Irving Berlin: I’ve Got Plenty To Be Thankful For
Legendary Songwriter of the Great American Songbook
A celebration in gratitude for the holiday classics, anthems and other beloved compositions of one of America’s greatest songwriters. Irving Berlin was revered by other songwriters as well as the rest of the world, in a career that spanned Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood. This Russian immigrant’s love of his adopted homeland is reflected in songs like “God Bless America” and “White Christmas”, his simple, elegant genius sparked by his early days as a singing waiter on the Lower East Side of New York.
Maud Hixson: Vocals
Rick Carlson: Piano
Hailed as “gently virtuosic” (All About Jazz), Maud Hixson is a devoted exponent of great songs, ranging from the classic Great American Songbook to the often unsung or forgotten compositions awaiting rediscovery. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Maud made her Guthrie Theater debut in the Noel Coward revue Coward’s Women, also appearing in Park Square Theater’s The Soul of Gershwin. Permanent Moonlight: Songs of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, earned a 2024 Bistro Award. Her newest recording, When Winter Comes, was released in 2025. Rick Carlson has been the pianist for the Wolverines Big Band since 1980. He has performed on concert stages in London and New York City, and has appeared with Count Basie drummer Butch Miles, horn stars Warren Vaché, Delfeayo Marsalis, Evan Christopher and Wycliffe Gordon.