PARK CITY, UT – On the brink of a fifth summer season of large-scale outdoor concerts, Park City Performing Arts Foundation announces a new and diverse crop of top-caliber performers for the 2008 St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Summer Concert Series at Deer Valley Resort. Featuring established Grammy Award-winners as well as fresh new stars, the line-up includes Marc Cohn with Aimee Mann (July 12), Feist (July 17), Lucinda Williams (July 28), Golden Dragon Acrobats (Aug. 17), Boz Scaggs (Aug. 19), the Gipsy Kings (Aug. 26) and Dwight Yoakam (Aug. 30).

All seven concerts, presented by Park City Performing Arts Foundation, will fill Deer Valley’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, May 1. Tickets are available through the Park City Performing Arts Foundation and Deer Valley Signatures and Etc. stores. Tickets go on sale online beginning Saturday, May 3.

“Thanks to the remarkable title sponsorship of St. Regis Resort & Residences, Deer Crest, as well as a long list of generous donors, we’re able to attract some of the best talent in North America and the world to Deer Valley for the summer – and we thought it would be nice to spice up our usual chart-topping, legendary musician mix with one multicultural, acrobatic spectacle,” says PCPAF executive director Teri Orr, referring to the addition of the Chinese acrobats to what has traditionally been a music-only series.

The series begins with a folk-pop double billing of Marc “Walking in Memphis” Cohn and Aimee “Voices Carry” Mann on Saturday, July 12. The husky-voiced Cohn returns to Park City after twice gracing The Eccles Center with his piano-driven blues-pop sound. Cohn’s recently-released CD, “Join the Parade,” has received critical praise, with Rolling Stone lauding the album as “one man’s expression of gratitude for his life as well as his determination to make that life meaningful.” Mann, formerly of the ’80s group ’Til Tuesday, has perfected her own brand of introspective, melancholy folk-pop sound. An artist The Rolling Stone Album Guide calls “intelligent, tuneful and loaded with attitude,” Mann earned an Academy Award nomination for her critically acclaimed soundtrack for the film “Magnolia.” Her seventh solo album is slated for release in June.

With “a catalogue of great songs and a voice like carved steam,” according to The New York Times, Feist shakes up Deer Valley on Thursday, July 17. The indie-rock chanteuse is Canada’s freshest and, well, feistiest folk-rock-pop star. A Juno (Canada’s Grammy equivalent) winner, she was recently nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy.

Lucinda Williams, the musician Time magazine calls “America’s Best Songwriter,” brings her country/blues/folk sound to Deer Valley Resort on Monday, July 28. A Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, Williams’ 2007 CD West was deemed by People Magazine to be “the first great CD of 2007,” receiving a perfect four-star review. We think she’s the perfect choice for a night under the stars.

Three weeks later, an entirely different genre of entertainment takes to the Deer Valley stage. China’s Golden Dragon Acrobats bring international flair to the line-up on Saturday, Aug. 17, coinciding with the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Blending 4,000 years of heritage with contemporary theatrics, the award-winning acrobats will bend, balance, dance, leap, spin and fly. “The Dragon Acrobats remind you of what can’t, or shouldn’t, be done without spoiling the dream of wanting to try…” writes the Associated Press. Dazzling does not begin to describe the artistry and death-defying feats of the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats. Overall seating for this performance will be limited to ensure good views from every vantage point on the hillside.

From millennia-old style to old school, the line-up shifts back to legendary musicians with Boz Scaggs blues-rock performance on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Known for hits like “Lowdown” and “Lido Shuffle,” Scaggs boasts “impressively good taste and vocal otherworldliness that’s at once startling and arresting,” according to Jazz Times. Formerly a member of Steve Miller Band, the singer-songwriter ventured out on his own, earning a Grammy nomination and a reputation as a soulful, veteran rocker who does justice to American classics.

Giving audiences the royal treatment, the revered Gipsy Kings will heat up the dwindling days of summer on Tuesday, Aug. 26. “The best thing to come out of Arles, France since Vincent Van Gogh,” according to People magazine, this band of eight cousins blends Catalonian acoustic roots of pop-flavored flamenco, with jazz, Cuban, reggae, rock and Middle Eastern influences. World music royalty, the Gipsy Kings have topped the charts for two decades. Olé!

