This evening Bela Fleck will debut his “Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra” with The Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Fleck has dedicated this performance to revolutionary banjo player Earl Scruggs, who he explains, “has lived here since the 1940s, and who continues to be an inspiration to so many musicians.” Fleck will perform on his vintage 1937 mahogany Gibson Mastertone banjo, joined by all 84 members of the Grammy winning Nashville Symphony. Those who don’t have tickets to the event, can tune in via a live stream at NashvilleSymphony.org that will begin at 7 PM CST.

In an interview with Randy Ray that just posted to Jambands.com, Fleck explains, “I started writing the concerto in October of last year and have been fixating on it in every spare moment. I had a first draft ready in May, and did some rewrites and rebalancing after hearing it with the symphony at a run through. This is a piece I have wanted to do for a long time, and though I have co-written two concertos for banjo, one with bass and one with banjo, bass and tabla, there is not a stand alone banjo concert in the repertoire, and I really thought it was time. Luckily the Nashville Symphony agreed, and commissioned the work. It is fitting that the piece happens here in Nashville, a town with a long banjo history.”