Swift Speak Now exhibition opens at Country Music Hall of Fame

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 – Taylor Swift is going to the Country Music Hall of Fame, or at least a slew of items from her Speak Now Tour.

Taylor Swift: Speak Now - Treasures from the World Tour opens on June 6 and runs through Nov. 4. The exhibition will include dozens of costumes, instruments, set pieces and props from the 2011-12 Speak Now World Tour, which entertained more than 1.5 million fans over 111 shows in 19 countries spanning 4 continents.

"Taylor Swift's Speak Now tour was one of the most successful tours in all of music, and she has been an ambassador for country music, raising awareness of our genre literally around the globe," said Museum Director Kyle Young. "We are delighted to be able to bring our visitors up close and personal with many of their favorite elements from the show, from the colorful and elaborate stage costumes and beautiful instruments, to the magnificent 'Juliet balcony' that Taylor entered near the conclusion of each show and 'flew' around the circumference of each venue.'

"Taylor is a dynamic live performer whose open heart and engaging personality allow her to make even the largest stadium shows an intimate experience," Young said. "Touring has always been a key element connecting music artists with their fans; those interactions help forge and strengthen the artist-fan relationship, and this exhibit speaks to that. And the opportunity came to us out of discussions we were having with Taylor related to our expansion - serendipity is a wonderful thing."

Earlier this month, Swift pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the museum. Swift's gift, the largest capital contribution by an individual artist in the museum's 45-year history, prompted the museum to name the new space the Taylor Swift Education Center. The center will open in early 2014. The gift was made in conjunction with the museum's expansion capital campaign, Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here.

The exhibition will recreate 10 vignettes from the tour, including:

Swift'sRoberto Cavalli ombre gold bugle-beaded dress and shimmering red Gibson Les Paul model electric guitar, featured during Swift's performance of The Story of Us.

Swift'svintage ecru lace dress and Deering six-string banjo with rolled steel drum; fiddle player's Marc by Marc Jacobs moss green crepe dress; male dancer's soft-shoe costume including Brixton tartan plaid newsboy cap, shirt, pants, vest and oxfords; and numerous props including the six by eight-foot switchboard.

Swift'spale blue silk Marchesa gown with rhinestone bodice; and a white piano bench with tufted leather upholstery, both featured in Back to December.

Swift's red, sequined Jenny Packham slip dress and knee-high leather boots, worn during Better Than Revenge.

Swift's vintage purple silk halter dress; dancers' costumes including a chiffon bridal gown with pearl- and bead-encrusted bodice, tulle veil and silk rose bouquet; two cotton-candy pink bridesmaids' dresses with lace bodices and ruffled tulle skirts, and bouquets; groom's ivory tuxedo and black pants; cleric's vestments; and props including retro microphone, all featured during Speak Now.

Swift's brand koa wood ukulele with mother-of-pearl inlay played during her acoustic performance of Fearless.

Swift's sleeveless, flesh-colored Reem Acra gown with sequin overlay; female dancer's ballerina costume, comprised of a gold and ivory brocade bodice and pastel tulle tutu, embellished with pastel tulle flowers, seed pearls and beading; male dancer's tunic and leggings; and prop trees; all featured in Enchanted.

Swift's re-worked vintage dress, featuring leather corsetry; and the mallet she used to ring the bells during her performance of Haunted.

Swift's black Jenny Packham flapper-style slip dress with rhinestone embellishments; black knee-high leather boots; and Taylor brand "sparkle" guitar encrusted with Swarovski crystals and featuring a headstock outlined in crystals and embellished with a crystal "13," featured during Long Live.

Swift's golden Valentino ball gown, featuring layers of tulle and a sequin overlay; dancers' and aerialists' costumes; and the "Juliet balcony" in which Swift soared above the crowd during each performance of Love Story.

Swift has previously supported the museum's exhibitions - loaning the institution dresses, stage costumes and instruments for display. A free-standing Swift multimedia exhibit has been one of the museum's most popular attractions since its debut in May 2010.

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CD reviews for Taylor Swift

Journey to Fearless DVD

Part Behind The Music style documentary and part concert film, Taylor Swift's new Blu-ray release offers an interesting hybrid approach to the typical live performance video - an approach that hits more than it misses. "Journey To Fearless" focuses on Swift's meteoric rise from aspiring grade-school singer/songwriter to award-winning country and pop megastar while sprinkling in live performances. Hardcore Swift fans will find a lot to love on this single-disc set (which is also »»»

Speak Now

Taylor Swift has made the best CD of her young career with her fourth CD. The biggest difference is that Swift's singing, spotty on previous releases and live performances, is far far superior here. Swift wrote all 14 songs here, which like her other albums tend to deal with relationships that have gone south. Swift's songwriting always has been one of her strengths, and that continues to be the case here - both lyrically and musically. Put simply, Swift knows a lot about penning »»»

Fearless

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Editorial: Walking the talk – When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»

Concert Review: McGraw has plenty of fight left – Despite the fact that Tim McGraw is five years sober, fit as a triathlete and touring behind a number one album, he is still in an unenviable position. As he approaches 50, McGraw has to stay a step ahead of the current crop of young country hunks with TV shows, cross format radio airplay and wider appeal. But as he proved at First Niagara's... »»»

Concert Review: Steve Earle doesn't rest (on laurels) – If you didn't realize Steve Earle had a new disc out, "The Low Highway," it would have been no problem realizing that quite and quickly. That was because Earle started the two-hour show with three straight tracks from "The Low Highway," and he would not be done for the night. The title track of was a midtempo effort... »»»

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