Fernando Ortega to perform during Homecoming 2000
FOR RELEASE: Sunday, September 17, 2000
HUNTINGTON, IN-- Award-winning Christian artist Fernando Ortega will present a concert on Friday, October 6, at 8 p.m. in the Merillat Centre for the Arts at Huntington College. Ortega will be joined by special guests Michelle Tumes and Andrew Peterson. Tickets are $14, $12 and $10, with special discounts for students and seniors. Tickets are available from the Merillat Centre Box Office, (260) 359-4261. The performance will open Huntington College's 2000 Homecoming Weekend. Appropriately, Ortega's current tour and latest release are titled simply, Home. "I think the title for the record is appropriate," Ortega explains. "I'm like any other guy who makes his living on the road-although I love what I do, the most rewarding part is when I get to come home and hold my wife, eat our meals together, and sleep in our own bed. My home has become a real place of refuge, and there is much on this new record that reflects that sentiment."
"But there are songs that contrast that notion of comfort and well being," he continues.
"'Old Girl' in particular is about a homeless woman who lives in our town, and 'On the Line' is about a man whose mind is failing him. Stories like that make us long and hope for our heavenly home, and there are also songs about that on this record."
Of the twelve songs on the album, nine are original cuts. These include the simple and praise-filled opening cut, "This Good Day," an anthem of longing for heaven, "Beyond the Sky," Ortega's love song for his wife, "Lonely Road," and a benediction for loved ones, "Prayer for Home." Also appearing on the album are new arrangements of the classic hymns "Give Me Jesus" and "Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Savior."
Home continues the pattern of artistic excellence Ortega established with his earlier albums, The Breaking of the Dawn and This Bright Hour. Ortega has achieved widespread recognition for his work as a classical pianist and songwriter of rare craftsmanship. This Bright Hour, Ortega's debut album for Myrrh Records, earned a Dove Award for "Children of the Living God." The Breaking of the Dawn produced three number-one singles on Inspirational radio, including the five-week number-one song, "Jesus King of Angels," as well as his second Dove Award nomination for "Inspirational Album of the Year."
Ortega's Homecoming concert at Huntington College is partially underwritten by Troy and Dawn Irick and Jim and Amy Landrum. For further information and ticket reservations, call the Merillat Centre Box Office at (260) 359-4261 or visit the Merillat Center online at www.huntington.edu/mca.
