Talent isn’t
the barrier.
Access is.
So+Co Community funds pre-professional and professional arts training for emerging creatives in Nashville, Tennessee, and across the country.
ABOUT THE FUND
Create, Together.
Founded by Eric Cook and Jason Somerville, So+Co Community closes the gap between talent and opportunity.
So+Co Community is a philanthropic fund dedicated to pre-professional and professional arts education and training, focused in Nashville.
We fund the threshold moment in an artist’s development: when someone is ready to train seriously, and cost is the last thing standing in the way. Depending on the program, that can mean underwriting it in full so it is tuition-free, or covering part of the cost so that more artists can take part and the program can grow.
The arts are not a luxury. They are a vital part of a thriving, inclusive society. Too often, talent and creative drive are not enough: access, opportunity, and support make the difference.
Creativity needs places to happen. We believe in third spaces.
VISION
Eric Cook
Director
Eric Cook is a Nashville arts advocate and board leader. He sits on the boards and executive committees of the Nashville Symphony and Nashville Ballet, serves on the board of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, and chairs the board of the Centennial Park Conservancy. He co-founded So+Co Community with his husband, Jason Somerville.
Happenings
Tuition Assistance + Third Spaces + Institutional Partners
Partners
Professional and pre-professional training is the heart of what we fund — the programs below are ones we underwrite in full or in part. We also invest in the wider creative ecosystem, supporting arts organizations across Nashville with operational and capital-campaign gifts so the whole community can thrive. The institutions responsible for the work are named alongside it. Have a program, space, or institution that opens doors? Let’s connect.
Nashville Ballet’s Young Men’s Scholarship Program
Where young men train seriously in dance.
Nashville Ballet’s Young Men’s Scholarship Program gives boys specialized ballet training, taught by men, in an environment built on athleticism, discipline, and camaraderie — preparing them for collegiate study and professional dance careers. So+Co helped underwrite the program; as it has grown, we now support it in part alongside the Ballet.
Accelerando — Nashville Symphony
A pre-college path for young musicians.
Accelerando is the Nashville Symphony’s intensive, multi-year program preparing gifted young musicians to pursue serious music study in college and beyond — with year-round instruction from Symphony musicians, performance opportunities, and help applying to music schools. So+Co supports the program in part.
VISIT WEBSITE
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival
A conservatory-level summer, tuition free.
Each summer, ten to fifteen young theatre artists spend several intensive weeks training with working professionals in voice, stage combat, and Shakespearean text, and close the program with a public showcase. So+Co underwrites the program in full, so no participant pays tuition.
VISIT WEBSITE
Estelle Dennis/Peabody Dance Training Program for Boys
The model travels.
The Estelle Dennis/Peabody Dance Training Program for Boys provides tuition-free classes and holistic support to boys ages 9–15 who have the raw ability, physical facility, and real desire to dance. The program offers ballet, contemporary, African, and other dance forms. Founded in 2009, it enrolls students who travel from throughout the region for the uniquely supportive culture, and has a solid track record of success in sending graduates on to college dance programs and dance company training schools, with many eventually pursuing careers in professional dance. So+Co has made a ten-year commitment to the program, its first partnership beyond Nashville.
What we’re looking for…
So+Co partners with established arts education and training programs to maximize impact. We remove or lessen the cost barrier to broaden the participant pool and help the program grow.
The strongest fits share three things:
A program that serves artists at the threshold of serious study or a career: conservatory track, apprenticeship, or sustained professional training.
An institution already doing the work, where tuition relief or full underwriting would change who or how many can participate.
A Nashville focus. For the right program and partner, we have gone further afield.
If that sounds like your program, your space, or your institution, tell us about it. We read everything, and we answer. Getting to know the community is part of the work.