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Matt Cusson & Friends Concert December 19 & 20 at Barrington Stage
Posted by Gail M. Burns - November 2009
BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY
AND ST. JOSEPH’S HIGH SCHOOL
ANNOUNCE A VERY SPECIAL DECEMBER CONCERT:
MATT CUSSON AND FRIENDS: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
DECEMBER 19 AND 20 AT BARRINGTON STAGE
Tickets on sale now!
(Pittsfield, MA) – Barrington Stage Company and St. Joseph ’s High School are teaming up to present hometown musician Matt Cusson in his first-ever, headlining holiday concert, Matt Cusson and Friends: Home for Christmas at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield . Cusson will give performances on Saturday, December 19 at 7pm and Sunday, December 20 at 3pm at BSC’s Mainstage Theatre (30 Union Street , Pittsfield).
Following tours and shared stages with superstars including James Taylor and Christina Aguilera and, most recently, many years with Brian McKnight, Matt Cusson will bring several famous friends from musical and Broadway stages for two unforgettable holiday concerts in the Berkshires. Featured performers include special guest Shoshana Bean (vocals), Tyron Chase (guitar), Prescott Ellison (drums) and Chris Loftlin (bass) as well as the St. Joseph ’s High School Chorus.
The concert will feature such holiday favorites as “I’ll be Home for Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as songs from Cusson’s self-titled album, including “Every Step,” “Comfortable” and “Once Upon A Time.”
An extraordinary songwriter and musician, Matt Cusson was born and raised in Pittsfield, MA, and is an alumnus of St. Joseph’s High School and Berkshire Community College . Matt developed his love of music early, avidly listening to Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Beatles, and more. He taught himself how to play piano in part by listening and copying the jazzy chords he loved so much in the music of Brian McKnight. His passion for music led him to study at Berklee School of Music in Boston where he played with John Mayer, Ryan Leslie, and was chosen to participate in the Singer Showcase, a forum highlighting Berklee’s best vocalists. Matt also won the 2009 Maxell Song of the Year/John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Shoshana Bean was most recently seen starring opposite Holly Madison in the Las Vegas burlesque spectacular, Peepshow. She defied gravity as the green-skinned witch, Elphaba in the Broadway and touring production of Wicked, and her debut solo album, Superhero hit #5 on the iTunes R&B charts, making it the only independent album in the top 100. Shoshana was in the original cast of the Tony-award winning musical, Hairspray, and the Off-Broadway revival of Godspell.
Also a Berklee alumnus, Tyron Chase began playing guitar at the age of five and graduated from the world renowned Duke Ellington High School of the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Tyron currently performs with Brian McKnight, but has also shared the stage with such musicians as Joe, BeBe Winans, Donell Jones, Walter Beasley, Andre Ward, Natalie Cole, Jonathan Butler and Oleta Adams.
A drummer, keyboardist and songwriter, Prescott Ellison counts among his influences the music of Sting, Peter Gabriel, Prince and Pat Metheny. His style has evolved into an eclectic blend of funk, dreamy rock, and new age jazz, highlighted with exotic rhythms, colorful melodies and infectious hooks. Ellison toured with Arrested Development and Brian McKnight and has performed with a number of other artists, including Stevie Wonder, Brian Adams, Desiree, Ginuwine, Christina Aguilera, comedian Wayne Brady and Latin artist, Paulina Rubio.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Chris Loftlin is also a Berklee College of Music alumnus and has performed, recorded and arranged for an array of artists including Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Missing Persons, Gerald Levert, John Scofield, Wayne Brady and Matt Cusson. He is Brian McKnight’s bassist and musical director.
Performances for Matt Cusson and Friends: Home for Christmas are Saturday, December 19 at 7pm and Sunday, December 20 at 3pm at BSC’s Mainstage Theatre, 30 Union Street , Pittsfield . Tickets are $25 for all Adults, $20 for Seniors and $15 for Youth 18 and under. Tickets may be purchased through the Barrington Stage Company Box Office by phone at 413-236-8888, Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm, or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.