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Local talent gets picked to perform at Kissel's hometown concert

When Brett Kissel called to invite local country musicians Cassidy Zahar and Olivia Rose to perform at his June 18 Hometown Homecoming concert, Zahar hung up on him.
Cassidy Zahar(pictured) and Olivia Rose received the call to be openers for Brett Kissel’s Hometown Homecoming concert.
Cassidy Zahar(pictured) and Olivia Rose received the call to be openers for Brett Kissel’s Hometown Homecoming concert.

When Brett Kissel called to invite local country musicians Cassidy Zahar and Olivia Rose to perform at his June 18 Hometown Homecoming concert, Zahar hung up on him.

The eighteen-year-old Zahar has been performing for years, but playing for the country music star in his hometown in front of a sold out crowd of 2,700 plus people offers great exposure for the young singer/guitarist from Bellis.

“I’m super grateful for the opportunity, because he could have asked anyone in the music industry but he chose me to be one of his opening acts, and I think that’s really humbling, and the gratitude for that is immense,” she said.

Zahar had initially heard from Keynon Ternovoy, the co-producer for the event, but was unaware of his connection to Kissel. Ternovoy had simply said he would like to set up a time to talk to her about performing at a customer appreciation event.

So last Thursday, when she sat down to talk to Ternovoy via Skype, as they had scheduled, she was totally unaware it was actually Kissel calling, as Kissel personally made the invitations to Zahar and Rose to perform. When the line started ringing though, she got confused, thinking she had initiated the call too early, and disconnected.

“So I hung up on Brett the first time,” she said with an embarrassed chuckle. When Kissel called back, she was in total disbelief over who was on the other end.

“I was like, ‘Brett, is that you?’” she said, adding she didn’t realize why he was calling. “I think I was too shocked to put two and two together.”

Kissel said that for his part, it was “a lot of fun” to make the invitations face to face, since he knows what it’s like to be “a young performer just starting out, how it felt to go to a show and be in the crowd, yearning to be on the stage.”

“That’s why I wanted to give both of these ladies the chance to perform at our show. I think it’s important to nurture the talents of the next generation – and Cassidy Zahar and Olivia Rose are certainly doing a great job representing the Lakeland area that I’m proud to come from,” said Kissel, who has gone from performing at the Boscombe Community Centre and the local Co-op to Nashville, getting nods and wins at award ceremonies from the Junos to the ACMAs and the CCMAs.

Once the shock wore off from his invitation to be part of the concert, the excitement and gratitude ensued, with Zahar thanking Kissel for taking a chance on her.

“I think it’s important to give back to the local community and this is a great way to give back,” she said, adding she appreciates the support he’s showing for local artists, since after all - “Everybody starts out local.”

Zahar also gave a thanks to her fans for all their support, as fan response was part of how Kissel chose her and Rose to be part of the concert, out of the dozens of musicians that sought to be part of the show.

Her fans have always supported her, said Zahar, and told her they hope she goes far.

“I couldn’t be where I am without people like that, and I think that’s really amazing.”

Olivia Rose, a 16-year-old country music singer from Elk Point, also expressed her delight with Kissel’s invitation on Twitter, tweeting out, “Wasn’t it so cool? I was so shocked and I’m still so excited for this,” and thanking Kissel for the opportunity, as well as her fans for all their support.

“You really know how to make a girl feel special.”

Rose and Zahar join a stellar lineup at the MCSNet Brett Kissel Hometown Homecoming, which will also feature performances by local favourites Route 66, fiddle sensation and St. Paul resident Calvin Vollrath, Charlie Major and of course, Kissel himself.

In response to the incredible demand for Brett Kissel's homecoming concert, a small, limited number of tickets went on sale online as of 10 a.m. on Monday morning. "We've been well within the occupancy as allowed by the Town of St. Paul," said Keynon Ternovoy, a co-producer of the show, noting that maximum occupancy was set at 3,050 and as of last week, 2,750 tickets had been sold. He declined to say exactly how many more tickets were released yesteday but said that organizers would be leaving "a buffer zone in occupancy" to make sure they did not exceed the total number of people allowed at the event. "It's our intention to make sure that everybody - whether they're four-years- old or 74-years-old - has an incredible time, so that's our main focus," he said, adding safety and fun will both be considerations for the June 18 concert.
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