NEWS

Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz gives impromptu concert at Children's Hospital

Rick Barrett
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz performed an acoustic set with percussionist Toca Rivera at the Riverside Theater.

Patients at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin received an unexpected surprise Friday afternoon when singer-songwriter Jason Mraz treated them to an impromptu performance with special guest Gregory Page.

The two were in town for a show Friday night at the Riverside Theater. Earlier in the day, they stopped at Children’s Hospital where they sang for patients in the lobby and for some, in their rooms.

“The level of compassion ... was amazing,” said hospital spokeswoman Elizabeth Moesch.

In addition to his musical career, the Grammy Award-winning Mraz sponsors the Jason Mraz Foundation that supports charities that benefit the arts, education, the environment and efforts to promote equality.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel music writer Piet Levy touted Mraz's talents in a Nov. 30 story, saying, "The folk-pop singer-songwriter may never see a hit again on the level of his once ubiquitous 'I'm Yours,' but in the decade since, Mraz has quietly become a finer songwriter, evident by the sweetly intoxicating albums "Yes!" and last year's "Know."    

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Based in Oceanside, California, Mraz's band has toured the world, and his records have earned platinum and multiplatinum certification in more than 20 countries. 

Page was born in North London, according to his website. His mother toured with the Beatles in 1965 with her all-girl group the Beat Chics, it says.