Cawcutt concert tradition returns

Tom Cawcutt is calling it "the return of a tradition."

After a hiatus brought upon by his own health maladies followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the pianist/vocalist will resume his popular Christmas benefit concert series at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 612 12th St. in Cloquet.

Tickets will be sold at the door - $20 for adults, $15 for students, and under 12 are free. Proceeds go to needy families.

It'll be Cawcutt's first solo Christmas concert since 2014. He has been performing in recent years with in the Tom Cawcutt Trio, with Jane Aleckson and Todd James.

"For quite a few years it was the kickoff of Christmas," Cawcutt said of the benefit show. "I've had lots of positive feedback so far, with people commenting to me on the street."

Cawcutt will perform the music of the season, which he described as "inspiring, hopeful, melodic and pretty."

Cawcutt, 69, is well-known by local paper mill workers. He retired from the Cloquet mill, where his co-workers grew familiar with his enchanting voice.

Cawcutt, of Wrenshall, picked up the piano at a young age, saying, "God gifted me with an ear for music."

By age 5, his great aunt Dorothy had him playing Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody." Cawcutt lost a finger to a table saw incident in 1984 and had to relearn how to play to accommodate the

disability.

He began his Christmas concerts in the 1980s and played to pews packed with people for 15 or 16 years. Then, after a hiatus, he resumed for another run from 2002 to 2014. In 2015, he suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, bringing about the latest break.

"I can't imagine life without music," Cawcutt said. "Music is the only thing that works on your emotions in all ways."

Cawcutt uses proceeds of his concerts to supply gift cards to needy children and families over the holidays. He distributes the cards to a variety of local churches, allowing pastors and church secretaries to dispense them as they see fit, he said.

"It's a desire of my heart," Cawcutt said. "My parents were middle class and they always provided a wonderful Christmas for my sister and I growing up. I can't imagine being a young person on Christmas morning and not having at least something to open up."

Doors for the concert open at 6 p.m. and music starts at 7. Cawcutt expects he'll play 70 to 80 minutes of seasonal favorites.

"I enjoy playing," Cawcutt said. "This gives me the chance to perform."