CMA Songwriters Series Performance To Kick Off CMA Fest

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Country Music Association's critically acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank hosted a performance last night featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Vince Gill, Mac McAnally and Don Schlitz at downtown Nashville's CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to kick off CMA Fest; a limited number of four-day tickets for CMA Fest's nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium are still available at CMAFest.com/tickets or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST.

The intimate and often hilarious evening was a reunion of longtime friends and musical collaborators, with several rounds featuring the songwriters' favorite songs and even requests from each other. Eighteen-time CMA Awards winner Gill emceed the evening, which included a lightning round of questions for his friends on stage in between songs. In total, all four songwriters hold a combined 32 CMA Awards. Gill and Schlitz are also members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

CMA Fest kicked off today, with hundreds of performances taking place through Sunday, June 10 on 11 official stages throughout downtown Nashville. Download the CMA Fest app or visit CMAfest.com to see the full lineup.

Currently in its 14th season, CMA Songwriters Series has presented more than 100 shows in 18 cities including Austin, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Park City (at Sundance), Phoenix, Toronto and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress and John F. Kennedy Center. Artists and songwriters who have participated in the series include Jessi Alexander, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brandy Clark, Tom Douglas, Brett Eldredge, Miranda Lambert, Hilary Lindsey, Little Big Town, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Kacey Musgraves, Tim Nichols, Liz Rose, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Craig Wiseman, Chris Young, and more.