December 31, 8pm
Alberta Bair Theater
The Texas Tenors take their music seriously, but never themselves. Weaving effortlessly from John Denver to Puccini to “West Side Story,” the trio takes their audience on a musical ride from West Virginia to Italy to New York City, pausing between genres long enough only to tell stories and smile for pictures. And why shouldn’t they smile? One year ago, these three friends—Marcus Collins, JC Fisher, and John Hagen—were struggling to pay the bills. On a whim, after having performed together only a couple of times, the trio decided to audition in Houston, Texas, for “America’s Got Talent,” a televised talent show judged by Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff—and 100 million viewers. The three friends won the hearts of millions of fans, which landed them into the finals, making them the highest ranking vocal group in the history of the show.
Flash forward one year. The Texas Tenors have now played everywhere from Las Vegas to Scotland. They’ve performed in front of Merle Haggard and with symphony orchestras. Fans who fell in love with the Texas Tenors on TV come out to see the trio perform the songs that wowed judges. But a large part of their fan base consists of people who have discovered this remarkable act on their own—and in the process, discovered something interesting about themselves. “The most satisfying thing is when a diehard country fan says, ‘I never thought I liked opera until I heard you sing,’” says John Hagen, an award-winning opera singer. “Or when someone says, ‘I didn’t think I liked country music, until I heard you guys sing it,’” adds JC Fisher, who grew up on a cattle ranch. Not surprisingly, he’s the more countrified tenor. Marcus Collins just laughs. “The most amazing thing is to think how fast this has all happened,” says the blond tenor whose singing style is more contemporary than either Hagen or Fisher. Marcus is also the one who Sharon Osbourne looked at with bedroom eyes and declared: “You’re hot.” The truth is, all three Texas Tenors are hot. The only thing hotter is what happens when their three voices combine on stage.
Tickets on sale at the Alberta Bair Theater box office. 256-6052
