Judy Garland: A Star Is Born In Minnesota with Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson
Iconic Singer and Hollywood Legend
A celebration of native Minnesotan Judy Garland, her music and her life. This show explores the great jazz standards, many written for Judy, and the relationships she had with the composers and musicians involved in her career. Her debut at the age of two and a half on the stage of her father’s movie theater, progressing through movie stardom (and immortality as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz) and culminating in her triumph as a concert artist. Hear “Over The Rainbow”, “Get Happy”, “The Man That Got Away” and other signature songs.
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.