Soul singer Bettye LaVette performs as part of Kent’s Spotlight Series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10 at the Kentwood Performing Arts Center, 25800 164th Avenue S.E., in Covington.

Generous donations from family and friends of Patricia Curran are funding the concert, according to a city of Kent media release.

LaVette melds elements of country, soul, Blues, folk, pop, jazz, gospel and R&B seamlessly. She is a 2011 Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary Blues Album. The New York Times says, “Ms. Lavette now rivals Aretha Franklin as her generation’s most vital soul singer.”

Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors (ages 55 and older) and $20 for youth (ages 25 and younger). Tickets are available at www.kentarts.com, by calling 253-856-5051 or at the Kent Commons (525 4th Ave. N.). Hours for phone and in-person sales are Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Box office is closed on Sunday.

The Kent Arts Commission presents LaVette in honor of Patricia “Pat” Curran with a Spotlight Series performance. The Kent community suffered a great loss last year when Curran passed away after many years as the consummate community volunteer. Her interests were diverse, ranging from human services projects to creation of the city’s Saturday Market and Street Tree Ordinance.

Long-time friend Judy Woods had this to say about Curran, “She always showed up and stayed the course without fanfare or need of acknowledgement. She was a hero to those familiar with her multitude of good works.”

Curran was generous with her time, enthusiasm and money across many sectors, but her greatest passion was the arts. She worked to promote construction of Herbert Bayer’s Earthworks Park and adoption of the city’s public art ordinance. Curran was a published poet and served as a Washington State Arts Commissioner. She, along with her husband Pete Curran, attended and sponsored many Spotlight Series concerts over the years. They also regularly attended the annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, and on their last trip to the festival, they saw and loved the performance by LaVette.

For more information visit www.kentarts.com.

Contact Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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