Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) will present a free, virtual 40th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 20, as a thank you for more than four decades of generous community support for its nonprofit mission.
Produced by award-winning director Matt Logan and filmed by MA2LA at TPAC, the celebration is hosted by actress Tamiko Robinson Steele and features performances from Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera and Nashville Repertory Theatre, plus special guest appearances by Tony Award-nominee Susan Egan, actress and recording artist Diana DeGarmo, Spotlight Award-winner Hatty King, and more. The virtual benefit also includes a special anniversary message from Florida Georgia Line.
missing or outdated ad configThough the 40th Anniversary Celebration is free to view, TPAC supporters can pre-purchase at-home gourmet dinner and appetizer packages from Juniper Green with proceeds going to TPAC’s Forward! Recovery Fund, created during the extended shutdown to help TPAC recover from this unprecedented period and continue to offer the best performing arts, education and community engagement programs to Middle Tennessee in the years ahead. For more information, visit TPAC.ORG/Celebrate.
A celebration of TPAC’s 40-year history of serving our community with world-class performing arts and life-changing arts programs, the virtual event will provide a vision of hope for the organization’s future success.
Led by Martha Ingram, the effort to create TPAC and include a performing arts campus in the design of a new state office building began in 1972 with the formation of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center Advisory Board. The next year, a new TPAC Foundation began lobbying and fundraising to establish TPAC as a home for cultural exchange, a performance venue for world-class artists, and a showcase for local arts organizations.
In September 1980, TPAC’s opening week performances featured Joel Grey with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Flamenco artist Carlos Montoya, Judy Collins, Mel Torme, Hartford Ballet, Atlanta Academy Theatre, The Road Company of Johnson City, the Play Group of Knoxville, Nashville Symphony and Nashville Jazz Machine.
Over 40 years, TPAC has welcomed more than 14 million audience members and served more than 1.8 million children and adults with performances at TPAC, teacher resources, professional development opportunities, classroom residencies and enrichment programs.
TPAC’s 40th Anniversary Celebration is generously supported by Ruby Presenting partner, Delta Dental of Tennessee. Executive Producer partners include Delek Fund for Home, Dollar General Corporation, Nissan North America and Woodmont Investment Counsel. Ambassador partners include Capridge Partners and Novatech. It is supported by a media partnership with Nfocus Magazine and Nashville Scene.
