Centerstage
By Anna Robertson Ham | Photography By Harper Smith
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On March 8th, Rita Wilson will take the Schermerhorn Symphony Center stage for her first ever concert with a full orchestra, conducted by Lucas Waldin. Rita’s extensive talents range from acting, producing, singing and songwriting. Her passion to connect with her audience, along with her special guests and collaborators, will bring this unique event to life. Sharing the stage with her is multiple GRAMMY® nominee and inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jackson Browne, and Colombian singer, songwriter and Latin GRAMMY® Award-winner and GRAMMY® nominee, Sebastián Yatra.
Rita will perform her most beloved original hits by six-time GRAMMY® nominee Rob Mounsey, as well as covers of some of her favorite songs featured on her most recent album, Now & Forever: Duets, which will include “Let It Be Me” with Jackson Browne and from her debut album, AM/FM. Her concert is a journey through timeless popular music and storytelling. With her artistic vision and profound love for music, Rita brings to life the stories behind each song, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. Her star-studded album, Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets, features icons including Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Tim McGraw, Elvis Costello, Keith Urban, Leslie Odom Jr, Josh Groban, Vince Gill and Jimmie Allen.
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Rita has also performed multiple times at CMA Fest, the Grand Ole Opry and Bluebird Cafe. Her genuine personality and love for what she does was evident in my conversation with her, where I learned more about the upcoming Nashville Symphony show as well as the path she has traveled—bringing her to where she is today. Read her interview here and learn more about her incredible and vast career at ritawilson.com.
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How does it feel to be stepping onto that stage with a full orchestra at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center?
I have no idea! I feel very excited and thrilled. I recently went to see a friend's symphony show and it was so exhilarating and exciting. There's something so beautiful about hearing music with orchestration. I have Jackson Browne coming in and Sebastián Yatra. Sebastián is coming to sing “Til You’re Home” with me, from the film A Man Called Otto. I'm very excited to be able to share the stage with both of them.
What do you hope your audience will take away from this performance with the Nashville Symphony?
Well, the Nashville Symphony doesn’t need somebody like me to make them any better than they already are. They're so fantastic! I used a number of the string sections on my duets album. We recorded the strings in Nashville and so many of the people were from the Nashville Symphony, so I'm very excited to say ‘hello’ to them again. Their approach is so unique with how they interpret modern music.
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How do you balance your passions for both music and filmmaking, and how does one influence the other?
I think it all comes down to what you want share and what you want to communicate from your creative life—whether in an acting role or a film that I've written. So, if it's an acting role, producing a film or music...that's the medium. But the intention is always about hoping that someone will find something they can relate to that they can share, experience and feel…and find themselves in it.
How has Nashville influenced your music and how does it resonate with you as an artist?
I feel at home in Nashville. I have been coming here since 2015 to write so I have a lot of friends that live here and, for me, Nashville almost is like a second home. This is a community that reveres songwriters and reveres music. It is respected and it's a way of life for a lot of people here.
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What’s the story behind “Look How Far We’ve Come” and what inspired you to release this song?
Well, I just love that song and was kind of a dream come true for me, because I wrote it with the esteemed and super accomplished writers Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander. The song, to me, is about so many different things. It can be about a relationship and I think most people will perceive it like that, but I feel that song, in a way, is about my love of music and my love of songwriting.
What’s next for you? Are there any new projects or musical explorations on the horizon?
I have lots of stuff! There's an album that I have written that I'm going to be recording in the next couple of months and I’m very excited about that. There's a Netflix show, created by Lena Dunham that is set to premiere in 2025, called “Too Much” that I am a regular in. And I just finished doing an episode of “The Last Thing He Told Me” which stars Jennifer Garner. I have a project that I can’t talk too much about just yet…but I am very excited and can’t wait to share.
