The Nashville Symphony announced the newest class of musicians to enter its Accelerando initiative on Friday. Now entering its fourth year, the program aims to prepare gifted young students from diverse backgrounds for careers in classical music through mentoring, performance opportunities and private lessons with Nashville Symphony musicians. 

The program, which now serves 21 students total,  also celebrated its first-ever graduate. Aalia Hanif, a member of the inaugural Accelerando class, now attends conservatory at Northwestern University.

You can hear past performances from Aalia on 91Classical’s Live in Studio C, both from her time as an
Accelerando student, and as a student of 
Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. 

The six newest Accelerando students play a variety of orchestral instruments, range in age from 7th-11th grade, and each come from a different school in Middle Tennessee. They are:   

Yassin Adams, clarinet

• 10th grade
• Stewarts Creek High School 

Rebecca Guirguis, viola

• 8th grade
• Lipscomb Academy 

Orlandis Maise, trombone

• 9th grade
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet

Eshani Mehta, violin

• 11th grade
• Ravenwood High School 

Edward Owens, bass

• 9th grade
• Hillsboro High School 

Joshua Young, clarinet:

• 7th grade
• West End Middle School