Musicians On Call’s 25th Anniversary Celebration Raises Over $380K

Pictured (L–R): Charles Esten, Trisha Yearwood, Rondal Richardson, Kelsea Ballerini and Pete Griffin. Photo: Heather Durham Photography

Musicians On Call (MOC) held its “Anthems of Healing” 25th anniversary celebration on May 22 at Marathon Music Works, and raised over $380,000 to continue its mission of delivering the healing power of music to patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments.

Members of the Nashville community and music industry gathered at the special event, which was emceed by Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton of Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. Guests were treated to live performances by Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna Judd, Charles Esten, Tiera Kennedy and one of the night’s honorees, Kelsea Ballerini. Volunteer musician Abigail Rose opened the show with a performance showcasing her time visiting hospital patients at their bedside.

Scotty McCreery & Raffaella Braun. Photo: Heather Durham Photography

During the celebration, Yearwood presented her friend and longtime MOC supporter Rondal Richardson with the Leadership in Music Golden Ukulele. Richardson, who is the Senior Entertainment & Donor Relations Liaison for the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, has been an advocate for MOC’s mission since it first came to Nashville. Actor, singer-songwriter, MOC Board member and volunteer Esten introduced Ballerini as the night’s Music Heals Golden Ukulele recipient. Following her acceptance speech, she brought the crowd to its feet during her performance, leading a sing-a-long of crowd favorite “You’ve Got A Friend.”

The organization also recognized the contributions of two of its volunteers, Raffaella Braun and Sarah Harralson, with the first awards named after its co-founders. Braun was presented with the Vivek J. Tiwary Volunteer Guide Golden Ukulele by her friend, hitmaker Scotty McCreery. She has been a volunteer guide for MOC since 2016, and has visited more than 17,000 people in the hospital. Fellow volunteer musicians Tigirlily Gold presented Harralson with the Michael Solomon Volunteer Musician Golden Ukulele. She began volunteering in 2015, and has performed for over 19,000 people through the organization.

“We could not have asked for a more extraordinary night kicking off Musicians On Call’s 25th anniversary! To have such iconic artists joining us in honoring the great champions our mission has in Kelsea and Rondal, and the commitment of our volunteers Raffaella and Sarah, meant the world to our organization,” shares Pete Griffin, Musicians On Call President & CEO. “Throughout the rest of the year, MOC will be celebrating the most memorable songs and moments that have touched patients, family members and caregivers over our 25-year history.”

Sarah Harralson with the Michael Solomon Volunteer Musician Golden Ukulele. Photo: Melanie Dunn