RYMAN AUDITORIUM EARNS THIRD CONSECUTIVE POLLSTAR NOMINATION FOR THEATRE OF THE YEAR
Historic Venue Tries for Award "Hat Trick"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 10, 2006) – Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium will vie for its third consecutive win in the Theatre of the Year category at this week’s Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. Several Ryman staff members will attend the awards ceremony held February 15 at The Theatre at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“Just being nominated for this award is an honor for us,” emphasizes Ryman General Manager, Pam Matthews, “Only six venues in the entire country were nominated, and we are very pleased to again be recognized in this way and to be in such impressive company.  If we win the award for a third consecutive year, we will of course be thrilled, but the nomination alone is high praise indeed.”

The nominations and awards are voted on by members of the Concert Industry Consortium (CIC), an organization comprised of concert touring professionals and executives from major booking agencies, concert promotion, facility management and record companies. The Pollstar awards are regarded as the most prestigious in the industry.  The list of nominees in this category includes the famed Radio City Music Hall, the Gibson (formerly Universal) Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, and the all-new 6,350 seat NOKIA Theatre Grand Prairie. If the Ryman were to win its third consecutive Theatre of the Year award, Pollstar regulations dictate that the venue would have to remove itself from consideration for the following year.

The Ryman Auditorium was originally built as a church in 1892, but by the early 1900’s had become one of the country’s premiere performance halls. Most of the celebrated artists and performers of the day played the Ryman stage, including Helen Hayes, Ethel Barrymore, Will Rogers, and Charlie Chaplin. The Grand Ole Opry’s four decades of residence from 1943 to 1974 brought the Ryman to national prominence and earned it the designation as “The Mother Church of Country Music.” After a multi-million dollar renovation in 1994, the Ryman re-opened as a concert hall and museum. Tourists visit the Auditorium and backstage area 362 days a year.  In 2001 the Ryman was named a National Historic Landmark, and at the 2005 International Bluegrass Music Awards, the venue was presented with a historic plaque by the Tennessee Historical Commission honoring it as the “Birthplace of Bluegrass.”

The Ryman kicks off 2006 with a diverse and impressive concert schedule, including performances by Grammy-winning artist Sheryl Crow; Icelandic pop ensemble Sigur Ros; soulful Motown singer-songwriter KEM, country legends Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Van Morrison.

On the Ryman’s recent spate of accolades, GM Matthews remarks, “Obviously, the Ryman’s rich musical history holds great appeal for both music fans and for the artists who play here, but being a world-class concert venue also takes a great deal of effort and teamwork in the here and now. Ultimately, our goal is to stay true to the Ryman’s legacy as well as continue to build on it.”

About the Ryman Auditorium
A National Historic Landmark, the Ryman Auditorium was built as a church in 1892, served as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-74, and was completely renovated in 1994.  The Ryman, voted Pollstar’s Theatre of the Year for both 2003 and 2004 and one of the Top Ten “Best Live Music Venues” in the nation by Citysearch patrons, continues its more-than-100-year music tradition by offering the best in live entertainment.  The Ryman Auditorium is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that owns and operates Gaylord Hotels, the Grand Ole Opry and ResortQuest International. For more information, visit www.ryman.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com.

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