ATLANTA –The Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech announces the addition of Grammy Award-winning vocalist Judy Collins to the 2009-2010 season line-up, for one night only, Sunday, November 8, at 5 p.m. Tickets are available for $34 and $44 at the Ferst Center Box Office at 404-894-9600 and at www.ferstcenter.org.

Few singers have the staying power of folk icon Judy Collins. For nearly 50 years, her dulcet tones have graced our ears, and her poetic lyrics have galvanized a generation. Recently called a “folk goddess” by The New York Times, she has released more than 40 albums, and has had numerous Top 10 hits, Grammy nominations and gold and platinum selling albums. Her biggest hits include Both Sides Now, Turn, Turn, Turn, Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway ballad Send in the Clowns and Amazing Grace.

About Judy Collins
With an early background in classical piano, Collins made her public debut performing Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Pianos.” The music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and the traditional songs of the folk revival sparked Collins’ love of lyrics, and at age 16 she moved from playing the Steinway to playing guitar. She began singing at folk clubs in Colorado and then headed east to folk clubs in , she in Chicago and Greenwich Village. In 1961 she signed a record deal with Elektra Records that became a 35-year involvement.

As the 1960s grew more rebellious, Collins was drawn to songs by the social poets of the time: Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. She worked with some of the best musicians of the era, among them Jim (Roger) McGuinn, who played guitar on her versions of Mr. Tambourine Man and Seeger’s Turn, Turn, Turn. Collins was the first to record the songs of Leonard Cohen and she brought other performers like Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell to widespread public exposure.

Collins’ eclectic nature was first seen in her 1966 album “In My Life”, a characteristic that has stamped her albums ever since. Her next album “Wildflowers,” arranged for orchestra by composer and conductor Joshua Rifkin, broke new ground in the contemporary song movement. Today, it is regarded as a turning point in her career, giving Collins her first major single, Both Sides Now, and earning her the first of many Grammy nominations.

By the 1970s, Collins had a solid reputation and had begun to stand out for her own compositions. Known for her broad range of material, her songs from this period include the Christian hymn Amazing Grace, the Stephen Sondheim Broadway ballad Send in the Clowns (both were top 20 hits as singles), and her own compositions, such as Born to the Breed.

In more recent years she has continued to record and has written two memoirs and a novel. In 2008, she oversaw an album covering her compositions with songs by Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, Rufus Wainwright and Chrissie Hynde; released a collection of Beatles covers; and received an honorary doctorate from Pratt Institute. Today, Collins maintains a rigorous 60-80 city concert schedule annually.

Ticket and Performance Information: Tickets are available for $34 and $44. Please call the Ferst Center for the Arts Box Office at 404-894-9600 for ticket information and directions (349 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30032-0468) or visit www.ferstcenter.org.

About the Ferst Center for the Arts
The Ferst Center for the Arts is a part of the Georgia Institute of Technology and is located in the heart of the Georgia Tech campus. Named after Georgia Tech alumnus Robert Ferst, the mission of the Ferst Center is to enhance the education of Tech students and to serve as a bridge to the greater Atlanta community by offering a showcase of some of the most highly-acclaimed talent from around the world. Funding is provided in part by contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations, the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly, and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Major corporate support is provided by the Coca-Cola Company and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For ticket information call 404-894-9600 or visit www.ferstcenter.org.