Judy Collins Performs at Raue Center For The Arts

Raue Center For The Arts welcomes award-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins to the stage in 2019! The esteemed musician will bring her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions to downtown Crystal Lake at 7 p.m. on February 16, 2019.

"I have never been as excited for a show as I am about our upcoming performance from Judy Collins," says Raue Center Board President, Tim Paul. "Her music has transcended decades and still holds up to this day," he continues. "Don't miss the amazing opportunity to experience this iconic folk singer at Raue Center."

Collins inspires audiences with her sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal triumphs and a firm commitment to social activism. She began her impressive music career at the age of 13 as a piano prodigy, dazzling audiences by performing Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos," but the hard luck tales and rugged sensitivity of folk revival music by artists such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger seduced her away from a life as a concert pianist. Her path pointed to a lifelong love affair with the guitar and the pursuit of emotional truth in lyrics.

In the 1960s, Collins evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" from her landmark 1976 album, "Wildflowers," has been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame and her dreamy and sweetly intimate version of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards.

Collins has also garnered several top ten hits as well as gold and platinum albums throughout a career that has spanned five decades. Today, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-album body of work and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline, which has allowed her to thrive in the music industry for half a century. Recently, contemporary and classic artists including Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez and Leonard Cohen honored Collins' legacy with the album "Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins."

Tickets start at $39 and may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the box office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake.