Melissa Etheridge to Play Park City Institute's 'Big Stars, Bright Nights' Series

Park City Institute presents Melissa Etheridge on July 27, 2017 at the St Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Concert Series at Deer Valley Resort.

"Melissa Etheridge is a force," says Teri Orr, Park City Institute Executive Director. "We can't wait to have her perform on our stage again, doing what she does best, telling the truth through songs."

Etheridge has earned multiple awards for her music, including several Grammys and an Academy Award. Edge Media Network, calls her "a singer who can fire it up like Janis Joplin, touch the heart like Elvis Presley and steam up the windows like her musical hero, Otis Redding." Fans can expect to see her perform classic hits, alongside tracks from her latest album, Memphis Rock & Soul. The album, which was recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, features original material as well as classics from the legendary Stax catalog, spotlighting its artists and legacy, as well as the vital role the label played in the Civil Rights Movement.

"When I was growing up in Kansas, I had a lot of different influences. Yeah, Bruce influenced me, and Janis Joplin. But growing up you could hear all kinds of music on the radio. You could hear Conway Twitty and Otis Redding and Led Zeppelin, so I didn't think there were any boundaries," Etheridge told Rolling Stone, "This bridge between rock & roll and R&B and soul, it all comes from the same field. It all comes from Memphis."

Etheridge has made a career of songwriting activism, penning the song that won her an Oscar, "I Need to Wake Up," for the Al Gore Documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. She has been outspoken on topics that others wouldn't address-for instance, addressing her sexual orientation at a time in her career when others thought it less prudent to do so. She was open with her 2004 breast cancer diagnosis, even appearing on the 2005 Grammys telecast, bald from chemotherapy, to sing "Piece of My Heart," in tribute to Janis Joplin (with Joss Stone, another Big Stars Bright Nights alum). Many women afflicted with the disease, found hope in her strength, tenacity and honesty.

Expect a night filled with Etheridge's full-throated rasp, heartfelt lyrics and her soulful delivery.

Tickets for this show start at $46 (lawn) and $66 (reserved). Gates open at 5:30 PM and the show begins at 7. For tickets, call 435-655-3114 or visit parkcityinstitute.org In-person purchases may be made at The Mega Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ, 435 Swede Alley, or the Deer Valley Signatures Store, 625 Main Street.

Membership and sponsorship information can be found at parkcityinstitute.org, or by calling the box office.

Park City Institute is a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing world-class performances and new ideas to the community. Since 1998, PCI has presented internationally renowned and cutting-edge musicians, actors, authors, comedians, dancers, speakers and film at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (a joint-use facility with the Park City School District). The organization will embark on its 14th season of headliner concerts at Deer Valley Resort, this summer. PCI is dedicated to introducing young people to the arts through free student outreach workshops. Since 2010, PCI has offered a free after-school literacy program to students in grades one through 12 at the thinky and engaging retail-fronted tutoring hub, the Mega-Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ (located at 435 Swede Alley in Old Town). The organization continues to illuminate with Curiosities evenings and thoughtful salons.

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