Kids' Music Superstar Laurie Berkner's 'Greatest Hits Solo Tour Comes to Owings Mills

Bestselling children's recording artist and preschool television favorite Laurie Berkner welcomes the New Year as she brings her Greatest Hits Solo Tour to The Gordon Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills, MD with two family shows at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 21.

Says Laurie Berkner, "I'm thrilled to be giving my first shows of 2018 at The Gordon Center! I can't think of a more inviting setting in which to share my music with local families."

As a special treat at these shows, the JCC of Greater Baltimore's Music and Family Engagement Specialist Cory Hermann and a group of preschoolers from the JCC's Early Childhood Education Centers will sing "We Are The Dinosaurs" onstage with Laurie.

A true pioneer in children's music, beloved by generations of children and parents for over twenty years, the legendary Laurie Berkner will bring such well-loved hits as "Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)," "Victor Vito," "We Are The Dinosaurs," and "Pig on Her Head" to these performances, along with songs like "Bicycle," "Bubbles," and "I've Got So Much To Give" from her recent album, Superhero. Laurie will showcase many fan favorites, including an array of tunes that encourage kids and grownups alike to get up and dance. Kids should plan to bring their dancing shoes and a stuffed animal (for their heads).

At her solo shows, in addition to familiar hits, Laurie Berkner performs songs that don't always fit with a full-band performance: tunes with simpler arrangements, hand motions, and a cappella singing, like "Bottle Caps," "One Seed," "Telephone," and "Drive My Car."

Dubbed "one of children's music's biggest success stories" by USA Today, Laurie Berkner's original songs, albums, DVDs, music videos, and books leave no doubt: Laurie is the uncrowned queen of children's music and the power behind the progressive "kindie rock" movement.

Her secret? Laurie's shows are interactive throughout; her songs get the kids (and adults) on their feet to sing, clap, and dance along. She keeps even the youngest audience members fully engaged with dynamic expressions of musical joy in active songs like "I'm Gonna Catch You" and "Rocketship Run," and gives everyone a chance to catch their breath between high-energy moments by including quieter interludes featuring songs such as Laurie's classic "Moon Moon Moon." Laurie displays an instinctive understanding of children's natural rhythms and energy in her shows, which keeps kids enraptured and brings parents happily along for the ride.

Laurie Berkner was the first artist to ever appear in music videos on Nick Jr. and was featured in nearly all the episodes of the channel's Jack's Big Music Show. Laurie's music videos now appear regularly on NBCUniversal's Universal Kids channel, and she is a familiar presence on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live. Laurie has released twelve award-winning albums, including her most recent, Laurie Berkner: The Dance Remixes.

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers is publishing a series of three picture books with Laurie Berkner. The first, We Are the Dinosaurs, illustrated by Ben Clanton, was released in March 2017, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the release of Laurie's "We Are the Dinosaurs" song on her very first album, Whaddaya Think of That? November 2017 brought the release of Pillowland, based on Laurie's beloved song by that name, with beautiful illustrations by Camille Garoche. Summer 2018 will see the publication of Monster Boogie, illustrated by Ben Clanton.

A former preschool music teacher by day and indie rocker by night, Laurie Berkner started selling her music two decades ago out of her living room on her own label, Two Tomatoes Records. Laurie has received tremendous critical acclaim. Time Magazine lauded Laurie as "a kind of sippy-cup Sheryl Crow ... Berkner inhabits a kid's curious perspective in her lyrics and pens folk-pop melodies that bear repeated -- very repeated -- listenings." The Wall Street Journal called Laurie "one of the most popular children's performers in America ... her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups."

Now in its 22nd season, the Gordon Center, also known as The Peggy and Yale Gordon Center for the Performing Arts, is a professional, state-of-the-art entertainment venue that has become the cornerstone of a thriving arts and culture program at the JCC of Greater Baltimore. At the J, children and teens feel the thrill of creating, performing, and connecting while adults explore their creative and intellectual interests.

Gordon Center audiences experience world-class acoustics in an intimate, comfortable, state-of-the-art 550-seat venue. With abundant, free parking in well-lit spaces, handicap accessibility, and a brand new loop system for the hearing impaired, there is not a bad seat in the house.

WHAT: Laurie Berkner, Solo! "The Greatest Hits Tour" Comes to Owings Mills. MD

WHEN: Two shows: 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2018

WHERE: The Gordon Center for Performing Arts, on the campus of the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills, MD 21117

TICKETS: In advance: $15/child; $25/adult; $45 VIP, plus applicable fees
At the door: $20 child/$30 adult;$50 VIP, plus applicable fees.
*A limited number of VIP tickets are available.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Call 410.356.7469 or visit The Gordon Center for Performing Arts website.

*VIP tickets include after-show Meet & Greet, photo opportunity, and a personalized, autographed picture of the Laurie Berkner Band.

Laurie Berkner solo photo credit Jayme Thornton

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