Billy Stritch, left, Klea Blackhurst, center, and Jim Caruso, right, will present “A Swinging Brownville Christmas” at the Brownville Concert Hall.

The Brownville Concert Series is thrilled to present Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso, and Billy Stritch in “A Swinging Brownville Christmas!” The Christmas Gala is a beloved tradition, and this year will be no different. Look forward to swinging arrangements of seasonal favorites. The singers will be joined by Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums. They will perform in concert on Friday and Saturday, December 10 and 11, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 12, at 2:00 p.m. Friday co-sponsors are Jody and Charlie Anderson, 1st National Bank of Johnson, Lifetime Vision Center, and Lou and Deborah Solie. The Saturday sponsor is Auburn State Bank, and Sunday’s sponsor is Ruth Keene, in memory of Jim Keene.

Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes. He began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza “Liza Stepping Out” at Radio City Music Hall. Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony’s pianist and musical director. During COVID-19, he created his own weekly Facebook live-stream show “Billy’s Place,” celebrating the Great American Songbook with songs and stories from his varied career.

Klea Blackhurst is an actress, singer and comedienne known for her award-winning tribute to Ethel Merman, “Everything The Traffic Will Allow.” Most recently she appeared Off-Broadway with Hayley Mills in the comedy, “Party Face,” at City Center Stage 2. She starred in “Hazel” during its world premiere production at Drury Lane in Chicago, as Dolly Levi in the highly acclaimed 50th anniversary production of “Hello, Dolly!” at The Goodspeed Opera House and as Miss Lemon in “The Nutty Professor,” which premiered in Nashville, directed by legendary comedian Jerry Lewis and featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes.

Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit “Liza’s At The Palace!,” singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. The show was honored with a 2009 Tony Award for Best Special Event.

With his award-winning jazz vocal trio, Wiseguys, he performed in an all-star inaugural extravaganza for President Clinton and was then invited to sing at his first state dinner at the White House in an evening hosted by Lauren Bacall. The trio performed in concert at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and in “the big room” with Rosemary Clooney.

Steve Doyle originally hails from Omaha and is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. He is one of the most sought after double bassists working today on the New York jazz and cabaret scenes. He performs regularly at venues such as Birdland, Feinstein’s 54 Below and Carnegie Hall and Rose Hall.

Daniel Glass is an award-winning drummer, author, historian and educator. He is widely recognized as an authority on traditional American music styles. As a professional musician, Daniel has recorded and performed with many top artists, including Brian Setzer, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli and KISS front man Gene Simmons.

Daniel has published six books, three DVDs and dozens of articles dedicated to sharing the amazing story of our American musical heritage.

The Board of Directors requests that all wear masks whether vaccinated or not for the protection of the audience, performers and staff.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $16 for students. Purchase them online at www.brownvilleconcertseries.com, on Facebook or call 402-825-3331. All shows are concert seating. In show biz (and pandemics), dates are subject to change, so double check the website. The Nebraska Arts Council (www.nebraskaartscouncil.org), a state agency, supports this program through a matching grant funded by the Nebraska Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.