TheLoaferOnine.com | The Johnson City Symphony Orchestra ends its 2014-2015 season March 21 with its Mary B. Martin Memorial Concert. This year, the Texas Tenors join Music Director and Conductor Robert J. Seebacher and the orchestra at this annual tribute sponsored by James Martin.
With their hit PBS special now airing across the U.S. and a Billboard Top 10 album, “You Should Dream,” it’s easy to see why The Texas Tenors are quickly becoming America’s favorite new tenors. Since their whirlwind debut four years ago on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, The Texas Tenors have performed over 600 concerts around the world including a 24-city tour in the United Kingdom, Shanghai, and China, and collaborations with some of the most prestigious symphonies and performing arts centers throughout the globe. From Alabama to Puccini, The Texas Tenors—John Hagen, Marcus Collins, and JC Fisher—bring their unique blend of Country, Classical, and Broadway to the stage with breathtaking vocals, humor, and a touch of cowboy charm.
In addition to their extensive world tour, The Texas Tenors can be found in cities across the country for extended runs including 65 concerts each year at The Starlite Theatre in Branson, Mo., where they were named 2011, 2012, and 2013 Critic’s Choice Group of the Year, Best Legacy Group, and Branson’s Favorite Christmas Show of 2013. They remain Trip Advisor’s #1 attraction in the region.
Among many other milestones, 2013 saw the debut of The Texas Tenors’ new patriotic show, “Let Freedom Sing,” a celebration of America and her heroes defending freedom at home and abroad. “The Texas Tenors: Let Freedom Sing” joins the group’s other sell-out hit shows—critically acclaimed mainstay “The Texas Tenors Live in Concert” and “The Texas Tenors: Deep in the Heart of Christmas.”
The tenors are always ready to give back and work tirelessly to promote awareness for organizations near and dear to their hearts including ChildFund International, Homes for our Troops, and The Mission Project.
Whether it be stage, television, recording, or multi-media projects, The Texas Tenors never forget their roots. They are proud that these “three friends with a dream” remain self produced and managed with a commitment to quality, family entertainment for all ages.
John Hagen has been described as “astonishing…a superb tenor of deep musicality” making his Lincoln Center debut in New York City in Teatro Grattacielo’s mounting of Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff. Hagen created three tenor roles in the world premier of The Lost Dauphin for Pamiro Opera Company, airing on PBS. He has performed a vast array of operatic roles ranging from Alfredo in La Traviata to the title role of Otello for Cleveland Opera on tour. Hagen has received many awards and accolades throughout his career including finalist in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera competition held at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera Auditions Regional Finalist, and winner of numerous other competitions. Highly regarded for his performances of the Verdi Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, he has performed these works with more than a dozen symphonies across the United States. Hagen has taught voice and vocal pedagogy at Wartburg College and at his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa.
Marcus Collins was born is a small town and began performing at the age of four. He first learned how to sing by emulating his favorite artists like Garth Brooks, George Michael, and Freddie Mercury, before training classically in college. Marcus has performed throughout the world on cruise ships and numerous stage productions, including a performance in Times Square with the Broadway cast of Hairspray. He has been in Off-Broadway’s Altar Boyz as Matthew, and over the years in multiple productions of The Sound of Music, first as Kurt, then Rolf, and later Uncle Max. Beyond music he has worked extensively as an actor with appearances in over 100 episodes of network television and 25 films including P.S. I Love You, Semi-Pro, Delirious, 30 Rock, Sex and the City, and recurring roles on One Life To Live and As The World Turns. Collins has been guest VJ on MTV’s TRL. One of his favorite roles was appearing as Edward Carnby in the video game Alone in the Dark for Eden Games in 2008.
JC Fisher has entertained audiences around the world for the past 15 years. In high school, he had a passion for sports and also enjoyed singing in church. He discovered a deeper love of singing at Wichita State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music. Fisher performed various roles including Rodolfo in La Boheme, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Henrick in A Little Night Music and was even Miss America’s duet partner at the 1997 Miss Kansas Pageant. After college, he traveled to Lucca, Italy, where he sang in the Puccini festival under the direction of acclaimed Italian maestro Lorenzo Malfatti. He then created a home base in Katy, Texas, before sailing the high seas aboard over 75 cruise ships worldwide with his one man show—allowing Fisher to create a program with many different genres of music and world class arrangements. This eventually led to his idea of forming The Texas Tenors with his two best friends. His most memorable performance, though, turned out to be from college where he found the young woman who would become his wife. Jennifer Vannatta, Miss Kansas 1998, married him in 2004. They have three children; Jackson, Jenson, and Jennings.
The March 21 concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Mary B. Martin Auditorium of Seeger Chapel at Milligan College. Individual concert tickets are $35, $30 for seniors (65+), and $10 for students. More information is available online at www.jcsymphony.com or by calling the symphony office at 423-926-8742. The symphony accepts Master Card, Visa, and Discover. Free bus service is available from Colonial Hill, leaving at 6:15 p.m.; Maplecrest and Appalachian Christian Village, at 6:30; and City Hall, at 6:45 p.m. Concerts are partially funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
THE TEXAS TENORS
Season Finale: Mary B. Martin Memorial Concert – This year’s Season Finale is also the eighth in a series of special concerts sponsored by James Martin in memory of his wife, Mary. This Mary B. Martin Memorial Concert features The Texas Tenors. From Alabama to Puccini, John Hagen, Marcus Collins, and J.C. Fisher bring their unique blend of country, classical, and Broadway to the stage with breathtaking vocals, humor, and a touch of cowboy charm. Self-produced and managed, these “friends with a dream” maintain a commitment to quality, family entertainment for all ages. This concert will be performed March 21, 2015.
