LeAnn Rimes Coming to Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University, 12/13

Grammy Award-winning vocalist LeAnn Rimes joins the line-up of artists set to appear at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University during its 2015-2016 season. Rimes will perform her special "Today is Christmas Tour" at Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University on Sunday, December 13 at 7 p.m.

Tickets, priced starting at $40 for adults and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or online at http://arts.pepperdine.edu/. More information: http://www.leannrimesworld.com Subscriptions are also on sale, and season subscribers (those who purchase tickets to four or more shows) are entitled to a 10 percent discount on select ticket prices.

With forty-four million albums sold, two Grammy Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards and 12 Billboard Music Awards, LeAnn Rimes has made her mark in the world of music. Unstoppable from the age of 11, Rimes was the youngest person to ever win a Grammy Award and was the first country artist to win the Grammy Best New Artist.

Last year, Rimes released the first of three Christmas albums, One Christmas, and her follow-up album, Today is Christmas, will release this fall. In an interview with Billboard about her first Christmas album, Rimes said, "For this project, I wanted to do an EP and spread it around over the next three years. It was nice to do some songs that haven't been covered as much...set the tone with something a little different than what normal Christmas records have been."

She had her first national hit at age 13 with the 1996 release of "Blue," which remained at the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Country Albums Chart for more than three months. She has had 42 singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart and her version of "How Do I Live" is the second-longest charting song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the smash hit "Can't Fight the Moonlight" topped the charts in 11 countries. LeAnn has also ventured into acting and has penned two children's books. In addition to her tour, she also continues her work with charity organizations, most recently working with the Friend Movement, an anti-bullying organization.

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from 664 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.