Mary Black to Play The Harris Center, 11/03

Mary Black brings the best works from both new composers and the treasure troves of traditional Irish material to the Harris Center for the Arts stage in Folsom on Nov. 3.

For over a quarter-century, singer Mary Black has been a dominant presence in Irish music, both at home and abroad. Mary has released 11 studio albums, all of which achieved platinum sales status and spawned countless hits. She has shared stages, TV shows and recording studios with some of the most revered performers of her time. She has also played a front-line role in bringing Irish music, past and present, to an increasingly appreciative and ever-growing global audience. The UK magazine What Hi-Fi? considers Mary Black's voice to be so pure that they have repeatedly used it for comparing the sound quality of different high fidelity systems.

MARY BLACK ? THE LAST CALL TOUR takes place on Monday, November 3, 2014 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are priced at $25-$39; Premium $49; Children under 12 & Students with ID $20. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

At a time when less adventurous performers preferred to stick exclusively to the well-worn ballads from Ireland's rich music heritage and the more obvious hits from contemporary writers, Mary explored the best work available from new composers and mined the rich seams they offered. That commitment to fresh material, combined with her unique interpretations of the songs she chooses, saw her release numerous albums that achieved platinum sales status and spawned countless hits. Indeed, one of Mary's albums "No Frontiers" spent more than a year in the Irish Top 30.

No Frontiers generated triple-Platinum sales as Mary's reputation began spreading far beyond her native shores to Europe, Australia, Japan and the U.S., thanks to her superb stage shows and the success of her recordings in those markets. She has been featured on the cover of the U.S. music trade magazine Billboard which described her as "a firm favorite to join the heavy-hitting ranks of such Irish artists as Enya, Sinéad O'Connor and Clannad's Máire Brennan in the international marketplace."

In an industry noted for its fickleness and its almost insatiable need for fresh novelties Mary Black's enduring successes have proven that her depth of talent and her love of singing transcend the generations, as well as national and musical boundaries too. She is indeed a real Irish treasure and her talent a gift from this small island to a grateful world. In a New Year's message on her website this past January Mary said, "Music has been so good to me, I've loved touring the world for the last 30 years... I have made so many friends and have countless fond memories from different corners of the globe. So to my fans everywhere I'd like to thank you and let you know that I hope to get back again to all my favorite places in 2014, for one final tour ? 'The Last Call', Le gach dea-ghuí" (with every good wish/prayer).

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College is a $50 million facility built with a combination of state, regional, local and private funds. Harris Center has three intimate theaters, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a state-of-the-art performing arts venue. The Harris Center presents touring artists from around the world; partners with the best regional arts organizations, and supports productions by FLC students and faculty.

The Harris Center for the Arts (formerly Three Stages) is named to honor Brice Harris, Chancellor Emeritus of the Los Rios Community College District, for his many contributions to the capital region, including the vision and leadership he provided in opening this regional arts center.

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