Stearns Matthews to Present THE STEARNS MATTHEWS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL to Benefit Garden State Equality 12/17

New Jersey-raised, multi-award winning New York cabaret vocalist Stearns Matthews will present a benefit concert titled The Stearns Matthews Christmas Special on Saturday, December 17th at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair. The first half of the program will feature the song cycle December Songs by Broadway composer Maury Yeston and the second half will harken back to the television Christmas specials of yesteryear, complete with chestnuts, presents, and yuletide by the fireside!

Stearns' critically acclaimed debut album SPARK won the 2015 Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording as well as the LaMott/Friedman Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs Award for Outstanding Recording. He is also the winner of the 2015 MAC Award for Best Male Vocalist and a proud alumni of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Kevin Scott Hall of Edge New York wrote of SPARK: "His astonishing tenor vocals capture the hopeful longing of boyhood along with the assured artistry of manhood. He is beautifully, achingly present in every line."

The second half of the concert will feature a guest appearance by silver-voiced singer and friend Corinna Sowers-Adler, as well as other surprises. Maestro Markus Grae-Hauck music directs and leads the band, which includes Amy Crafton, Brian Crooks, and Sam Schuman.

December Songs was written as a commissioned piece for the 1991 centennial celebration of Carnegie Hall, where it was premiered by cabaret star Andrea Marcovicci. It was inspired by Franz Schubert's Die Winterreise (A Winter's Journey), which is follows a young man pining for his lost love in 19th century Austria. The singer in December Songs is walking through present-day Central Park.

The event is a benefit for Garden State Equality, New Jersey's statewide advocacy and education organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. For information on GSE and its work, visit www.gardenstateequality.org.

The Stearns Matthews Christmas Special will be held on Saturday, December 17th at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, 67 Church Street, Montclair, NJ. There is a suggested donation of $20 per person.