The world’s greatest love songs from the country to city will reverberate through Pearce Auditorium as Gainesville’s Katie Deal, her husband, Chris Wright, and their friends sing the familiar tunes on Valentine’s Day.

“Although, we are a husband-and-wife team, it is rare that we get to perform alongside each other,” Deal said. “We are especially thrilled to bring this exclusive concert to Gainesville audiences.”

“Celebrating Love Songs from the Backwoods to Broadway” concert will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, in the auditorium on Brenau University’s campus at 500 Washington St. in Gainesville.

“We hope this concert resonates with folks and helps reflect on what love truly means, in its imperfection and in its glory,” Deal said.

Sponsored by The Arts Council, tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors 65 and older and $20 for students. Concertgoers can pay an additional $25 for the Valentine’s Brunch special. The brunch will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, at 331 Spring St. SW, in Gainesville. Tickets are limited.

Once the patrons finish brunch, they can head to Pearce Auditorium and listen to Deal, Wright and their friends, Steve Sensenig, Marc Miller and Dave Holland.

“This Valentine’s Day special celebrates some of our favorite love songs from the backwoods to Broadway, meaning that our show is an eclectic mix of the music we love: traditional country, folk, classic pop, American standards and Broadway hits,” Wright said.

Performing a wide range of music is not new to Deal. She has been heard in theaters across the country in such roles as Aldonza in “Man of La Mancha,” as a starlet in Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladies,” or as a soul-singer in “Smokey Joe’s Café.”

Deal grew up in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains, gaining an early appreciation for all things country and musical. Even though she was born 15 years after Patsy Cline’s death, she has come to know the late country music star in other ways. In fact, she has been starring in her own one-woman show about Cline, “Today, Tomorrow and Forever: A Tribute To Patsy Cline” in recent years.  

Deal is one of four children of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and his wife, Sandra. She graduated from North Hall High School in Gainesville in 1997 and attended the University of Georgia and North Georgia College & State University (now the University of North Georgia). Ultimately, she earned her bachelor’s degree in theater from Piedmont College in 2002.

After graduation, she moved to Memphis, Tenn., and became the understudy to the lead role in another tribute production called “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline.” That local production led to Deal making two national tours as the star in 2006 and 2011 in the same production.

“It’s not just a concert,” Deal has said. “You get a whole story. You might like Patsy Cline music, but you’re also going to get a good show. ... I love her. I always have, I always will. I’m doing my best to look and sound like her but I’m not trying to be her. No one can ever be her. But I try to bring the concert to life so you feel like you’re actually (at a Cline concert).”

Wright, a Columbus native, first met Deal while performing in the production of “Crazy Love.” As a member of Actor’s Equity, his high tenor voice has been heard across the country in roles such as Sancho (“Man of LaMancha”), Nicely Nicely (“Guys and Dolls”), and in his signature role Peter Pan (“Peter Pan”). He also tours and performs regularly with Deal.

The couple lives on a small farm in Habersham County.

For more information, visit theartscouncil.net or call 770-534-2787.