Originally Published November 1995 | Updated Jan. 27, 2026
BEREA, Ky. — In the spring of 1992, a busload of Madison Southern High School students rolled into Nashville for the Music City Classic, hoping to bring home a trophy. They returned with awards, but one student returned with a life-altering choice.
As Berea’s arts community looks forward to a busy 2026 season, we opened our archives to look back at a pivotal moment for Chad Hembree—known to a generation of young actors today simply as “Mr. Chad.”
The 1992 Music City Classic In April 1992, the “Southern Singers,” directed by Karen Girard, traveled to Nashville to compete against choirs from across the region. The group stayed at the Maxwell House Hotel, toured The Hermitage, and visited Opryland USA.
The trip was a success on paper: the choir earned fourth place overall. But in the solo vocal competition, Hembree’s performance of “I Am a Friar of Orders Grey” earned second place—and caught the ear of the right person in the crowd.
The Offer from a Legend Following his performance, Hembree was approached with an invitation that sounds like a movie script: a chance to meet country music legend Roy Acuff.
The meeting wasn’t just a handshake. Acuff and his team saw potential in the Berea teenager, discussing the possibility of him becoming a regular performer at the Acuff Theatre. The offer included potential daily work at Opryland USA and a pathway to the Grand Ole Opry stage. Hembree was even invited to meet Acuff’s band, The Smoky Mountain Boys, and sang harmony with them in an impromptu session that reportedly went well.
The Decision to Stay In the months that followed, serious discussions took place. A plan was drafted that would have seen Hembree home-schooled during the week to accommodate a performance schedule in Nashville.
Ultimately, Hembree made a choice that surprised some: he turned down the Nashville fast track. He chose to stay in Berea, finish high school with his friends, and pursue a broader education in music and theater rather than locking himself into a country music career at 17.
34 Years Later: A Different Kind of Legacy At the time, the original 1995 article asked: “Was Nashville a once-in-a-lifetime door that should have been walked through?”
In 2026, the answer is clear. Hembree didn’t leave the stage; he just built a new one at home.
Today, Chad Hembree serves as the Executive Director of The Spotlight Playhouse and Spotlight Acting School. Instead of performing for tourists in Nashville, he has spent decades teaching thousands of Berea kids how to find their own voices.
From directing The Wizard of OZ to producing community blockbusters like The Tomb, Hembree’s decision to stay planted in Madison County meant that his experience didn’t just benefit him—it benefited the entire community.
“Berea has always found ways to celebrate its local talent,” the original editor noted. Today, thanks to that decision in 1992, Berea doesn’t just celebrate talent; it cultivates it, one student at a time.