About Nashville Ballet

Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee, founded in 1986 as Nashville City Ballet before adopting its current name in 1987. Based in Nashville, the company performs classical works alongside boundary-pushing contemporary programming at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and its own home, the Martin Center for Nashville Ballet. Led since 2023 by Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin, the company is known for its deep ties to Music City, having commissioned original scores from local singer-songwriters and Grammy Award-winning artists. Under longtime Artistic Director Emeritus Paul Vasterling, Nashville Ballet debuted at the Kennedy Center in 2017 and earned Emmy and TELLY Awards for its televised production of Nashville's Nutcracker. The company serves nearly 60,000 adults and children annually through performances and community engagement programs.