Celebrate the power of voice at The Athena Festival in Nashville, TN
Embark on a remarkable, invitation-only journey to vie for the prestigious Athena Prize.
What is The Athena Festival?
The Athena Festival fuses Nashville's musical essence with studio recording, live performance, songwriting, and America's musical legacy. It showcases premier High School choral ensembles, presenting outstanding a cappella choral music.
In the 1850s, Nashville earned the nickname "Athens of the South" and was also the first southern city in the United States to establish a public school system. Over time, Nashville saw the emergence of esteemed institutions such as Fisk University, Belmont University, and Vanderbilt University. A century later, the city added the moniker "Music City USA."
The Athena Festival offers an unparalleled professional studio recording and live performance experience in the heart of the most vibrant musical city in America: Nashville!
Explore the Benefits
The Athena Festival provides premier High School choirs with the chance to create a professional recording for adjudication towards The Athena Prize, the highest honor of the Festival. Additionally, choirs will perform at The Athena Festival and visit the very places where America's music originated.
Recording in renowned studio, Ocean Way
Each choir will record a selection for adjudication towards The Athena Prize in renowned studios such as Nashville’s Ocean Way, and their recording will be released internationally by Panathenaic Records, available on Spotify and Apple Music following the Festival.
Performing at The Parthenon in Nashville
After immersing themselves in the legacy of America's music, much of which originated in Nashville, each invited choir will have the opportunity to perform in The Athena Festival concert. This remarkable event takes place in Nashville's Parthenon, the world's only full-scale replica of the original Parthenon, thereby becoming a part of this musical legacy.
Competing for The Athena Prize
As part of The Athena Festival, each choir will sponsor one of their own songwriters in The Athena Festival Songwriter Round, adjudicated by some of Nashville’s foremost writers, composers, and arrangers. This cherished Nashville tradition showcases new songwriters and original songs and brings all invited choirs together for an evening of celebration and enjoyment of singing and songwriting.
Start Your Choir’s Audition
The Athena Festival stands as a unique choral event globally, intertwining musical recording, performance, songwriting showcase, and musical scholarship into a singular Festival experience for High School choirs. It provides premier choirs with the opportunity to showcase their finest work in Nashville, where it can be recorded, performed, and acknowledged.