Broadway and Country Join Musical Forces for Second Annual 'Broadway Meets Country' Gala Event October 30 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center

Broadway and Country Join Musical Forces for Second Annual 'Broadway Meets Country' Gala Event October 30 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center

All-Star Benefit Concert to Feature Top Country Artists and Broadway Performers Kicking Off 'Nashville Celebrates Country,' a Week of Activities Leading up to 'The 40th Annual CMA Awards'

Proceeds Aid TPAC Education and the Actors' Fund of America

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Great stories and great songs are hallmarks of Country Music and Broadway musicals and they are coming together again in 2006 for the second annual "Broadway Meets Country" benefit concert presented by the Country Music Association as part of "Nashville Celebrates Country," a week of activities leading up to "The 40th Annual CMA Awards."

On Monday, Oct. 30 stars from the worlds of Country Music and Broadway will join together in a cabaret-like setting at the James K. Polk Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Broadway performers will sing their favorite Country songs and Country artists will sing their favorite Broadway show tunes -- and there may even be a few duets paring the artists together. The benefit concert is a celebration of the universality and crossover appeal of these two popular musical genres and some of their best performers.

This special charity performance is a fundraiser for both TPAC Education and the Actors' Fund of America.

"Last year's 'Broadway Meets Country' event in New York City was a tremendous success on many levels from the critical acclaim, to the artists' reaction, and overwhelmingly positive response from music lovers of both genres," said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Operating Officer. "Bringing this one-of-a-kind musical event to Nashville as part of the activities leading up to the CMA Awards was an obvious choice and one that I am sure music and theater fans in Nashville will embrace."

The impressive line-up of artists includes Country artists Josh Gracin, Raul Malo, Lorrie Morgan, Jamie O'Neal, SHeDAISY, and Lee Ann Womack, along with Broadway's Laura Bell Bundy ("Hairspray"), Dixie Carter ("Designing Women," "Thoroughly Modern Millie"), Michael Cerveris ("Sweeney Todd," "Assassins"), Renee Elise Goldsberry ("One Life to Live," "The Color Purple"), Brian D'Arcy James ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Sweet Smell of Success," "Titanic"), and Julia Murney ("The Wild Party," national tour "Wicked") with more artists to be announced soon.

"I don't know if people realize, but there is often a great camaraderie and level of mutual respect between artists, whether they're Tony(R) winners, GRAMMY winners, CMA Award winners, MTV award winners, whatever," said Malo, who also participated in the 2005 "Broadway Meets Country" event. "We tend to have each other on the radar, and events like 'Broadway Meets Country' that bring us together with people we admire and might not otherwise get to work with are really incredible. Hosting an event like this is really an honor for Nashville, and I can't wait to be part of it again this year."

"You can imagine how excited we are to see artists from Nashville and Broadway sharing our stage for this concert. These two worlds of entertainment intersect at TPAC on a regular basis, but this benefit is an extra special event for us -- so unique and memorable for local audiences," said Kathleen O'Brien, TPAC President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are grateful to CMA for designating TPAC Education as one of the beneficiaries of the ticket sales. It will go a long way in supporting our educational mission and goals. On many levels, this is an important, exciting event for TPAC."

Those attending the 2006 concert will have the opportunity to hear classic Broadway songs reinterpreted by Country Music artists and classic Country songs performed by Broadway talent. CMA, TPAC and Nashville are honored to host Stephen Oremus ("Wicked," "Avenue Q"), who returns in 2006 as the evening's musical director and arranger. Oremus has added this year's event to his busy schedule, which includes the opening of "Wicked" and "Avenue Q" in London's West End this fall. The event is co-executive produced by Jed Bernstein and Above The Title Productions in conjunction with CMA. Bernstein executive produced the 2005 "Broadway Meets Country" event while serving as President of the League of American Theatres and Producers.

"Broadway Meets Country" will take place Monday, Oct. 30 (7:30 PM/CT) at the James K. Polk Theater at TPAC, 505 Deaderick Street, in Nashville, and kicks-off "Nashville Celebrates Country," a series of events leading up to "The 40th Annual CMA Awards." The 2006 CMA Awards will be broadcast live Monday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.

