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Symphony Spring Fashion Show Highlights Two Musical Headliners

Karen Elson and LEAGUES will perform at the Nashville Symphony Spring Fashion Show, presented by Lexus of Nashville on April 9 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Music City’s biggest annual runway show, the event will be emceed by CMT personality Allison DeMarcus and will feature Monique Lhuillier’s Fall 2013 Collection. Sponsored by Genesco, Gus Mayer and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra League, the Symphony Spring Fashion Show raises funds for the educational and artistic programs of the Nashville Symphony.
 
A red carpet arrival precedes the fashion show, which will feature musical performances both before and after the models walk the runway. Following the show, guests will be invited to linger for an upscale, tented dining experience on One Symphony Place in front of Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
 
Karen Elson opens this wildly popular event with her engaging blend of folk balladry, cabaret and roots music. The British-born Elson has been better known as a model, the face of ad campaigns for Armani, Prada, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium, among others. With her pale white skin and shocking red hair, she is an almost otherworldly presence on any given glossy page. While she has assiduously worked as the face of various brands, she has conducted an altogether different life behind the scenes as a singer and songwriter, honing her considerable skills.
 
Living in Manhattan’s East Village, Elson would practice guitar and lay down tunes on a four-track: “I’ve dairies and diaries of bad songs, but I knew in my heart I could do this. I just had to be patient and learn,” she says. “Not force it, but just keep at it.” Elson was formerly married to Jack White, whom she’d met on The White Stripes’ “Blue Orchid” video shoot. He produced her debut disc, The Ghost Who Walks, and encouraged her to focus on her music. Karen has been a resident of Nashville for several years and is currently at work on her second album.
 
Arriving back in Nashville after high-energy performances at Austin’s SXSW festival, indie-rock band LEAGUES will conclude the fashion show with their infectious tunes and dynamic energy. Consisting of singer Thad Cockrell, guitarist Tyler Burkum and drummer Jeremy Lutito, the group recently released their debut album, You Belong Here, to widespread critical acclaim – Esquire named them one of “15 Music Artists to Watch in 2013,” praising, “Because somehow what starts like The Strokes and finishes like The Rapture doesn’t sound even a millisecond past its sell-by date.”
 
LEAGUES first generated a buzz when they stepped onto the Ryman Auditorium stage for only their tenth show together as the opening act for The Fray. Opening for Mat Kearny led LEAGUES to “become a band in front of a thousand people,” as the members put it. Every moment of their music is made to be enjoyed, and their presence at the Symphony Spring Fashion Show will rock the Schermerhorn!
 
Tickets for reserved seating on the floor and in loge boxes begin at $300. A unique after-party with an upscale dining experience will take place in the translucent Lexus Marquee tent on One Symphony Place. This post-event party for the chic crowd will feature an open bar with elegant, creative tapas and hors d'oeuvres. A range of dining options with reserved or open seating will allow guests to mingle and socialize in an intimate atmosphere, late into the evening.

Young & Fashionable Crowd tickets are a new avenue for young professionals interested in attending the fashion show. Tickets include the 6 p.m. red carpet arrival, the 6:45 p.m. fashion show with special seating on the Founders level of the Schermerhorn, and an exclusive Young & Fashionable Crowd after-party in the West Lobby/Courtyard. Tickets for this younger crowd are $150 each.

Proceeds from the Symphony Spring Fashion Show will assist the Nashville Symphony in reaching more than 250,000 children and adults through free music education and community engagement programs; bringing world-renowned artists such as Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer and Smokey Robinson to perform for local audiences; and supporting the work of today’s leading composers.