The Nashville Symphony Association and Symphony Ball 2024 co-chairs Jason Bradshaw and Bob Deal announced today that country music legend Randy Travis and longtime Warner Music Nashville CEO John Esposito are the co-recipients of the 2024 Nashville Symphony Harmony Award. Travis and Esposito will be honored during the 40th annual Symphony Ball on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. For tickets, visit nashvillesymphony.org.
Presented annually by the Nashville Symphony since 1986, the Harmony Award recognizes individuals who exemplify the harmonious spirit of Nashville’s music community.
“As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Symphony Ball, we are thrilled to recognize two remarkable figures in Nashville’s music community,” said Symphony Ball co-chairs Bradshaw and Deal. “Each in his own way, Randy Travis and John Esposito have revolutionized and reinvigorated country music, and their talents are matched only by their commitment to raising up the next generation of music makers.”
“Randy Travis is one of the most important and influential performers in country music history,” said Nashville Symphony CEO and President Alan D. Valentine. “His immense musical legacy, personal resilience, and heart for philanthropy all embody the spirit of the Harmony Award. Through the Randy Travis Foundation, he has worked to provide music education and enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth while raising awareness about stroke and aphasia.
“John Esposito has dedicated his life to music, from his earliest days as an avid fan and performer to his transformative leadership of Warner Music Nashville, turning it into the country music powerhouse it is today,” Valentine continued. “The Nashville music community owes him an immeasurable debt, and we are honored to recognize his contributions.”
Country artist Randy Travis is a living legend. An instrumental figure in country’s neotraditional movement of the 1980s and ’90s, Travis has recorded more than 20 essential albums, yielding more than 50 hit singles and 23 No. 1s around the globe, including such enduring country classics as “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” and “Three Wooden Crosses.” Over the course of his career, he has won seven Grammys, six CMA Awards, and 11 ACM Awards, along with countless other honors.
While a severe stroke in 2013 left Travis physically limited and largely ended his performing career, years of physical therapy have allowed him to return to the stage in a different capacity.
“My passion for music brought me to Nashville and my love for Nashville kept me here — they are my lifeline,” said Travis. “The opportunities and challenges found in music changed my direction in life in such a positive way. I’m honored to receive the Harmony Award from the Nashville Symphony, joining them in sharing our passions of today to create avenues in music for our generations of tomorrow.”
John Esposito is a lifelong musician and music lover, from his college days playing in bands and DJing for the campus radio station, to serving as COO of former entertainment retail chain The Wiz, to executive roles at record labels including Polygram and Island Def Jam.
As Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Nashville for 15 years, Esposito was instrumental in the success of chart-topping artists and hitmakers like Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, the Zac Brown Band, Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, Hunter Hayes and Ashley McBryde. He is a past chairman of the CMA’s board of directors, governor of the board of NARAS’ Nashville chapter, and executive committee board member of the Country Radio Broadcasters Association. Since 2023, he has been chairman of the Board of Trustees of the T.J. Martell Foundation.
“Music saved my life and then became my life,” said Esposito. “It was music education that gave me my voice. I am honored to be chosen for the Harmony Award and proud to be part of a fun night that will raise funds that help music education.”
The Symphony Ball is Nashville’s premier winter social event and one of the Nashville Symphony’s annual signature fundraisers. Since its inception in 1985, the Ball has raised more than $12 million for the Symphony, sustaining the organization’s mission of inspiring and engaging a diverse and growing community with extraordinary live orchestral music experiences.
Past recipients of the Harmony Award include Kix Brooks, Lady A, Maren Morris, Keb’ Mo’, Kelsea Ballerini, Toby Keith, Steven Tyler, Béla Fleck, Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Trisha Yearwood, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Amy Grant, LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, Mike and Linda Curb, Lyle Lovett, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, Wynonna and Naomi Judd, Chet Atkins, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Marty Stuart.
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