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Tis the Season for Kathy Mattea

Date 12/9/2004 12:00 AM | Topic: Arts & Culture

In the mood for some folk, bluegrass, Celtic and country Christmas music? Then grab a ticket for tonight's Center Stage series concert featuring Grammy winner Kathy Mattea.

Mattea and her five-piece band will perform holiday music from two of her previous holiday albums, 2003's "Joy for Christmas Day" and "Good News," released in 1993.

She will also perform some of her new Celtic, folk and bluegrass holiday music that hearkens back to her roots.

"I rediscovered Celtic music as an adult," Mattea said.

Mattea began her career in Nashville in the 1980's.

It took her many years to rise to the top, but once she hit national radio she quickly became a country music star.

She has currently earned two Grammy awards.

One grammy was for the Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year and the other was for vocalist of the CMA Single of the Year, "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses."

Mattea has become known as a singer who can please a wide audience with both traditional and cutting-edge sounds.

Mattea is also a social activist. She was the first country music star to speak out publicly about AIDS and raised money for AIDS research and education when she organized the album Red Hot and Country.

However, Mattea decided to move away from the country music scene after 17 years with the same label.

She signed with Narada Records, whom she says has given her the creative freedom she wanted to explore the music of her ethnic roots.

Yvonne Kuhlman, director of campus programming, said that Tis the Season will be a great family holiday concert.

"Kathy has really branched out recently and shown growth as a singer," said Kuhlman.

"She is a very warm person on stage. She creates a very comfortable environment, like you're sitting in a living room listening to music."

"She has a wonderful band as well," Kuhlman said.

Kuhlman is also excited to have Mattea come to provide the larger community with a great holiday concert.

"It was frustrating for a lot of people in the community to not get tickets for Christmas at Luther," Kuhlman said.

"So this helps us give the community an alternative Christmas concert."

Kuhlman anticipates a sold-out performance.

Luther has been advertising the concert in the Decorah Newspapers and local radio stations for the last few months. The concert was also featured in the Center Stage Series' season brochure.

Ticket price is $25 for adults and $23 for students and senior citizens.

All seats are reserved. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life.

According to Kuhlman, there has not been controversy about the concert taking place so close to finals because the concert is not a co-curricular activity fee event.

"I think the 6-day rule [of no big events taking place before finals] is a good one," said Kuhlman. "Students need that time to focus on their classes."

Kathy Mattea's Tis the Season concert will wrap up the Center Stage Series' fall season.

For anyone who is unable to attend Mattea's concert tonight, she will also be performing her Christmas performance on national television.

One of her performances will be aired on closed-circuit to over 800,000 Americans overseas.

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Jacqueline Smith

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