Greenwich Roundup: 11/16/09 Announcing the Rob Mathes 16th Annual Christmas Concert

Monday, November 16, 2009

11/16/09 Announcing the Rob Mathes 16th Annual Christmas Concert

Prepared by: Rob Mathes Christmas Concert
www.RobMathes.com <http://www.RobMathes.com>
www.RobMathesMusic.com <http://www.robmathesmusic.com/>

Contact: Jenifer Howard
203-273-4246 For Immediate Release
jhoward@jhowardpr.com

ROB MATHES CHRISTMAS CONCERT ROCKS IN THE HOLIDAYS
A 16-Year Holiday Tradition – Concerts Friday, December 18,
Saturday, December 19 & Sunday, December 20

(GREENWICH, Conn., November 11, 2008) – Celebrate the holiday season with the annual Rob Mathes Christmas Concert! Grammy and Emmy nominated musician, music director, singer/songwriter, arranger, and record producer Rob Mathes and his amazing all-star band take to the stage for three concerts December 18, 19 and 20, 2009, presented at The Performing Arts Center Purchase College. Rob Mathes is the celebrated music director of the annual Kennedy Center Honors and of this year’s inaugural “We Are One” concert for President Barack Obama on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This year is Rob Mathes’ 16th annual Christmas concert! Concert benefits the Making Headway Foundation and the Max Scotti Fund in support of brain cancer research and treatment. Concerts: December 18 & 19 at 8:00 p.m., and December 20 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $40 & $55 and are available online at www.artscenter.org, through the Box Office at 914-251-6200, or through The Music Source in Old Greenwich, Conn., at 203-698-0444. Presented at The Performing Arts Center Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, N.Y.

The holidays are a special time for Rob Mathes, who is often affectionately referred to as “Mr. Christmas” by some of his fellow musicians. Rob’s sense of wonder of the Yuletide season shines through in his original songs that combine rock ‘n roll, pop, R&B, jazz, classical and choral, that he has written and arranged specifically for his annual Christmas Concert and his numerous holiday CDs. Performing with Rob are some of the top musicians in the New York area, such as Will Lee on bass from David Letterman’s CBS Orchestra, Billy Masters on guitar, award winning vocalists, a horn section that has played with the Rolling Stones, and Rob’s own 30 member Friends & Saints Choir. The Rob Mathes Christmas Concert is also a highlight for the band as well, as they get to play with one of their favorite musicians, and play some of the most rockin, spiritual and meaningful songs of the season.

This year’s concert has special meaning for Rob Mathes. Each year, Rob’s concerts are used as a benefit to support a worthy non-profit, traditionally supporting children in Africa. This year, Rob is dedicating the concert proceeds to something closer to home and something very personal to him, his family, and his community - the Max Scotti Fund and Making Headway Foundation, which are dedicated to the care, comfort and cure of children with brain and spinal cord tumors. Max Scotti was a brave and beautiful seven year-old boy who was a student of Rob’s wife Tammy, and who passed away this year from brain cancer. Rob has written an incredible song entitled “Everywhere” in honor of Max, which he wrote last year at Christmas when he found out Max was sick. The song is a universal song that could be sung for anyone, but it also is a song that speaks Max’s name at the beginning and in every single line, and it was Rob’s wish that through the song, that love would follow him everywhere. The song will be performed live at this year’s Christmas Concert.

Concert goers will also be entertained with more of Rob Mathes’ original holiday songs, such as Wake Up It’s Christmas Morning, When The Baby Grew Up, and the very popular ballad William The Angel, as well as some of Mathes’ newer material that embraces all aspects of the holiday season – from Christmas to Hanukkah – like the beautiful Light in the Window, written for local fan and longtime supporter of the concerts, Rabbi Mark Golub. Mathes also enjoys performing a little Bob Dylan each year with the song Ring Them Bells, and also includes Rob Mathes’ original arrangements of traditional carols such as Deck the Halls, Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High and I Wonder as I Wander. In 2007, Mathes introduced his new “Orchestral Songs” CD that was recorded with a full orchestra in London at Abbey Road, and several of those songs will be performed this year as well.

“The Christmas Concert is a highlight of my year,” noted Rob Mathes. Even with the incredible year I’ve had, musically directing Obama’s inaugural concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, to being nominated for an Emmy for the Kennedy Center Honors, nothing compares to being able to come home and play the holiday music I love. The Christmas Concert is the pinnacle of my year!”

Rob Mathes has had a banner year too – with extremely diverse work, this year spans musically directing the Obama Inaugural “We Are One” concert; the Kennedy Center Honors, which he was nominated for an Emmy for the third time this year and which the show won for Best Musical/Variety special (this is Rob’s seventh year as music director – the show tapes on December 6 and airs on CBS on December 29 at 9PM). Rob also arranged songs for Avril Lavigne, nevershoutnever (who Rob is very excited about this new major label project), Butch Walker, and Dashboard Confessional. He musically directed the Songwriters Hall of Fame, working with James Taylor, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Bon Jovi. His orchestral commission by Leonard Slatkin and The Nashville Symphony to compose a Concertino for Orchestra premiered in February. Rob also produced the new band The Young Veins; and produced a record for an amazing Rhythm and Blues vocalize Bettye Lavette, who blew everyone away by performing “A Change Is Gonna Come” for the Obama inaugural concert. He also arranged for Lou Reed and Renée Fleming for the upcoming Nobel Prize Concert in Prague. Also very exciting for Rob this year is the release of Rob’s song “Why” by Rascal Flatts as a single, which has climbed the Billboard Top 20. Rob is currently beginning work on a Gershwin project produced by Phil Ramone, and working with Jason Mraz, Jewel and Rob Thomas. Rob’s other credits include working with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Luciano Pavarotti, Panic At The Disco, LeAnn Rimes, Eliane Elias, Michael Cavanaugh, Melissa Errico, Vanessa Williams, Just Blaze, Jay Z, Fabolous, Ghostface Killah, Carly Simon, Michael McDonald, Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman, Shelby Lynne, Fall Out Boy, Bowling for Soup, Hall and Oates, Yo Yo Ma, Barbara Streisand, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Diana Ross, Brian Wilson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Tina Turner, and many more.

Rob’s Christmas Concerts have become so popular and an integral part of the holidays that the concerts were increased last year from two performances to three, and will be performed: Friday, December 18, & Saturday, December 19, at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, December 20, at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $40 & $55 and are available online at www.artscenter.org, through the Box Office at 914-251-6200, or through The Music Source in Old Greenwich, Conn., at 203-698-0444. Presented at The Performing Arts Center Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, N.Y. To learn more about Rob Mathes, visit www.RobMathesMusic.com or www.RobMathes.com.