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Ten-time GRAMMY nominee and Grand Ole Opry member Jamey Johnson will team up with the Nashville Symphony on October 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. for their first-ever collaboration. The performances will be part of the Symphony’s 2025-26 Pops Series at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
“The Schermerhorn shows are really a full-circle moment for me,” Johnson shared. “I started my journey in music with both a guitar and a French horn, so I have always played country music, gospel, and classical. The Schermerhorn shows are my reconnection with the symphony and it’s going to be special. It’s going to show a different side of the songs I do every night.”
Johnson curated the theme “Symphony in the South,” which will feature some of his most beloved hits, including “In Color,” “Lead Me Home,” and “Even the Skies Are Blue.” The program will also showcase country classics and timeless standards that reflect the Southern spirit.
“There will be a really good mix of songs, just like most of my shows,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of like a photo album with music: This is what the South sounds like. These are the songs of the South done with symphonic instruments.”
The Nashville dates will mark the national debut of Johnson’s “Symphony in the South” performances, which he plans to take to symphonies across the country.
Widely recognized as one of country music’s finest songwriters and vocalists, Johnson is one of only two artists—alongside Kris Kristofferson—to win ACM and CMA Song of the Year awards in the same year for two different songs (“Give It Away” and “In Color”).
Beyond country, Johnson has deep roots in classical music. He began playing French horn at age 11, later performing with the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps in Alabama, and earned a full scholarship in music education at Jacksonville State University. Though he left school to join the Marines, Johnson continued to play horn and mellophone throughout his service and later in his recording career.
For the Schermerhorn shows, Johnson tapped trumpet player Shane Porter of the Tuscaloosa Horns to arrange the music. Both musicians performed with the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps in their youth, adding another layer to Johnson’s “full circle” vision.
Johnson has previously performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in 2019 and with the U.S. Capitol Orchestra during the 2024 National Memorial Day Concert.
Currently on his 2025 headlining tour, The Last Honky Tonk Tour, Johnson continues to give fans a variety of live experiences, from symphony collaborations and full-band shows to intimate acoustic performances. He will also hit the road with Riley Green this November.
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