Kelly Corcoran
Music Director Candidate

Corcoran has appeared as a guest conductor with many major orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra as well as the Atlanta, Colorado, Charleston, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Knoxville, Memphis, Milwaukee, National and Utah Symphonies, the Naples Philharmonic, and Louisville Orchestra often with return engagements. Abroad, Corcoran has conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica UNCuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, the Bournemouth (UK) Symphony, orchestras in Chile, Germany, Mexico, and the Czech Republic and competed in the VIII Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Spain. Interested in many musical styles, Corcoran has worked with a range of artists such as Bela Fleck, Leslie Odom Jr, Brad Paisley, Amy Grant, and Chris Botti and has conducted the film scores to many movies in concert. She also serves as a regular conductor with The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour and National Geographic: Symphony for our World.

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Corcoran was Interim Artistic Advisor of the Lexington Philharmonic (KY) during the pandemic. She was on the conducting staff of the Nashville Symphony for nine seasons, as Director of the Symphony Chorus and Associate Conductor of the orchestra, where she conducted the orchestra in hundreds of performances ranging from pops to classical, community, family and educational programming. While Director of the Nashville Symphony Chorus, she led the chorus during its 50th anniversary season and prepared and conducted many choral orchestral masterpieces including an appearance at the Cincinnati May Festival performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Corcoran founded the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra and continues to serve on the board.

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Originally from Massachusetts and a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for more than 10 years, Corcoran received her Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from The Boston Conservatory and her Master of Music in instrumental conducting from Indiana University. She made her professional conducting debut in 2004, conducting the National Symphony Orchestra where she studied with Leonard Slatkin. Corcoran studied with and shared concerts with Marin Alsop as Honorable Mention for the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship and connects with her Taki Alsop colleagues each year at the Breaking Barriers Festival at Ravinia. She also attended the Lucerne Festival’s master class in conducting, focusing on contemporary orchestral literature with Pierre Boulez.

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​Corcoran participated in REAL (Racial Equity in Arts Leadership), Project Music, Leadership Nashville, Restorative Justice & The Arts, and Leadership Music and is an Advisor for Music Makes Us. Corcoran completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Behavior from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and joined the team at the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab as a Social Scientist engaging in music in health research. Corcoran is also a part of the leadership team for the international Musicality Genomics Consortium. She has served on the music faculty at Middle Tennessee State University and Lipscomb University and is a member of the Health Equity workgroup for the Healthy Nashville Leadership Council. Corcoran enjoys her vibrant creative life in Nashville and also joyfully sings as a soprano section leader in the Cathedral Choir at the historic Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Nashville. 

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What’s your proudest accomplishment?

I have been the Artistic Director and Conductor of Intersection, a non-profit professional contemporary music ensemble in Nashville, for 13 years now. I founded the organization and lead all activities. We’ve raised over one million dollars for new music, commissioned over 30 new works, and partnered with over 40 partners. We’ve become an integral part of the arts and culture landscape in Nashville, and I’m super proud of the organization and our work!!

 

What makes you laugh the most?

My teenage daughter. She is hilarious! We have fun together!

 

What would you sing at karaoke night?

“On My Own” from Les Miz or “Popular” from Wicked! I’m a fan of musicals!

 

What’s your favorite movie?

The Wizard of Oz. When I was a kid, I watched it hundreds of times and knew every word of the script! I love Dorothy – a brave girl embarking on a journey, encountering new friends along the way, finally realizing that what she really needed she had with her all along. 

 

If you could spend a day anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I love New England. I’m from Massachusetts. I’d always welcome a day at Tanglewood soaking in beautiful orchestral music with the breeze across the lawn, or a day on the North Shore of Boston with the ocean waves against the rocks. 

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What’s your favorite childhood memory?

In 7th grade I was in a community theatre production of Annie playing one of the orphans. It opened my mind up to performance and a path in music. It was hugely consequential for me. 

 

What’s one thing people are surprised to learn about you?

I have a degree in public health and also work in a research lab at Vanderbilt University Medical Center researching human musicality and the relationships between music and health. 

 

What’s your go-to comfort food?

This is silly, but I always love chicken nuggets. 

 

If you weren’t a conductor, what career would you have pursued?

I am interested in writing – memoir and non-fiction – and would have pursued writing in an alternate life. 

 

What book are you currently reading (or have read recently that you loved)?

Just today I finished a wonderful book about Lincoln titled Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I enjoy learning about US history, and this book in particular also offered interesting insights on leadership, consensus, and strategy. 

 

What piece of music never fails to move you?

This is funny because I’m torn between answering with a serious answer from the classical repertoire (e.g., Barber’s Adagio for Strings) and a song like Miley Cyrus’ The Climb or Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (10 minute version). I think I’ll choose The Climb in part because my emotional connection to that song is tied to my daughter and the shared experiences I’ve had with her listening to it together. 

 

If it was your final moment on Earth and you had to pick one song to listen to, what would it be?

Over the Rainbow. Trisha Yearwood actually has a beautiful version with a lush orchestration. I conducted a concert with her last December, and it was quite moving to perform this song with her. 

 

Coffee or tea?

COFFEE!

 

Morning person or night owl?

Morning Person – I run every morning around my neighborhood and it’s one of my favorite things to do! I often wake up once the sun is up!

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Beach or mountains?

This is hard – I love both – for today I’m picking beach!

 

Dogs or cats?

Dogs for sure! I have a Shetland Sheepdog named Teddy.

 

Sweet or savory?

Sweet! I love dark chocolate.

 

Favorite season?

The Fall. I love the colors of the changing trees, the feeling of new beginnings and rhythms as the academic year begins, and the crisp air. 

 

Window or aisle seat?

Window.

 

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset.

 

Favorite holiday?

Christmas. I love decorating the Christmas tree with my daughter and pulling out all of the nostalgic ornaments while playing the Chipmunk Christmas Album from my childhood in the background. I also sing at an historic downtown Episcopal Church with a remarkable choir and music program, so our Lessons and Carols and Christmas Eve services are always a joy to sing in. 

 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Stay somewhere as long as you can grow. Once you cannot grow, it’s time to move on.