Oct. 13: Award-Winning Folk Guitarist John Gorka to Perform

Sunday, October 13, 2019
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Elias J. Halling Recital Hall

MANKATO, Minn. – Folk artist John Gorka will perform on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Minnesota State University, Mankato's Elias J. Halling Recital Hall of the Earley Center for Performing Arts, 320 Maywood Ave.

Gorka continues to tour, playing festivals, theaters and clubs all over North America and Europe. Gorka says, “I love playing music and am grateful that I've gotten to do this for a living for so many years.”

Originally from New Jersey, Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Though his coursework at Moravian College was focused in philosophy and history, music began to attract him. Soon he found himself living in the basement of the Godfrey Daniels club and acting as the venue’s emcee. Before long he was performing his own songs, mostly as an opener for visiting acts. He soon traveled to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for major singer-songwriters) became a powerful source of education and encouragement.

In 1984 Gorka won the New Folk Award and then in 1987 the young Minnesota-based Red House Records released Gorka’s first album, “I Know.” In 1989, he signed with that label’s imprint, High Street Records. He released 11 critically acclaimed albums and also toured internationally. In 2010, he released another album, “Red Horse,” with Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson. The album received high praise from both critics and fans. It was on the Billboard Folk Charts and one of the most played albums on folk radio.

When not on the road, Gorka enjoys spending time with his wife and children in the St. Croix river valley of Minnesota.

General admission for the concert is $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Minnesota State Mankato students will be admitted free with a valid MavCARD. Performance Series ticket packages are available for those who pre-purchase. For more information visit link.mnsu.edu/musictickets or call the Performance Series office, (507) 389-5549.