE.
ACT 1 consists of “This Time With Feeling,” “Deeply (Excerpt),” “Ave Maria,” “Gone,” and “Mercy.” ACT 2 is “STAR DUST: From Bach to David Bowie.” Led by dance icons Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Complexions Contemporary Ballet has awakened audiences to an exciting new genre with their singular approach to reinventing dance and contemporary ballet. Armed with a rich Alvin Ailey lineage and a cadre of 16 stunning dancers, Complexions has been hailed as a “matchless American dance company” by the Philadelphia Inquirer and “game changing” by London’s The Guardian. Polk Theater, Saturday, Mar 14 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Meet Clayton Stephenson
American pianist Clayton Stephenson’s love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. Hailed for “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone), he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music-making.
Growing up in New York City, Clayton started piano lessons at age 7, and the next year was accepted into The Julliard School’s Music Advancement Program — a full scholarship program for under-represented students — where he lingered to watch student recitals and fell in love with music. He advanced to Juilliard’s elite Pre-College at age 10 — with the help of his teacher at the time, Beth Nam, who gave him countless extra lessons without charge— to study with Matti Raekallio, Hung-Kuang Chen, and Ernest Barretta. Clayton practiced on a synthesizer at home until he found an old upright piano on the street that an elementary school had thrown away; that would become his practice piano for the next six years, until the Lang Lang Foundation donated a new piano to him when he was 17.
He credits the generous support of community programs with providing him musical inspiration and resources along the way. As he describes it, the “Third Street Music School jump-started my music education; the Young People’s Choir taught me phrasing and voicing; Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program introduced me to formal and rigorous piano training, which enabled me to get into Juilliard Pre-College; the Morningside Music Bridge validated my talent and elevated my self-confidence; the Boy’s Club of New York exposed me to jazz; and the Lang Lang Foundation brought me to stages worldwide and transformed me from a piano student to a young artist.”
Recent and upcoming highlights include concertos with the Houston, North Carolina, and Cincinnati Symphonies; festival appearances at Grand Teton, Grant Park, and Tippet Rise; recitals at Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; gala performances with the New York and Las Vegas Philharmonics; and collaborations with violinists Nikki and Timothy Chooi. He also joins the Hartford Symphony Orchestra as 2024–2025 Artist-in-Residence.
Clayton graduated from the Harvard-New England Conservatory (NEC) dual degree program in spring 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance at NEC under Wha Kyung Byun. In addition to being the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, he received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2024, won the inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition in 2023, and is a 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence honoree.
