State Theatre presents Tommy Emmanuel, CGP with special guests Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams



Photo by Simone Cecchetti

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) — State Theatre New Jersey presents Tommy Emmanuel, CGP on Friday, September 8 at 8:00pm. Opening the show are special guests Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Tickets range from $29-$224.

The real-time exuberance acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. He is a true virtuoso.

In 2018, Emmanuel made the great album, Accomplice One, a series of duets with musicians great and varied including Rodney Crowell, Mark Knopfler, Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas, Jake Shimabukuro, and more. Now comes the long-awaited sequel, Accomplice Two. It shares the same exuberance, diversity, and sense of adventure as the first album, with a great range of artists. The first single “White Freight Liner Blues” is out now and features the Grammy® Award-winner and claw hammer guitarist, Molly Tuttle. Emmanuel also has a new television special called Accomplice LIVE! which began airing on PBS® in March of 2023.

Emmanuel was born in 1955 in Muswellbrook, New South Wales Australia, and started playing the guitar at age four. In his 20s, he was the most sought-after performer and session musician in Sydney. By age 30, he was burning on electric guitar with several rock bands in stadiums across Europe. He could have gone on to live the rock star life. Yet, he yearned for something purer and closer to his heart. Casting off the reliable rock band engine of monstrous sonics blasting, Emmanuel went acoustic.

The inspiration for Emmanuel’s transformation was his hero, Chet Atkins, who represented the purity of one man, one guitar, and unlimited passionate for serving the song. Eventually Emmanuel met his hero and started a lifelong friendship which shaped Emmanuel’s music forever. Atkins welcomed Emmanuel into guitarist knighthood by bestowing upon him the coveted title of CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an honor awarded only to four other humans ever, and they recorded an album together, The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World. Receiving the love and esteem of Atkins lifted Emmanuel into a different realm. Because, as Atkins recognized instantly and told the world, musicians like this don’t come along that often; pay attention to this man. And people have paid attention from sold out shows all over the world to multiple Grammy® nominations, ARIA® Awards, IBMA® Awards, and countless “Best Acoustic Guitarist” wins in numerous music magazine readers polls.

The concert opens with special guests Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter Larry Campbell and singer-guitarist Teresa Williams released their acclaimed eponymous debut in 2015. The release came after seven years of playing in Levon Helm’s band – and frequent guesting with Phil Lesh, Little Feat, Jorman Kaukonen, and Jack Casady. A whirlwind of touring and promo followed, and when the dust cleared, the duo was ready to do it all again with Contraband Love, a riskier slice of Americana.

For tickets, more information, or group discounts, call State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469) or visit online at STNJ.org. State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply. 

After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.

Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances. 

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.