General admission tickets still available for Saturday’s President’s Concert
Belmont University’s School of Music will honor the Grand Ole Opry with the Applause Award at Saturday night’s annual President’s Concert. The Applause Award is given each year to a person or organization that has greatly benefited the arts community in Nashville. The President’s Concert honors the leadership of Belmont President Bob Fisher and celebrates the talent and diversity of the School of Music at Belmont. Tickets to the concert, which starts at 8 p.m., are available for purchase for $15 at the Curb Event Center box office (460-8500). Seating is general admission.
Dr. Cynthia Curtis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said, “There could not be a better choice for Belmont’s 2010 Applause Award than ‘The Grand Ole Opry.’ It’s Nashville’s own music, and besides, the stage of the Opry is filled with Belmont grads!”
What began as a simple radio broadcast in 1925 is today a live-entertainment phenomenon. Dedicated to honoring country music’s rich history and dynamic present, the Grand Ole Opry showcases a mix of country legends and the contemporary chart-toppers who have followed in their footsteps. The Opry, an American icon and Nashville, Tennessee’s number-one attraction, is world-famous for creating one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences for audiences of all ages. Opry members scheduled to be in attendance as special guests at Belmont’s President’s Concert include Little Jimmy Dickens, Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, The Whites, Opry Announcer Eddie Stubbs and Connie Smith. Skaggs, White and Smith are also scheduled to participate with select ensemble performances during the concert.
The President’s Concert features School of Music student ensembles and groups that highlight the musical diversity of the program. The Applause Award is presented during the concert. All funds raised by the dinner and concert provide scholarships for students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, which includes the School of Music as well as the Department of Art and the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Previous Applause Award honorees include ASCAP, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, The Beaman Family Foundation, BMI, Patricia Taylor Bullard, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, James Cotham, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Donna Hilley, Ronn Huff, Martha Ingram, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Nashville Symphony, Barbara Massey Rogers, SESAC, Steinway & Sons, Kenneth Schermerhorn, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Jerry Warren and Sam Wilson.
