NASHVILLE, April 3, 2014 - The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will officially reveal the final phase of its state-of-the-art expansion on Tuesday, April 15, at 1:15 p.m. with the opening of an additional 10,000 square feet of dynamic new exhibit space.  The grand opening ceremony is supported by Ford Motor Company and the Middle Tennessee Ford Dealers.

Open to the public, the grand opening celebration will take place on an outdoor stage at the corner of Demonbreun and 5th Avenue South in Nashville, and will feature performances by Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Ann Womack, Buddy Miller and more, along with appearances by dignitaries including Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and other special guests.

The debuting exhibits comprise the joint ACM Gallery and Dinah and Fred Gretsch Family Gallery, featuring an interactive, hands-on immersion into the country music of today, and the Design Gallery: A Window into the Collection, which allows a behind-the-scenes view of museum staff hard at work on actual archival projects.

The ambitious 210,000-square-foot expansion more than doubles the size of the museum and augments the institution's ability to focus on its core mission to preserve, interpret and teach the history of country music and related vernacular music rooted in Southern culture.

Previously unveiled sections of the expansion include new education, entertainment, retail and event spaces, including the 800-seat CMA Theater, the Taylor Swift Education Center, the legendary and thriving letterpress operation Hatch Show Print and the Event Hall overlooking the Nashville skyline. The expansion also includes much needed archive and library spaces, allowing for even more robust cultivation of the museum's treasured collection.

"This expansion is a major milestone for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum," says Kyle Young, Museum Director. "It also embodies the exciting momentum shaping Nashville today, especially downtown. All of us at the museum are so proud to help lead the current growth that is defining one of the country's most culturally significant regions."

As a result of its pioneering 2001 downtown relocation, the museum now sits at the epicenter of Nashville's rapidly growing core. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1987, the museum has been assembling its two-million-item collection since 1967. Using its unrivaled collection and expertise, the museum seeks to engage visitors in the breadth and depth of country music's evolving story, in the context of local and national history.

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM

EXPANSION GRAND OPENING AT-A-GLANCE

What: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Expansion Grand Opening (open to the public)

When: Tuesday, April 15, at 1:15 PM CDT

Location: Outside, corner of 5th Ave South and Demonbreun Street

Who: The Honorable Karl Dean, Museum Director Mr. Kyle Young, Board Chairman Mr. Steve Turner, Country Music Hall of Fame members and special guest performers including Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Ann Womack, Buddy Miller, and more

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum's mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the foundation also operates CMF Records, the museum's Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B and Hatch Show Print®.

More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.