The Nashville Symphony announced Sept. 29 that Mark Cantrell has stepped down as president and CEO amid the organization’s “financial emergency.”
Mark Tillinger was appointed by the board of directors to replace Cantrell, who took the leadership roles in August.
Cantrell’s exit comes less than a day after the symphony suspended the 2026-27 season effective Oct. 18, furloughing roughly half of its staff and all 77 members of the orchestra.
Twenty-nine full-time staff members remain, while 27 employees were furloughed.
“The Nashville Symphony’s present circumstances demand plain speaking. For years, this institution has operated on a financial foundation that could not sustain it,” Cantrell said in a press release Sept. 28, adding that the organization has simply “exhausted its cash.”
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The news follows the death of the symphony’s longtime champion, Martha Ingram, who helped keep the organization financially afloat for decades.
In announcing the furloughs, Cantrell pointed to the organization’s longtime reliance on her support.
“The extraordinary generosity of one donor sustained the organization,” Cantrell said, referring to the late Martha Ingram. “But that generosity was never a substitute for the broad community support and sound financial stewardship its future requires.”
Cantrell did not comment on the matter.
Tillinger is a former member of the Nashville Symphony Board of Directors for six years who also served on the search committee to hire current Music Director Leonard Slatkin.
A co-founder of Music City Brass Ensemble and the principal tuba in the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra, Tillinger is also a senior advisor and limited partner at Recognize, a private equity firm based in New York City that invests in and helps scale technology and digital services companies.
Tillinger has advised portfolio company CEOs in transformations, and the Board appointed him to help the symphony “rebuild on a sustainable financial foundation.”
Nashville Symphony concertmaster, violinist Peter Otto, with Music Director Laureate, Giancarlo Guerrero, record an original work by Kip Winger.
“The Nashville Symphony matters deeply to this city, and I’m honored to help lead it through this critical chapter,” Tillinger said in a press release.
“My focus is clear: rebuild our financial foundation, strengthen our fundraising and revenue strategy, and position this organization for a strong, sustainable future. I know this community’s love for the Symphony runs deep, and I’m confident that, together, we’ll come through this stronger than before.”
Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com. Follow her on Instagram at @audreyraegibbs.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Symphony CEO steps down amid financial emergency, furloughs
