Dr. Dan Barnard named inaugural Executive Director of Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music (MSCCM) and the Historic Ellis Theatre in Philadelphia, MS, a world-class cultural center, museum, and performing arts center in Stuart’s hometown of Philadelphia, MS where the Ellis Theatre will open this fall.
Barnard shared about his goals for the center: “Having opened a brand-new venue once already, I know the immense satisfaction of seeing a new facility come to life and to be embraced by its community. In serving as the Executive Director for Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music and the Historic Ellis Theatre, my goal is to attract visitors from across the US while at the same time making life better for all of the Philadelphia community.”
Stuart made this announcement at the recent opening of “The World of Marty Stuart” exhibit at Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, MS on Friday, May 6. The exhibit will run until Dec 31, 2022. The ceremony also included the unveiling of Texas sculptor, Craig Campobella’s statue of Marty Stuart entitled “The Pilgrim”, which will take up permanent residence at MSCCM when the Two Museums exhibit closes. Additionally, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has partnered with University of Mississippi to print a 256 page book to accompany the exhibit,
The World of Marty Stuart, which provides an up-close glimpse at important moments in country music and reaffirms Stuart’s dedication to preserving the genre’s rich history in addition to chronicling Stuart’s 50 year journey as a traveling musician.
MSCCM will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of country music through live musical performance and educational programming. Throughout a lifelong awareness to protect, preserve, and further country music’s legacy, Marty Stuart has assembled a collection that spans over 20,000 pieces of country music history which will be housed in the arts center.
Dr. Dan Barnard is an award-winning composer, conductor, and arts presenter with a doctorate in music composition from the University of Kansas and other degrees from Northern Colorado and West Texas State. Dr. Barnard directed collegiate choral music programs in Nebraska, South Dakota, and at Penn State Erie, where he first encountered and fell in love with the arts presenting industry. Barnard went on to open a new $26M performing arts center in Brownsville, TX, managed an 1100-seat performance hall in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and served for two years as Executive Director for the MSU Riley Center in Meridian, MS.
Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music (MSCCM) is a cultural center will be based in Philadelphia.
The center will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of country music through live musical performances, museum exhibits, and educational programming. Through a lifelong awareness to protect and preserve country music’s legacy: Marty Stuart has assembled a collection that spans over 20,000 pieces. Learn more about the The Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music via Rolling Stone, the CBS Sunday Morning feature, or through the official website here.
Marty Stuart is a Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee, five-time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Americana Music Association, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, photographer, musician, and songwriter. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music. His teenage years on tour with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt in the ’70s were followed by six years in Johnny Cash’s band in the ’80s, and a chart-topping tenure as a solo artist in the ’90s.
