Patricia Lynch, executive director of The O’Shaughnessy of the College of St. Catherine’s St. Paul campus, today announced that Prudence Johnson will present the national premiere of a collection of songs based on the works of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay “The World is Too Beautiful this Year,” Saturday, May 8 at 8 p.m. For tickets call Ticketmaster at 612-673-0404 or The O’Shaughnessy’s Box Office at 651-690-6700.

Internationally acclaimed vocalist, Prudence Johnson, and top Twin Cities’ composers Laura Caviani, Michelle Kinney, Joan Griffith and Gary Rue will present the national premiere of an inspired collection of songs based on the works of American icon and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Johnson sings these exciting new works accompanied by Caviani on piano, Kinney on cello and Griffith and Rue on guitars. Also featuring Kathy Jensen on reeds, soprano Diana Grasselli, bassist Michael O’Brien, and Joe Pulice on percussion.

“Gary Rue used one of Millay’s poems for a song he composed for a play,” said Johnson. “I was intrigued by it and picked up Millay’s biography and found myself reading her poetry and hearing music in my head. The project grew from that moment.” Johnson said drawing from the unique talents of four different composers has created a diverse collection of songs.

Johnson was also fascinated by Millay as a person. The first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Millay embodied the spirit of the Jazz Age and inspired a generation of women with her dedication to personal freedom. In addition to poetry, she was a Vanity Fair correspondent in Paris and also authored essays, plays and the libretto for Deem Taylor’s opera, The King’s Henchman, produced by the Metropolitan Opera in 1927.

The College of St. Catherine is the largest and most comprehensive Catholic college for women in the country. Through a diversity of programs, the college offers the intimacy of a four-year liberal arts college and the opportunity to complete baccalaureate, associate and master’s degrees in a variety of health-care specialties, liberal arts and professional programs. Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages, St. Catherine’s offers many of its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in both traditional and weekend formats. With beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the college has a total enrollment of 4,807.