Rockin’ out Labor Day weekend, Grammy Award-winning country- rock star, Dwight Yoakam closes the 2008 St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights season on Saturday, August 30. Hailed by Time magazine as “A Renaissance Man,” Vanity Fair best described this crossover artist/actor by stating, “Yoakam strides the divide between rock’s lust and country’s lament.”

                                                                          CONCERT DETAILS

The St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Series, presented by Park City Performing Arts Foundation, runs from July through August at Deer Valley’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. Tickets go on sale May 1 at the Box Office at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City) and Deer Valley Signatures and Etc. stores (located on Main Street and at Deer Valley Resort). Tickets will be available for purchase online beginning May 3.

Please see ticket prices below (discounts are available for seniors and children). Gates open 90-minutes before show time. Coolers are permitted a nine-inch chair height restriction in enforced, and cameras or recordings of any kind are strictly prohibited. Concerts will be held rain or shine unless inclement weather threatens public safety (tickets are non-refundable). Please call 435-655-3114 or visit www.ParkCityTickets.com for tickets and information.

                                                                           The line-up:

July 12, 2008 Marc Cohn with Aimee Mann Lawn seating: $31 Reserved seating: $56

July 17, 2008 Feist Lawn seating: $31 Reserved seating: $56

July 28, 2008 Lucinda Williams Lawn seating: $31 Reserved seating: $56

August 17, 2008 Golden Dragon Acrobats Lawn seating: $23 Reserved seating: $43

August 19, 2008 Boz Scaggs Lawn seating: $46 Reserved seating: $76

August 26, 2008 Gipsy Kings Lawn seating: $46 Reserved seating: $76

August 30, 2008 Dwight Yoakam Lawn seating: $46 Reserved seating: $76

* To request interviews or review tickets, please contact Kirsta Albert at 435-655-8252.

Public invited to free open sound check with Ryan Shaw Saturday, March 27, 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. JOIN PARK CITY PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION FOR A FREE open SOUND CHECK FEATURING RYAN SHAW AT PARK CITY’S ECCLES CENTER ON March 29 from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. the 27-year-old Shaw delivers R&B with old-school class and a phenomenal voice. The New York Times praises his “refreshing authenticity” and the Baltimore Sun touts his “glorious” voice.

The Ryan Shaw concert starts at 7:30 pm. CALL 435-655-3114 OR VISIT parkcitytickets.com for tickets and info.

Park City Performing Arts Foundation News & Events E-News March 28, 2008 Ryan Shaw brings R&B to The Eccles Center March 29 Grammy-nominated, retro-soul singer Ryan Shaw fills The Eccles Center with his fresh take on traditional Rhythm & Blues on Saturday, March 29. The 27-year-old, who dazzled Deer Valley crowds when he opened for Joss Stone last summer, takes to the stage at 7:30 p.m.

A kid that learned to sing in his Georgia church choir, Shaw is a rising star who gives a hearty nod to those who popularized soul in the ’50s ’60s and ’70s. Bringing what The New York Times describes as “refreshing authenticity to the soul-revival movement,” he places the genre in a contemporary spotlight. Shaw borrows tunes from Wilson Pickett and Bobby Womack as well as composing his own, several of which appeared on his debut album “This is Ryan Shaw.” His concerts incorporate a small rhythm section, a couple of back-up vocalists and the show-stopper: his passionate, powerful voice. To purchase tickets online, please click here. that it felt like a tonic for the spirit.”

Information: 435.655.3114 or email: boxoffice@ecclescenter.org

PARK CITY, UT – Four lads. Four lasses. One clan blessed with flying fiddles and quick-stepping feet. The Juno award-winning music sensation Leahy returns to The Eccles Center for an evening of Celtic tunes and more than a wee bit of dancing on Saturday, April 5.

