Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Emmylou Harris will will perform at the State Street Theater Oct. 19. The concert will serve as a benefit for The Grand Center for Arts and Culture. Submitted photo

NEW ULM – The Grand Center for Arts and Culture is partnering with State Street Theater Company (SSTC) to bring Grammy-winning musician Emmylou Harris to New Ulm.

Harris will perform at State Street Theater at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. The performance will serve as a benefit for The Grand.

Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2018.

Harris is one of the highest-profile musicians to play SSTC and her performance was made possible through a collaboration between the theater and The Grand.

The Grand founder, Anne Makepeace, said the idea to bring Harris to New Ulm started as a benefit concert to replenish the art center’s endowment fund. The Grand had previously set aside an endowment fund designed to generate interest to fund operations. Unfortunately, the building was hit with nearly $900,000 in maintenance costs last year. These unexpected costs eliminated most of the endowment.

Rather than hold a typical fundraiser for The Grand it was decided to hold a benefit concert. An anonymous donor gave The Grand enough money to bring Harris to New Ulm. With her costs covered, the majority of the proceeds can go to The Grand.

Makepeace said the idea of holding a benefit concert was to raise awareness. She said if the anonymous donation were simply given to The Grand, the community might not been aware of it. The concert will let people know about the needs of both the art center and the theater.

“It is a better way to use that money,” Makepeace said.

SSTC executive director Lorie Jewell described the collaboration as a win-win for both organizations. The theater agreed to host the concert because, in addition to having enough available seating, the show is expected to benefit the theater too.

SSTC’s CFO, Mary Ellen Domeier, said “We have the benefit of bringing a well-known, recognized performer–internationally known–to our stage. We’re grateful the Grand thought of this.”

Domeier believed Harris’ concert would show what the theater was capable of doing.

Recently, SSTC expanded its ticket resignation system. Those purchasing a ticket can now select a specific seat in the theater and ensure the money goes to The Grand.

In addition to the ticketing system changes, the concert was a chance to upgrade sound equipment, which will have benefits beyond Harris’ concert.

Jewell said the show could have a financial impact beyond The Grand or the theater. She believed the show could boost the local economy through restaurant and hotel stays. It could also lead to returning visits from guests.

“Those are benefits we can’t put our fingers on yet,” Jewell said.

The Grand’s executive director John Kellen confirmed the concert was generating a buzz outside New Ulm.

“I am getting calls from Mankato and the Twin Cities,” he said. “People are coming up to me saying ‘Wow you got Emmylou Harris?'”

Sales of tickets have come from customers across the state and even a few outside of Minnesota. Kellen believes the community will be able to capitalize on the attention a build up a membership base for both SSTC and The Grand.

Limited tickets are still available for the Emmylou Harris performance. For ticket information, visit www.statestreetnewulm.org or call their box office at 507-359-9990.