Ticket prices for "Broadway Meets Country" are $500, $150, $75, and $35. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Sept. 15 and are available at www.TPAC.org; the TPAC Box Office (Downtown Nashville or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in the Mall at Green Hills); at all Ticketmaster outlets; or by calling Ticketmaster at (615) 255-ARTS (2787). For additional concert information, please call (615) 244-2840 or visit www.CMAawards.com.

The first annual "Broadway Meets Country" benefit concert (Nov. 12, 2005) was presented by CMA and The League of American Theaters and Producers and co-hosted by CMA Award winner Lee Ann Womack and Tony(R) Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell. The concert was held at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, and featured performances by Trace Adkins, Glen Campbell, Andrea McArdle, James Naughton, Carrie Underwood, Ben Vereen, Trisha Yearwood and more.

"The 40th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the Executive Producer; Robert Deaton is the Consulting Producer. Premiere Radio Network is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2006 CMA Awards. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official ride of the 2006 CMA Awards. Additional promotional partners include aolmusic.com, Greased Lightning Cleaning Products(R), Hallmark Cards(R).

Biographies

Jed Bernstein/Above The Title Entertainment (Co-Executive Producer): After 11 years as President of the League of American Theatres and Producers, Jed Bernstein founded Above The Title Entertainment to produce for Broadway and television. Having significantly broadened Broadway's awareness and impact via dozens of industry-wide programs, Bernstein and Above The Title Entertainment are seeking to develop projects utilizing Broadway as a creative platform.

Country Music Association (Co-Executive Producer): The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards were broadcast on NBC television for the first time - making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network TV. Research estimates that more than 36 million viewers watched all of part of the ceremony in 2005. The broadcast ranked behind only the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and the Emmys during the 2005-06 television season for award shows among total viewers, making the CMA Awards the top-rated music awards program of the television season.

Stephen Oremus (Musical Director and Arranger): Oremus is currently music supervisor/conductor/arranger for "Wicked" (original cast recording) and music supervisor/arranger/orchestrator for "Avenue Q" (original cast recording). Previously, he was music supervisor/arranger/orchestrator for Jonathan Larson's "tick, tick ... BOOM!" in New York and on the national tour (original cast recording) and music director for Andrews Lippa's "The Wild Party" at Manhattan Theatre Club (original cast recording).

The Actors' Fund of America (Beneficiary): Founded in 1882, the Actors' Fund is the national human service organization helping all entertainment professionals in theater, television, film, music, opera, and dance. The Actors' Fund's broad spectrum of programs -- designed to address the specific needs of the community -- includes comprehensive social services, health services, emergency financial assistance, supportive and affordable housing, career counseling, and skilled nursing and assisted living care. The Fund's Emergency Assistance Fund supports the community in times of critical need. Administered from offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, these programs address essential needs and help people solve problems. Tony(R) Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell serves as President, Board of Trustees. Joseph P. Benincasa is Executive Director. For more information, visit www.actorsfund.org.

Tennessee Performing Arts Center -- TPAC Education (Beneficiary): The Tennessee Performing Arts Center is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to providing and supporting the presentation of the performing arts to the citizens of Tennessee. Its four stages are home to Broadway Across America, TPAC's Family Field Trip, TPAC Presents, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Tennessee Repertory Theatre and a variety of special engagements. TPAC administers one of the largest and most comprehensive arts-in-education programs in the United States, offering learning opportunities for children and adults. Bringing students to TPAC for performances, providing teachers with resources, and sending artists to schools, TPAC Education has served more than 1.4 million young people from pre-school to high school over the past two decades. For more information, visit the web site, www.tpac.org.

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Wendy Pearl, +1-615-244-2840, or Scott Stem, +1-615-244-2840,
both of CMA; Adriana Douzos, +1-646-733-5300, or Jeremy Shaffer,
+1-646-733-5300, both of Shaffer-Coyle Public Relations - NY, for CMA

Web site: http://www.cmaworld.com/
http://www.cmaawards.com/
http://www.cmapress.com/
http://www.tpac.org/
http://www.actorsfund.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For CMA Awards and "Broadway Meets Country" photos, press releases and logos visit CMA's media site, www.CMApress.com. This is a protected site for media use only. For New York talent requests and media queries e-mail Adriana@shaffer-coyle.com

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