<\/p>\n
It\u2019s turning out to be an All-Dolly Summer.<\/p>\n
With the ongoing \u201cJourney of a Seeker\u201d exhibition at Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, plus the opening of SongTeller Hotel (which comes with its own Dolly\u2019s Life of Many Colors Museum), the city of Nashville is awash with Dolly Parton magic \u2026 even more so than usual. Add in the two\u2011month run of Dolly Parton\u2019s Threads: My Songs in Symphony, and you\u2019ve got a true season of joy.<\/p>\n
Taking place now through July 31 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the seven\u2011week engagement features 37 showings of a special orchestral production that tells Parton\u2019s iconic story in a new, sophisticated way. Yet this is a symphony with a delightfully Dolly twist.<\/p>\n
Nashville Lifestyles<\/em> spoke with four of the show\u2019s seven rotating vocalists to see what makes it unique. Parton doesn\u2019t appear in person, and it\u2019s not like her famous songs are lacking public exposure. So, what makes this David Hamilton composed production worth working into your summer plans? As it turns out, even the cast finds it mesmerizing.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time we get into rehearsal, I\u2019m like, \u2018It never gets old. It\u2019s just timeless,\u201d Hollie Hammel says.<\/p>\n Joining Hammel are Katelyn Drye, Blair Lamb, and Julie Williams, plus vocalists Denitia, Ally Jackson, and Katie Basden, who round out the talented cast. Every performance features a group of three singers, taking turns to highlight a different aspect of Parton\u2019s legendary career. Even after touring the country since March of 2025, they\u2019re discovering new things to enjoy.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always something that\u2019s fresh and something that\u2019s new,\u201d Lamb explains. \u201cEven with multiple nights in the same place, the audience is different every night, so you never know what you\u2019re going to get.\u201d The big selling point seems to be this: the performances are not just stuffy orchestral rehashes of songs like \u201cMy Tennessee Mountain Home\u201d or \u201cLight of a Clear Blue Morning.\u201d The symphony does add an epic sweep of string\u2011laden sophistication to Parton\u2019s down\u2011home tunes of wisdom and perseverance. Conductor Enrico Lopez\u2011Ya\u00f1ez leads an ensemble of roughly 80 classically trained musicians, who are the epitome of class and professionalism. And it is an opportunity to dress up in a fancy gown or tux. But the atmosphere is relaxed, and, as with any Dolly concert, the audience is encouraged to join in. Sometimes, they just need a little encouragement.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of them, we have to give them permission to get up and dance because people are used to symphony shows where you\u2019re supposed to sit back and observe,\u201d Williams admits. \u201cSo right from the beginning, right in \u2018Blue Smoke,\u2019 Katelyn says, \u2018Okay, y\u2019all, get up and dance! I want you to clap your hands, move your feet!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout the show, they feel like they have a little bit more and more permission to be moving,\u201d she goes on. \u201cSo, by the time we get to the end of the show and \u20189 to 5,\u2019 people are up and dancing. It\u2019s really fun!\u201d<\/p>\n As always, a big part of that fun is Parton herself. No, she doesn\u2019t physically take the stage, but the beloved entertainer did record a series of new videos to tell the story behind her songs \u2014 often in hilarious candor. Serving as a co\u2011producer on the show, Parton paid attention to every detail, from the song choices themselves to the perfectly timed jokes she delivers on camera \u2014 which legend has it were all done in a single take. Even through a giant video screen, Parton\u2019s poise and personality get the crowd roaring with laughter or feeling an inspirational tug on their heartstrings.<\/p>\n \u201cI never even get sick of her videos,\u201d Williams shares. \u201cEvery time I hear one, it feels like she\u2019s talking to me, and I hear something different every time I go out and sing. It really feels like she\u2019s with us every show.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a history lesson. It\u2019s comedy. It\u2019s like you\u2019ll learn things that you would\u2019ve never known,\u201d adds Hammel, who often sings one of the night\u2019s biggest numbers: \u201cI Will Always Love You.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think sometimes people are bummed that she\u2019s not actually there, but then when they come,\u00a0I\u2019ve heard it almost every show from someone: They\u2019ll say it felt like she was there,\u201d Drye says.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I think the videos turn the show from just a Dolly tribute show to a truly transformative experience, an actual Dolly Parton experience,\u201d Williams concludes.<\/p>\n When it comes to the ongoing run of Nashville shows, each singer admits to an added hometown thrill. It\u2019s Parton\u2019s 80th birthday year, and they\u2019ve been looking forward to sharing the show with family and friends. If they can change the perception of what a symphony show is like \u2014 with a little help from Dolly \u2014 even better.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are having fun up there no matter what\u2019s going on in the audience,\u201d Hammel says with a laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s a miracle that we\u2019ve all become the closest of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne hundred percent,\u201d Williams adds. \u201cAnd I feel like that attests to Dolly because that\u2019s her spirit \u2014 just loving women, and what we all share. No matter what mood we\u2019re all in, because touring can be hard when you\u2019re constantly going. When we get there, and it\u2019s showtime, we always join hands. We say a little prayer every time, and we go out on stage and just have fun with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n They hope to leave the crowd with that same feeling and reacquaint people with the timeless magic of Parton\u2019s music \u2014 whether they\u2019re lifelong fans or curious converts.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we pray every night before we go out,\u201d Drye says. \u201cThere are people who walk in with all different stories, and our job is to make them feel something. To feel joy, because that\u2019s Dolly\u2019s spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n