The Texas Tenors: “Deep in the Heart of Christmas" at the University of Dubuque -- December 13.
Saturday, December 13, 7:30 p.m.
University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA
Lauded as the most successful music group and third-highest selling artist in the history of TV's competition series America's Got Talent, the vocal dynamos of the Texas Tenors bring their "Deep in the Heart of Christmas" tour to the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on December 13, with two talents from this chart-topping, Emmy Award-winning trio Iowa natives performing once again in their home state.
Composed of Broadway singer Marcus Collins, opera singer John Hagen (both originally from Iowa), and country singer JC Fisher, the Texas Tenors formed in 2009 when Fisher, then working as a cruise-ship entertainer, had the idea of creating a vocal trio that would wholly cross the boundaries of genre. Recruiting his friends Collins and Hagen, the threesome fashioned a show that would both showcase and incorporate all of their singular talents, and in the summer of 2009, the Texas Tenors were invited to compete on America's Got Talent, where they finished the season in fourth place, making them the show's highest-ranking vocal group to date. Containing all four songs they performed on TV, including arias such as “Nessun dorma” and “La donna è mobile,” the trio's self-titled debut album was released in 2009 and remastered for a 2011 re-release with new material, ultimately selling 225,000 units. Their second studio album You Should Dream, meanwhile, featured both original songs and covers of classics such as “God Bless the USA,” and “Unchained Melody,” and reached number three on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart.
In 2013, the Texas Tenors filmed their first TV special with the Phoenix Symphony, performing songs from their You Should Dream. Joining Jackie Evancho as one of only two acts from America's Got Talent to star in their own television special for PBS, the Texas Tenors achieved another milestone in 2014 when the program was honored with five Emmy nominations and three wins. The Texas Tenors have subsequently performed more than 2,000 concerts in 20-plus countries including Great Britain and China, and in the fall of 2017, the trio premiered their second PBS special and released their third studio album Rise. This recording debuted at number one on the Billboard Classical Albums chart and number one on the Heatseeker New Artist chart, resulting in the group's highest charting positions and most successful sales week ever. As of 2019, the Texas Tenors are ranked among Billboard's Top 10 Classical Artists in the World, and the vocalists are considered the most successful touring group in the history of America's Got Talent, with 2021's Outside the Lines yet another chart-topping Billboard smash.
The Texas Tenors bring their "Deep in the Heart of Christmas" tour to the John & Alice Butler Hall of the University of Iowa's Heritage Center on December 13, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert event is $57-67, and more information and tickets are available by calling 563-585-7469 and visiting Dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
