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University of Connecticut
Jorgensen
Center for the Performing Arts
2132 Hillside Road Unit 3104
Storrs, CT 06269-3104
www.jorgensen.uconn.edu
PLATINUM SINGER/SONGWRITER NATALIE MERCHANT
PERFORMS AT JORGENSEN
Sat, Mar 28, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Platinum recording artist and acclaimed songwriter Natalie Merchant visits UConn’s Jorgensen
Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 28, to share favorite songs from throughout
her storied career as well as from her latest self-titled album - Natalie Merchant. The selfproduced collection of 10 new and original songs is the artist’s first offering in 13 years and
has been enthusiastically received by fans, concertgoers, and critics. Doors open at 7:30 pm,
performance begins at 8:00 pm.
Quick Reference
Music Event
Natalie Merchant
Date
Sat, Mar 28, 8 pm
Place
Jorgensen Center
for the Performing Arts
2132 Hillside Road
UConn campus, Storrs, CT
Tickets
$45, $40
Box Office
860.486.4226
Mon–Fri, 10 am–5 pm
The Box Office window is also
open for walk-up ticket sales
90 minutes before showtime.
Best known by many as the former lead singer of the famed alternative rock band 10,000
Maniacs, the expressive, honey-voiced artist has since enjoyed a successful solo career,
establishing herself as one of the preeminent women in pop music with hits like “Carnival”
and “Wonder.” In her latest work, Merchant bares her soul with a collection of highly personal
and hauntingly beautiful compositions revealing her innermost feelings about such universal
subjects as love gained and lost, regret, denial, surrender, greed, destructiveness, defeat,
and occasional triumph. Accompanied by string quartet, guitar, piano, and bass, Merchant
effortlessly weaves on stage what the Associated Press describes as “a rich musical tapestry.”
Merchant says her concert appearances with orchestras during the last few years have improved
her songwriting by training her ear as an arranger. “The way I listen is so different than the way
I did 20 or 30 years ago,” says Merchant. “There are so many mood-inducing textures available
to me now - using an oboe, a bassoon, a clarinet, or a cello brings such a subtle emotional shift
to a piece of music, as opposed to just dealing with an electric band with its bass, drums, guitar,
and organ. I wanted to find a way to blend those two worlds into my songwriting, mixing all the
years of making pop music with a standard electric band along with this new world that is full of
symphonic instruments.”
Merchant’s live performances of her new material have been lauded by her long-time fans, new
audiences, and reviewers. Following an appearance with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston
Globe observed; “Merchant has found her medium. Yes, the singer-songwriter scored platinum
sales with her pop band 10,000 Maniacs, and she forged a commendably searching solo career
in the group’s wake. But Merchant’s woody quaver has never sounded quite so right as it did
framed by flutes, a weaving clarinet, and a gentle harp.”
“There aren’t many artists that you can say you fell in love with when you first turned on MTV
as a child – and that you still love today,” observes another reviewer attending a recent sold-out
Denver concert.
For Immediate Release
Natalie Merchant is one of those few artists.
MEDIA CONTACT:
New England Public Radio is thanked for their continuing support.
Anja Majcen
Senior Publicist
The PR Group
727-447-4992 x202
[email protected]
Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus
in Storrs. Floor seating is $45, and seats in the mezzanine are $40.
For tickets and information, call the Box Office at 860.486.4226, Monday through Friday, 10 am
- 5 pm, and 90 minutes prior to events, or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Convenient free
parking is included across the street in the North Garage.
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