At the 37th Annual Ballet Ball, Eric Paslay brings a Music City flourish to an evening of black-tie elegance, civic patronage, and high-style celebration

On Saturday, March 7th, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center will take on the atmosphere of a grand salon as Nashville Ballet welcomes guests to its 37th Annual Ballet Ball, one of the city’s most luminous black-tie benefits. Beneath the hall’s architectural poise, an evening of dinner, performance, and polished society pageantry will unfold in tribute to the company’s 40th season.

This year, the gala’s musical centerpiece will be GRAMMY-nominated country artist Eric Paslay, whose presence lends the evening a distinctly Nashville note: sophisticated, warm, and effortlessly attuned to the city’s creative pulse. Paslay steps in for Jamey Johnson, who will no longer perform due to unforeseen circumstances, bringing with him the kind of songwriting pedigree that turns a formal benefit into a memorable cultural occasion.

The Ballet Ball has long been more than a date on the philanthropic calendar. It is a ritual of arrival: gowns descending the stairs, tuxedos gathered beneath chandeliers, patrons exchanging greetings over flutes of champagne, and the city’s arts advocates assembling in support of a company that has helped shape Nashville’s cultural elegance. Here, classical ballet meets the ease of Southern sociability, and generosity becomes its own form of performance.

Paslay’s credentials make him a fitting guest for such a room. A platinum-selling songwriter and recording artist, he has been associated with five No. 1 hits, including “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” recorded by Jake Owen and named by Country Aircheck as the leading song on its Top 100 Songs of the Decade. With nominations from the GRAMMY Awards, the Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Association, along with credits that include Keith Urban’s “Wild Hearts,” Paslay brings both polish and pedigree. His independent EP, Perfect Stranger, reflects the same blend of craft and charm that has made him a familiar figure in contemporary country music.

For Nashville Ballet, the evening offers a radiant close to four decades of artistry and ambition: a celebration not only of what happens onstage, but of the patrons, artists, and civic leaders who gather to sustain it. As the night moves from cocktails to curtain call, from dinner conversation to music, the 2026 Ballet Ball promises the city at its most graceful—dressed for evening, tuned to song, and gathered in praise of the arts.