Jen Hajj in Concert

Comfort food in musical form, delivered with an angel’s voice…  It’s what you’d want to hear while sharing a warm blueberry muffin with a dear friend, or settling down in your favorite chair for a delicious nap.  It is the music you want while you pet a purring cat.  It is deeply thoughtful, yet confident, rousing.  It stirs you to be the person you want to be. That’s Jen.

Jen spent her childhood in Tempe, Arizona, taking piano lessons, chasing lizards, and singing in church and school choirs. She moved to Utah in the mid-1980s where her musical career began to take shape. She studied vocal performance and composition at the University of Utah, but dropped out after two years, realizing that she didn’t want to sing opera or write 12 tone music.  She wanted to connect with real people.

She knew she needed a portable instrument (the pipe organ is not a folk instrument!) so she picked up the guitar.  She honed her skill in bluegrass jams and later took lessons to fill in the gaps and learn the styles that she found most interesting.  She attended folk and bluegrass festivals and camps and met extraordinary folks who make a living doing music. Those amazing artists became her mentors and models for success.

After a reduction in force at her job, Jen seized the opportunity to make a change.  She sold her furniture, rented her house, and took the plunge. For Jen, being a part of the folk music scene was like coming home.  She hopes that when you hear her sing, you feel it, too.  Learn more at www.jenhajj.com

The venue is the Cambridge Drive Community Church, 550 Cambridge Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. Tickets are $15 with advance reservation and $18 at the door. Call 805 964-0436 for reservations.