UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 13, Page 6
November 30, 1995
Holiday show; Judy Collins in BCC with UD Chorale on Dec. 8

     She began as a traditional folk singer. Soon, she was singing the
works of the social poets of the 1960s, such as Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs
and Bob Dylan. The first to record the songs of Leonard Cohen, she
brought writers such as Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell to widespread
exposure. She was the inspiration for "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by one
of rock's first super-groups, Crosby, Stills and Nash.
     She is Judy Collins, whose voice has been called "one of pop's
natural wonders," and she will present a holiday concert at 8 p.m.,
Friday, Dec. 8, in the Bob Carpenter Center.
     Collins, whose career has spanned three decades, is noted for her
crystal soprano voice and her memorable interpretations of songs by
Cohen, Mitchell, Newman, the Beatles, Stephen Sondheim and Kurt Weill,
as well as her own compositions. Today, her repertoire encompasses
folk, rock, Tin Pan Alley, spirituals, Broadway and the songs of
Jacques Brel.
     Tickets for Collins' holiday concert, which also will feature the
University of Delaware Chorale, are on sale now-at $17.50 for the
general public, $15 for senior citizens and UD faculty and staff, and
$12 for UD students with ID (limit four)-at the Bob Carpenter Center
and Perkins Student Center box offices in Newark and by telephone
through Ticketmaster, 984-2000. A convenience charge may apply. For
ticket information, call UD1-HENS.
     Collins, whose voice has been described as "liquid silver" and
"the voice of the century," has sung and written music that has moved
an entire generation, including "Suzanne," "Both Sides Now," "Someday
Soon," "My Father," "Amazing Grace" and "Send in the Clowns." In all,
she has recorded some 27 albums, which have sold millions of copies
and been certified gold and platinum.
     In addition to her singing and songwriting, she has been a
lifelong political activist and advocate for human rights, an award-
winning filmmaker, an actress and an author.
     Her first novel, Shameless, released simultaneously this year
with a CD of the same name, is a publishing first, since it includes a
two-song CD nested in the book cover. The novel is a roman a clef
about the music industry, through the eyes of a rock photojournalist
who is being pursued by a killer. While writing the book, Collins was
inspired to transform her fiction into music and lyrics for a new
album, and the two projects became intertwined. Her other books
include her autobiography, Trust Your Heart, and the story of a
spiritual quest, Amazing Grace.
     Last year, Collins signed on with UNICEF and traveled to Bosnia.
Her song, "I Dream of Peace-Song for Sarajevo," was inspired by a book
of writings and drawings by children of war-ravaged Sarajevo. The
proceeds from that song and the companion music video are being
donated to UNICEF. The song is included on her 1994 release, Come
Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas. In May, she was presented with the
Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by Hillary Rodham Clinton.
     In 1974, Collins produced and co-directed the documentary,
Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman, about Antonia Brico, the famed
orchestral conductor with whom she had studied. Named one of the best
films of the year by Time Magazine, it also received an Academy Award
nomination for best documentary. Recently, she has moved to the other
side of the camera, appearing in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Junior
and in a recurring role as a blind folklorist in the CBS television
series Christy.