August 28, 2006
NBC "Today Show" superstar and 1990 Hesston College graduate
Dan Gardner will be featured in a concert during Homecoming Weekend Sept.
22-24.
The Dan Gardner Gala Concert is slated to begin at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, September
23, in Yost Center on the Hesston College campus.
Now known internationally, Dan Gardner is again showing why he was chosen over
4,100 contestants and six finalists as the television viewers' favorite on Nov.
21, 2002.
His debut album, "More than Life," is available nationwide; go to dangardner.com
for more information and to hear the title song, "More Than Life." Gardner
wrote and produced the album, and the first single climbed quickly to the #12
position on the Adult Contemporary top 40 radio chart.
"Hesston College alumni and friends and the communities of south central
Kansas will not want to miss this special music concert opportunity with a recognized,
quality voice in Dan Gardner," said Dallas Stutzman, the college's vice
president of Alumni and Church Relations.
Fourteen-time Grammy winning producer and songwriter David Foster (Whitney Houston,
the Beatles, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart), who has worked with Gardner, observes, "Dan
can really sing. To the people's credit who voted, they picked a guy that really,
really, can sing. He has a great sense of timing. He gets it. He has a great
delivery of the lyrics, and really seems to care about what he is saying in a
song."
The past two years have been busy for Gardner. After performing and making ten
appearances with more than 60 million viewer impressions on the NBC "Today
Show" and winning the competition, Gardner has continued his trek of special
appearances with several performances for the New York Mets, and community events
around the nation.
Gardner performed for 22 million on television for the Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Observance. He helped 150,000 people bring in the New Year as he sang
at the Peach Drop in Atlanta. He made a special appearance and performed at the
Kentucky Derby Mint Jubilee Coalition to Cure Cancer Benefit.
Gardner performed for the Gala Legacy Ball for Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
He has been a guest speaker for several events around the country, including
Camp Fire USA Absolutely Incredible Kids Day, Teacher of the Year Awards, and
other events. He has made numerous appearances nationwide in cities and towns
promoting his debut album on radio and television shows.
After his birth in New York City, Dan was adopted and raised in Goshen Ind.,
the youngest of five siblings. (Two sisters, racially mixed like Dan, had also
been adopted in New York.)
His love of singing began in the Mennonite Church--where four-part harmony is
a staple. The Gardner children were required to take piano lessons, and Dan took
for five years before switching to the saxophone for three years.
While Dan always loved music in all its forms, he enjoyed singing best. Always
knowing he wanted to be a performer, Dan began preparing early in his childhood,
studying music through his college career at Hesston College and Eastern Mennonite
University, Harrisonburg, Va. His studies have left him with a repertoire that
includes singing fluently in Spanish, Italian, and English. Dan attributes his
strong work ethic and passion to his supportive family.
Before Dan became a recording artist, he was a respected vocal teacher in the
Atlanta community.
Throughout his life, Dan has focused on the development of his voice, songwriting
skills, and stage presence. He spends time in the gym to stay in shape.
Joining Gardner for selected numbers during the September 23 concert are the
Goessel High School Elbiata Singers, the Haven High School Wildcat Singers, the
Hesston High School Singers, and the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers. "This
will provide the high school choirs an excellent music education experience,
singing with Gardner," Stutzman said.
Gardner will also share his life story and sing several numbers during the 11
a.m. chapel service Friday, Sept. 22, in the sanctuary of Hesston Mennonite Church.
General admission tickets for the Dan Gardner Gala Concert, priced at $13 per
person, are available by calling the Hesston College Alumni Office toll-free
at 866-437-7866 (866-HESSTON) or the Hesston College Bookstore at 620-327-8105.
Interested persons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.
Tickets are also available on line in the gifts/tickets section of the Hesston College Bookstore online catalog.