The brothers and sisters of Canadian-born Leahy first entered the international spotlight as the subjects of the 1985 Academy Award-winning documentary, “Leahy: Music Most of All.” Three Juno (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) awards, three records and several tours later, the siblings are still singing, dancing and performing a whirlwind of world music with a hearty dose of Canadian influence and a grand emphasis on the family’s Irish roots; their ancestors left the Emerald Isle for Ontario in 1825. Their blend of music and showmanship landed Leahy a spot as the opener for Shania Twain’s inaugural world tour as well as the coveted Canadian 2005 Socan Award for Folk/Jazz instrumentalist.

With the unstoppable bow of fiddle prodigy and eldest brother Donnell (who happens to be wed to fellow musician Natalie MacMaster) anchoring the troupe, Leahy is as the Los Angeles Times puts it “an act whose music is invigorating.” All eight Leahys learned to play the fiddle from their dad and their mother taught them step-dancing, singing and the piano. As they’ve generated their own style of Celtic-flavored, folk-pop music, an array of instruments has crept into the mix. The sound, however, has remained pure.

“[Leahy’s] ferocious and extremely energetic works gain momentum through plenty of acoustic instruments,” writes the Chicago Sun-Times. And Time Out New York raves “Their live performance makes ‘Riverdance’ look like Lawrence Welk re-runs.” “These are tremendously talented musicians. There’s no doubt about that,” says PCPAF executive director Teri Orr. “But what made Leahy’s 2004 appearance in Park City so thoroughly spectacular – and what will again have audiences leaping out of their seats to applaud and dance – is the fun they all seem to share on stage together. That quick wit, incredible energy and phenomenal spirit is truly contagious.” Leahy kicks up its heels and jigs, reels and rocks at 7:30 p.m. Show Details:

Leahy performs at The George S. and Dolores Doré at Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City) on Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $18 to $65 for adults; discounts are available for children, students and seniors.

Tickets and information are available at The Eccles Center box office, 435-655-3114 or www.ParkCityTickets.com.

PARK CITY, UT – An “unabashed celebration” according to USA Today, the rock and roll musical LOVE, JANIS fills The Eccles Center on Saturday, February 16. Part concert, part intimate portrayal, this soulful tribute to legendary singer Janis Joplin comes to Park City for one night only.

Inspired by the bestselling book of the same name by Laura Joplin, LOVE, JANIS tells the 1960s blues-rocker’s story through her letters and songs. An exhausting script and score requires three actresses (Katrina Chester, Mary Bridget Davies and Marisa Ryan) to portray the icon. More…

PARK CITY, UT – “A dynamite troupe of exquisitely lithe and limber dancers,” according to the Boston Globe, Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs Tuesday, February 19 at The Eccles Center.

Founded in 1994 by former Alvin Ailey dancers Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson – described by New York Magazine as “Two of the most gorgeous virtuosos ever to emerge from Ailey Land” – Complexions stirs up a multicultural blend of sexy, edgy movement. Mixing ballet, jazz and modern dance, this young, daring troupe creates hip, high-voltage, entertaining performance. More…

PARK CITY, UT – Grammy-nominated, Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik brings his indie rock sound to The Eccles Center on Saturday, February 2.

Sheik’s breakout 1996 tune, “Barely Breathing” topped the charts for 30 weeks; however, the Buddhist-intellectual’s path has most recently led to Broadway. His score for the popular musical “Spring Awakening” (with lyrics by Steven Sater) has earned several Tonys, recognition from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle as well as a Grammy nomination. Blossoming in the theatrical limelight, he’s also making waves with a second Sater collaboration on the musical “The Nightingale.” More…

PARK CITY, UT – Yes, her granddaddy was country legend Hank Williams – and her wild daddy, Hank Jr. sang of being “Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound.” Despite her Nashville pedigree, Holly Williams has successfully carved out her own brand of music, venturing into folk-rock-pop terrain. The 26 year-old songbird performs on The Eccles stage on Saturday, January 12. More…

PARK CITY, UT – It’s Pat! Okay, not really. Though the actress-writer-comedienne broke into show biz with her Saturday Night Live portrayal of the androgynous character, Julia Sweeney brings a remarkably fresh one-woman show to The Eccles Center on Saturday, Dec. 1. More…

PARK CITY, UT – Larger-than-life and brimming with fun, Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Co. fills The Eccles Center with giggle-inducing antics during two performances on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. & 6 p.m. More…