Broadcast audio + music mix
Yellow flowers frame sweeping arches and a large display reading “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” with butterfly motifs illuminated in pink and blue overhead. Musicians with a grand piano and guitars occupy the right side of the wooden stage, while an unoccupied microphone stand sits in the foreground.

October 2026 · Case Study

CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton

Nashville, TN - Fisher Center at Belmont UniversityWednesday, October 21, 2026ABC / Country Music Association
2 hoursLive tribute special
ABC · Disney+Live broadcast outlets
October 21, 2026Show date
OrionRPG broadcast truck

The Show

Dolly Parton’s legacy took center stage in Nashville.

A two-hour live special on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 brought performances and personal stories to Belmont University’s Fisher Center, celebrating Dolly Parton’s life and legacy. The tribute aired on ABC and Disney+, honoring her contributions as an artist, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian and entrepreneur. RPG delivered broadcast audio and music mix for the production.

  • Format: Two-hour live television tribute celebrating Dolly Parton’s life and legacy.
  • Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
  • Venue: Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University, Nashville, TN.
  • Performers: Ashley McBryde, Béla Fleck, Belmont Singers, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, Kristin Chenoweth, Lady A, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Lukas Nelson, Molly Tuttle, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Sierra Hull, Vince Gill and Zac Brown. Special appearances by Amy Grant, Katy Perry and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
  • Broadcast: Aired live at 9/8c on ABC and Disney+; available afterward on Disney+ and Hulu.

RPG’s Scope of Work

RPG handled broadcast audio and music mix for the live tribute.

  • Broadcast audio production: Broadcast audio for the production, with Tom Davis as Production A1.
  • Music mix: Rob Macomber handled broadcast music mix.
  • Crew: Rob Macomber — Broadcast Music Mix; Tom Davis — Production A1; Brando Marius — ProTools; Brian Gill — EIC.
  • Orion: Orion — RPG broadcast truck · Lawo mc²56
  • Console: Orion: Lawo mc²56

Technical Specs

Audio kit list — Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University, Nashville

  • Broadcast / mix console: Orion: Lawo mc²56

From the Show Floor

Yellow flowers frame sweeping arches and a large display reading “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” with butterfly motifs illuminated in pink and blue overhead. Musicians with a grand piano and guitars occupy the right side of the wooden stage, while an unoccupied microphone stand sits in the foreground.
Musicians beneath flower-lined arches and butterfly motifs on a colorful stage
One person sits at a large digital audio mixing console while another stands beside them in a blue-lit, acoustically treated room. Screens display audio meters, equalizer curves, and two people holding microphones on a colorful stage, with three monitor speakers positioned above the console.
Audio mixing console and Third Ear monitors in an acoustically treated room
Two people sit at a large digital audio mixing console with illuminated faders, knobs, and channel displays. Speakers surround screens showing audio controls, multiple video feeds, and a stage performance with singers and guitarists.
Audio mixing console with stage performance on screen
A large monitor shows a red-haired performer in an embellished white outfit at a microphone, while a smaller monitor displays close-up and wide stage views. A seated person wearing headphones faces the screens, with audio controls and level meters visible along the left and bottom edges.
Performance monitors above audio controls in a darkened workspace
Black-and-white photo of a person with light-colored hair and glasses seated beside a large audio mixing console with rows of faders, knobs, and illuminated displays. Speakers flank a monitor displaying “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” with papers resting on the console.
Audio mixing console beneath a Dolly Parton celebration title screen
A vocalist in white stands center stage with musicians playing piano, guitars, drums, and steel guitar beneath red lighting and white spotlights. Flower-lined arches and butterfly motifs frame a large backdrop displaying “Jolene” and “Dolly Parton,” with rows of mostly empty theater seats in the foreground.
Vocalist and band on a red-lit stage with butterfly motifs
The pale stone facade of the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts features tall fluted columns with ornate capitals, arched windows, and a triangular pediment. The building’s name is inscribed above the columns, with leafy trees and a globe-topped streetlamp in the foreground.
Fisher Center exterior with ornate columns beneath a clear blue sky
A person viewed from behind sits at a desk facing two screens filled with color-coded audio mixer channels and a third showing a man in a patterned shirt. Large speakers sit above the displays, while a keyboard, trackball, papers, cables, and illuminated control equipment occupy the desk.
Audio mixing workstation with dual mixer displays and video monitor

Results & Impact

What it added up to

  • Broadcast: A two-hour live tribute on ABC and Disney+, with subsequent streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
  • Milestone/Venue: Belmont University’s Fisher Center hosted the celebration. In Dolly Parton’s honor, CMA, Belmont University, The Walt Disney Company and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced a combined $1 million donation to her Imagination Library.
  • Performers: The lineup brought together artists including Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson, Vince Gill, Béla Fleck and the Belmont Singers.
2 hours
Live celebration
ABC · Disney+
Live broadcast outlets
$1 million
Combined donation to Imagination Library

RPG Crew

  • Broadcast Music Mix: Rob Macomber
  • Production A1: Tom Davis
  • ProTools: Brando Marius
  • EIC: Brian Gill