Singer-songwriter Gabe Dixon is set to perform for "The Stars Salute St. Bernard Academy" benefit concert along with previously announced performers The SteelDrivers, Rodney Crowell, Charles Kelley, Zach Seabaugh and Aberdeen Green. The event will take place at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 and will benefit Music Health Alliance. Limited tickets are available at the Ryman Box Office.
Gabe Dixon released his sophomore solo album, Turns To Gold, in April 2016 on his own Rolling Ball Records. Paste Magazine called it “heart-wrenchingly honest,” and No Depression said it’s “simply an exceptional album” with “all the makings of a big breakthrough.” Gabe's music has also been featured in Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and Elmore Magazine, and he has made several live television performances, including "Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!," "The Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and "Last Call with Carson Daly."
The three-hour benefit concert will feature special guests and unique collaborations. The legendary Rodney Crowell will take the stage with an acoustic quartet, including a Celtic harpist, to perform music from his newly released album Closer Ties. With acts ranging from the "soulgrass" group The SteelDrivers to Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley to exciting newcomers Zach Seabaugh and Aberdeen Green, it will be a night to remember at the historical Ryman Auditorium.
The concert is a celebration of St. Bernard Academy (SBA), the city’s very first elementary school founded by Sister Mary Catherine McAuley of the Sisters of Mercy. SBA joins Fisk University, St. Cecilia and Montgomery Bell Academy as the four oldest schools in Tennessee. Artists will perform short sets accompanied by Nashville’s premier house band, as well as surprise pairings and more special guests to be announced.
“St. Bernard Academy is home to many students whose parents are involved in the Nashville music community and we are thrilled to be able to be a small part of the school’s storied history,” says Tammy King, founding member of The SteelDrivers and parent of a St. Bernard Academy student. “This school is steeped in tradition and history, just like Nashville, and we have loved being a part of the esteemed institution,” she added.
The 2016-2017 school year marks the 150th anniversary of St. Bernard Academy’s founding by the Sisters of Mercy. The entire school year has been filled with activities to honor the legacy of excellence set forth by the Sisters of Mercy, and to celebrate the many years ahead.
Music Health Alliance will be the recipient of a donation in honor of the performing artists that will be presented during a special recognition by members of the SBA student body.
About St. Bernard Academy:
150th Years, Inspired by Mercy
Six Irish Sisters of Mercy, who came to Nashville, just after the Civil War, with the courage, desire and will to open a school based on the vision of Sisters of Mercy founder Mother Catherine McAuley, founded St. Bernard Academy in 1866. St. Bernard Academy is the third oldest educational institution in the city of Nashville and its oldest elementary school.
Since its founding, St. Bernard has been a leading educational institution living out its mission to provide an excellent Catholic academic education built on a foundation of self-discipline, compassion and a sense of responsibility for social justice in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy.
Once a high school and an elementary school, St. Bernard currently serves more than 340 students from junior kindergarten to grade eight. The newly completed expansion completed this year encompasses more than 18,000 square feet and provides seven new classrooms, a multi-purpose room for assemblies and Masses, a student support center and updates to space for fine arts, administration and after-care services. For more information, visit the school's website.