2026 Women Of Live: Gina Keltner

Gina Keltner
Grand Ole Opry | Associate Producer, Talent

A LIFE-CHANGING FIRST CONCERT | “Elvis at Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Missouri, on June 17, 1977. As a 10-year-old, I screamed like all the other ladies in the audience!”

The Grand Ole Opry marked its 100th anniversary in 2025 with a non-stop calendar of historic events and celebrity appearances from a highly successful NBC TV special to the Opry’s first international show at London’s Royal Albert Hall and an upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall on March 20.

Raised on country music in rural Missouri, Gina Keltner, the Associate Producer, Talent, was at the Opry for the 75th anniversary and was hands-on throughout the centennial celebration.

“It’s very important to us at the Opry to not only move forward to our second century, but to also look back and honor past Opry icons who established the foundation,” says Keltner, who books 2,000 performance slots a year as well as “Opry 100 Honors,” a series that spotlights Opry legends with performances by contemporary artists.

“We have honored Opry greats such as Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner and Charlie Daniels so far with plans to recognize others like Jimmy Dickens, George Jones and Charley Pride this year,” adds Keltner. “I’m among the last generation who had the privilege of personally knowing and working with these treasured acts who were so significant to the Opry.  It’s important to me that they are remembered by generations to come.”

It’s a legacy Keltner has embraced since childhood. 

“One of my very first memories as a child in Southwest Missouri was sitting in the back of our family car, watching my dad turn the radio dial and perking up as music came through the speakers,” she recalls. “I can still hear him saying, ‘That’s the Grand Ole Opry coming all the way from Nashville, Tennessee!’  I was a typical pre-teen of the ’70s who had Shaun Cassidy posters plastered on my bedroom walls.

“Then, fast forward, that little girl has been blessed to work at the Opry for more than 26 years and had the nerve to reach out to her childhood crush, Shaun Cassidy, who agreed to play the Opry show! I could drop a lot of impressive names and mind-blowing experiences I’ve had at the Opry, but it’s these sorts of artist bookings that have brought me the most joy – those full circle moments that little girl would’ve never imagined.”