Christmas Concert

             with Peter Mayer

Friday, November 30th at 7PM, Peter Mayer will fill the sanctuary with Christmas classics such as "Little Drummer Boy," and "Angels We Have Heard On High," along with original Christmas music such as "Stars & Promises," and "This Town."

Mayer is an independent recording artist with a fervent following.  His repertoire includes many original compositions, as well as refreshing takes on classics.  Born in India to Lutheran missionary parents, Mayer's music is eclectic, with a contemporary style that is appropriate for all ages. He is backed by five equally talented musicians, who deliver an electrifying live performance.  Listen to his music at www.petermayer.com

Tickets will be on sale starting November 4, 2007  Click here.

Ticket sale proceeds will go to Juventura.  Juventura’s mission is to empower Latino youth through multicultural art, cultural competence, and education.

Downloadable Flyer

The Advent season at Bethel will start this year with a special musical event by Peter Mayer. Peter’s Stars & Promises Tour will make its only Wisconsin stop at Bethel on Friday night, November 30th. Now in its seventh year, the Stars & Promises show has grown from a small tour of churches and gymnasiums in the Northeast, to a full fledged production that includes twelve stops this year; from Pennsylvania to Idaho. In some cities, such as Nashville, Tennessee, Peter’s concerts have become part of a regular Christmas tradition, and for good reason! Not only is Peter a world-class singer, songwriter and musician, he has managed to strike a refreshing balance of original songs with reworks of traditional hymns that makes his music both accessible in style and meaningful in substance. Peter gives a sincere witness to the grace of God in our daily lives as he refers to the title of to tour, “A Star to guide you home, and a Promise that won’t fade with the passing of years”.

Peter was born in southern India, where his parents served as Lutheran missionaries for 17 years. The Mayer family returned and settled near their home in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1966. Peter Mayer pursued music with fervor and studied classical and jazz guitar, as well as instructing the study of jazz guitar at Webster University in Saint Louis. Peter began performing with various bands from the region, and formed the group PM with his brother Jim, and the back-up singer at the time was none other than Sheryl Crow. Eventually they landed a record deal with Warner Brothers, where their first single “Piece of Paradise” climbed into Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Top 10, charting to Number 8.

Today, Peter is best known to legions of “Parrotheads,” as the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. For nearly 18 years he has collaborated, recorded and toured with Buffett, playing to sold-out crowds around the world. However, when he is not on tour with Buffett, he writes and performs with his own band collectively known as the Peter Mayer Group, which includes Jim, who also plays bass guitar for Buffett. Over the years, Peter has released eight CD’s on his own record label, Little Flock Music, and has gathered numerous independent recording awards including; Contemporary Christian Album of 2004 for “Stirrin’ Up The Water” and Contemporary Album of 2006 for his commercial release “Music Box.” Songs from Music Box have been featured on radio and television around the world. The song, Faith in Angels, was featured on the television series, Scrubs.

I first met Peter in 2002 at the Lutheran Men in Mission gathering in San Antonio, TX, where he released his CD “Stirrin” Up The Water.” As his first faith inspired CD, Stirrin’ is a collection of songs he and Jim had written for special events at Peter’s own church outside of Nashville. The first thing that struck me about Peter was that he was not the “rock n’ roll” star I expected. He was also a participant at the event, attending as a man of the church, a father and a husband.

To this day, it amazes me that Peter can be just as comfortable in front of a crowd of 85,000 people at Wrigley Field, as he can for 400 people in a small town church. I am familiar with all of Peter’s work, and can testify that with his Lutheran background, Peter takes a nuanced approach to his message, incorporating themes of spiritual and shared human experiences, whether the music is specifically labeled as “Christian” or not, which is what I believe makes him so special.

Over the past five years, I have had the opportunity to work with Peter on two previous events at our former church. So, when my wife Bridget and I made the decision to re-join Bethel this past spring, Pastor White approached me about bringing Peter to Bethel as a way to highlight our contemporary worship program and raise funds for various community organizations. I gladly accepted the challenge, with the help and support of the talented staff at Bethel. I know Peter and his crew is equally excited to be coming to Madison to perform at Bethel.

Performing with Peter on this year’s tour is an equally talent group of musicians including; R. Scott Bryan (percussionist), Mark Holland (Native American Flute), Marc Torlina (bass), Chris Walters (keyboards) and featuring 17 year old violin prodigy, Maggie Estes.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit The Southdale Mentoring Project and Juventura. Tax deductible individual and corporate sponsorships are available.

By Andy Young


Ticketing Information:
Online – with credit card Click HERE
By phone with credit card 1-877-725-8849
After Sunday Services @ Bethel cash or check only


Photo courtesy of Little Flock Music

Staff Contact:  Stacy Gahlman