“Threads: My Songs in Symphony,” an inside look from Music on The Move alum, Katie Basden
Last month, Music on The Move OG Katie Basden took to the stage at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center alongside the Nashville symphony to celebrate the songs of none other than Dolly Parton. In a new tour production called “Threads, My Songs in Symphony,” Basden, along with three other female vocalists, will travel the country singing with local symphonies the songs of music icon, Dolly Parton.
When we heard the news, not only were we ELATED to hear that one of our own was a part of the tour, we couldn’t wait to get a behind-the-scenes scoop on the process of putting together such a show.
First off, tell us about the audition process! How many rounds were there? Was it all virtual or were there some in-person aspects?
The audition process was a BLAST. TenTwoSix Music Group was contracted to assist Schirmer Theatrical to help cast the show and they posted in November of 2024 about holding auditions for the show. I sent in my first auction through video from The Hallmark Christmas Cruise where our corporate event band, Young Hearts, was performing! I received a phone call in the middle of the ocean that I got the next callback to begin preparing a few specific tunes. They held another round of individual auditions in Nashville at the top of December over two days and narrowed it down to about 10 girls. After that we all performed and learned music together throughout the day because the arrangements are vocal-heavy and [background vocal] heavy, so the producers were looking for different combinations of singers and how well they blended, etc. We had one more call back at the top of January and we found out by email later that month!
How did they tell you you'd landed the part? Was it unexpected or did you have an idea after going through it?
We found out by email, and I was sooo excited! I had a good feeling that I might be part of the premiere, but was also hoping for the tour, but when I tell you I auditioned with some of THE best singers in and out of Nashville, I’m NOT lying. The producers had their work cut out for them and it was a blessing to even just audition alongside so much talent.
You've done a lot of really cool things in your career. The Voice, singing with American Idol Winner Iam Tongi in Hawaii, not to mention the countless studio credits. How do you prepare for shows and opportunities like this?
This is a good question! Some of the prep happened in the early parts of my career. Learning and growing through different types of shows and opportunities help me show up ready and knowing what to expect, but I have my own process for each thing. If I have to memorize music I create a process of writing lyrics in a notebook in sections so I can see them in my mind later. The next thing is to not OVERdo it. My childhood piano teacher (shoutout Adele Addison from Durham, NC) taught me this idea of “cold practice”. So once the work has been put in, start each practice or day with a cold run-through to see where your instincts are locking in and where they aren’t. Then work through those mistakes and PUT IT DOWN. Do it again the next day.
Putting on the Music Education cap, how did your training and education come into play to land this role? Did you feel like you had to change how you sing for this to fit Dolly's lighter timbre or did you lean even harder into those powerhouse vocals of yours?
The main music education cap for this one was reading music for longer than I’ve ever had to in the last 10 years of my career. So putting that brain back on for a consecutive day period was fun. I’m constantly asked to sight read in sessions, but that music gets put down once we’re done with that song and usually other singers are holding your part with you. That wasn’t the case with this. As far as vocals, this show was such a gem because it’s built for each singer to be themselves. It’s written to carry her songwriting through the rest of forever, so she specifically wanted singers who didn’t sound exactly like her, but were touched by her music in one way or another.
Purely a fangirl question: Do you get to meet Dolly Parton?
I did! I met her after finishing a huge arrangement of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” and she said “girl, you sang your ass off! And this case, I guess you sang MY ass off” and I could have died right then and there.
There are 7 total female vocalists on this tour. During the audition process, were any of you asked to sing together to see how your voices would blend or was that something worked on after the cast was set?
Absolutely! That was answered a little earlier, but we definitely were and then we spent 4 days of rehearsal honing that in. It was a magic!
What will the show be like? What songs do you sing? How can people get tickets?
The show is an incredible multi-sensory experience of Dolly’s stories about her life. It carries you from the beginnings of career with her uncle and Porter Wagoner all throughout why and how different songs came to be. They’re all arranged for orchestra, and it’s a really incredible thing to hear an entire violin section go on a good ole fashion fiddle burn through a timeless bluegrass-y tune like “Blue Smoke” or “I’m Gone”. I led “Better get to Livin’” with Denitia and Julie Williams on BGVs and “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” with the entire cast on BGVs. I also sang on about 8 or 9 others as a background vocalist. It was a truly a MAGICAL experience.
Tickets are now available at dollysymphony.com - you can see Katie and the rest of the incredible cast in a city near you!