Taylor Swift donates $100,000 to troubled Nashville Symphony

Though to her it’s probably just pocket change, singer Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony, which in recent months has experienced a financial crisis that has threatened its existence.

Swift, the 24-year-old country-music crossover star, is currently in Australia as part of a tour. The singer -- who hails from Pennsylvania but who moved to the Nashville area at an early age to pursue her music career -- made the $100,000 donation on her birthday on Friday.

In the past several months, the Nashville Symphony has experienced a series of financial crises, including nearly losing its performance space, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Following a contentious negotiation process, musicians of the orchestra signed a one-year contract in August that includes a 15% pay cut.

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The Nashville Symphony had previously proposed a 30% pay cut for orchestra musicians. The orchestra, which had announced layoffs and other budgetary cuts earlier this year, is one of a number of classical music groups in the U.S. who have experienced financial hardships in recent months. The others include the Minnesota Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

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