Tickets Selling Fast for Christmas Concerts with Steve Green Dec. 16, 17

ALL>> Award-winning Christian recording artist Steve Green will be featured in two seasonal sacred concerts in Calimesa on Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17. Tickets for the performances, latest in a 31-year tradition of sponsorship by Calimesa Community Concerts, went on sale Nov. 1 and were well over half gone before Thanksgiving, according to concert series founder-director Dr. Bob Soderblom. “We have only two concert times this year, rather than three performances as in recent past Christmas seasons,” Soderblom said. “There won’t be seats for all the concertgoers from past years if they wait too long reserving seats at one of the two concerts this year.” Appearing with Green in this year’s appearances will be a concert choir under the direction of Olin Richey and a 30-voice children’s choir directed by Carolyn Kim. The concert musical director and accompanist is Dick Tunney, the recipient of numerous Dove and Emmy awards for his own Christian song-writing and recordings through the years. Steve Green’s music career was launched with his first Sparrow Records release in 1984, following two years with the vocal group TRUTH and five years with the Gaither music organizations. Soon he and his wife Marijean – now married for 37 years – began responding to invitations from churches all over America. His music has been honored with four Grammy nominations, 18 number-one rated recordings and seven Dove awards, widely seen as Christian music’s highest honor. With 35 recordings to his credit, including children’s projects and Spanish-language releases, Green has sold over three million albums worldwide. Reserved-seat tickets for the two Calimesa concerts, at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 17, are priced at $20, $15 and $10. They can be ordered online from iTickets.com or by phone at (800) 965-9324. Popular credit cards are accepted. No tickets will be sold at the door. Both concerts are at the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at 391 Myrtlewood Dr. (4th and Myrtlewood) in Calimesa. The church has been chosen to host the community concerts each Christmas season partly because of its long tradition of beautiful lighting and decoration to mark the religious holiday, Soderblom explains. “Early ticket orders have the best choice of seating for both concerts,” he advises. A dedicated telephone line also provides free recorded information and directions for the concerts at (909) 795-4960.