The woman who was a driving force behind building Nashville’s symphony hall will celebrate the opening of another grand music venue in her hometown this weekend.
For the last seven years, Martha Ingram has headed up fundraising efforts for the multi-million dollar renovation of
Gaillard Center in Charleston, SC – and donated at least 20-million dollars of her own money. The grand performance space inside is named for Ingram’s parents. The venue is home to the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the
Spoleto USA arts festival, which counts Ingram as a former board chair.
Martha Ingram’s increasing involvement in Charleston’s arts scene has led to speculation that her interest in Nashville’s cultural institutions might be waning. But she did intervene when the Nashville Symphony faced foreclosure, even though that happened while she was midway through her efforts with the South Carolina concert hall.
Ingram spearheaded the push to create the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and has served on the boards of many arts groups in Nashville, as well as Vanderbilt University. Her family’s foundation has made significant gifts to many of them, as well. The most obvious evidence of her involvement in Nashville’s arts organizations can be seen in the names of buildings and programs, such as the Nashville Repertory Theatre’s Ingram New Works Festival and the Blair School’s Ingram Center for the Performing Arts.
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