CMA Donates Nearly $3 Million From CMA Music Festival

Music industry executives and media representatives were invited to the Ford Theater in the Country Music Hall of Fame for a special announcement by the Country Music Association (CMA).

The 2010 CMA Music Festival took place in June 2010; just weeks after the devastation of floods in Nashville and surrounding communities. It was noted this was the most successful festival to date. The Country Music Association donated $2,924,936 to Nashville's Keep the Music Playing educational initiative and to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee's relief program for victims of the massive flood that struck the region in May. The donation was split evenly between the two charities. CMA Chief Steve Moore, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and CMA board member Kix Brooks announced the monumental donation stating this would not be possible without the countless volunteer hours by the community, the artists and the music industry.



Duncan McPherson, a sophomore guitar student at the Nashville School of the Arts which is one of the many fund recipients, entertained those in attendance by playing the semi-classical piece, "Mood for a Day."

Brooks chronicled the CMA's use of its events income from the time the festival was called Fan Fair (and the income, as he said, "went into a black hole") until its current high-profile donations. So far, the CMA has donated $4,774,521 toward music education.

Luke Bryan and Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild unveiled the checks with assistance from Kyle Young, Director of the Hall of Fame Museum and presented them to Pam Garrett, Executive Director of the Nashville Alliance for Public Education and to Ellen Lehman, President of The Community Foundation.

Additional photos can be seen by visiting http://MomentsByMoser.zenfolio.com/cmadonationconf