(NEWTOWN, PA) -- On Saturday, December 17th, the ZLOCK Performing Arts Center (ZPAC) presents a unique, one-night-only Live Holiday Concert “A Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas” with Award-Winning Jazz Vocalist and Songwriter, Kat Edmonson.  Edmonson’s Holiday Swingin'! album was included on the NY Times list of "13 Albums That Revisit (and Redefine!) Holiday Classics" and was described by Jazziz as "impeccably hip".  “I was inspired to record music that harkened back to my favorite '50s and '60s holiday tunes. The band and I had a ball swingin’ on all these classic songs!” says Kat.

Edmonson “With an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop”; (The New York Times) has been featured on Austin City Limits, Tiny Desk Concerts, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Late Show with David Letterman.  The New York Times describes her music as “fresh as a spring bouquet” while NPR says, “Hearing Edmonson makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.” ZPAC has been bringing world-renowned performers to Newtown, PA, for over 50 years and is delighted to present this very special holiday performance to the community on Saturday, December 17th at 7:30pm! 

Tickets start at $25.00 and have a VIP ticket pre-show option including complimentary beverages, light fare and reserved seats.  All Tickets Include Free Parking at www.bucks.edu/tickets

“Having Kat and her longtime jazz band here to welcome in the holidays is absolutely exciting and such a wondrous treat for our community and theater.” – stated Zlock PAC’s Director of Community Programming & College Events Peter Chiovarou.  Also, new to ZPAC, the theater now offers beer, wine, hard seltzers and nonalcoholic drinks within the lobby bar area with lounge seating and cocktail tables.  The bar offerings start 90-minutes prior to each performance and through intermission.  VIP ticket holders are provided two complimentary beverages of their choice from the new beverage menu.

Raised on the music and film of the early-to-mid-twentieth century, Kat Edmonson is a rare artist who embodies the spirit of the past while remaining resolutely au courant. She performs original songs and familiar classics in her live show, interweaving humorous anecdotes, philosophical musings, and her love of film with disarming candor and vulnerability. Her longtime band members’ keen and sensitive accompaniment allows Kat to freely veer off-script as she’s often inclined to do.

In the winter of 2022, Kat made her theatrical debut in "The Hang": a new jazz opera by Taylor Mac and Matt Ray. Upon its opening, the off-off Broadway show received "Critic's Pick" in The New York Times highlighting Kat's "extraordinary artistry." About her performance, Vulture praises the burgeoning actress for her "weightless, soaring scat arias," The Wrap says, "Kat Edmonson emerges as the Teresa Stratus of off-off Broadway." "The Hang" imagines the final hours of the life of Socrates as he asks his friends to use every moment left to think on virtue.

Kat’s sixth studio album Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas Vol. 1 was released November 19th, 2021. The jazz-vocalist and her band recorded a Christmas album including Yule-tide favorites such as “Jingle Bell Rock”, “O Christmas Tree”, and “Let It Snow”. Holiday Swingin'! was included on the NY Times list of "13 Albums That Revisit (and Redefine!) Holiday Classics" and was described by Jazziz as "impeccably hip".  “I was inspired to record music that harkened back to my favorite '50s and '60s holiday tunes. The band and I had a ball swingin’ on all these classic songs!” says Kat. 

The Zlock Performing Arts Center is located inside the Gateway Center building on campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown. Parking is free. The theater is equipped with audio-loop technology for the hearing impaired.  Tickets for a Holiday Swingin’! start at $25.00. In addition, a limited number of Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance online at www.bucks.edu/tickets. For group sales, call 215-968-8469.

The Kevin and Sima Zlock Performing Arts Center hosts musical and theatrical performances, business conferences, and educational events throughout the year. The Zlock Performing Arts Center offers exceptional staging, lighting, and acoustics in an intimate 339-seat theater. The venue is located on the Bucks County Community College Newtown Campus, just 45-minutes north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built in 1971 and upgraded in 2000, the Zlock Performing Arts Center is also available for rent on a limited basis to external for-profit and non-profit groups and organizations. 

PHOTO by Glynis Carpenter