From Ozarks to Oz: The Petersens...

Experience Bluegrass Music with The Petersens on Their New Zealand Tour The New Zealand music scene is about to welcome a unique experience as The Petersens, one of America’s favorite bluegrass bands, embarks on their highly anticipated tour in 2025. Known for their rich harmonies, heartfelt songs, and deep-rooted connection to the traditions of bluegrass, The Petersens bring a fresh yet nostalgic sound that captivates audiences worldwide. This tour is a chance for New Zealanders to enjoy an authentic taste of American roots music live. New Zealand Tour Schedule Wellington, NZ February 21st Tauranga, NZ February 22nd Thames, NZ February 23rd Hamilton, NZ February 27th Auckland, NZ February 28th Whangarei, NZ March 1st Kerikeri, NZ March 2nd Who are The Petersens The Petersens are a family band known for their soulful bluegrass music. They gained global attention through their popular YouTube channel, where their videos have reached millions of viewers. Hailing from the Ozarks in Missouri, the band is made up of siblings Katie, Ellen, Matt, and Julianne, along with their mother Karen and dear friend Emmett Franz. Their music blends tradition with a modern twist, creating a sound that resonates with fans of all ages. Now, they are bringing their signature style to New Zealand for an unforgettable musical experience. Why Bluegrass Fans in New Zealand Will Love The Petersens If you are a fan of bluegrass music in New Zealand, The Petersens’ tour is a must-see event. Bluegrass, with its fast tempos, tight harmonies, and acoustic instrumentation, has a way of connecting deeply with its listeners. The Petersens take this traditional genre and infuse it with their own unique charm and warmth, creating a sound that is both authentic and fresh. Whether you’re a long-time bluegrass enthusiast or new to the genre, The Petersens’ performances promise a captivating experience that will leave you wanting more. What to Expect from The Petersens’ New Zealand Tour During their New Zealand tour, The Petersens will be performing a mix of traditional bluegrass songs, gospel tunes, popular cover songs, and original compositions. Each performance showcases the impressive musicianship and arrangements that complement their beautiful harmonies. Their setlist is sure to include fan favorites and heartfelt new material, making each show a memorable experience. In addition to their musical talent, The Petersens are known for their engaging stage presence and genuine connection with the audience. Their shows are filled with stories from their lives and travels and a time during the show where the band takes questions from the audience, adding a personal touch that makes each concert feel like an intimate gathering with friends. Why The Petersens Love New Zealand For The Petersens, touring New Zealand is more than just sharing their music—it’s about connecting with the local culture and experiencing the beauty of the country. They are thrilled to explore New Zealand’s stunning natural landscapes and meet the warm and welcoming people that make the country so special. New Zealand has always been a bucket list location for them to travel to, so the chance to play music and interact with their fans is a dream come true. How to Get Tickets for The Petersens’ New Zealand Tour Don’t miss out on your chance to see The Petersens live in New Zealand! Tickets for their bluegrass tour are expected to sell quickly, so make sure to secure your spot early. Follow The Petersens on social media for the latest updates on ticket releases, special events, and more. Conclusion: A Bluegrass Experience You Don’t Want to Miss If you’re looking for an unforgettable musical experience in New Zealand, The Petersens’ bluegrass tour is the perfect event to add to your calendar. With their soulful harmonies, heartfelt songs, and warm stage presence, The Petersens are sure to create a lasting memory for fans across the country. Join them as they bring the spirit of American roots music to New Zealand—it’s a show that promises to be as breathtaking as the landscapes they’ll be performing in. Get ready to tap your feet, sing along, and immerse yourself in the joy of bluegrass music with The Petersens. Secure your tickets now and be part of this unique cultural exchange between New Zealand and one of America’s beloved bluegrass bands!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… The Petersens travel across the United States sharing their Christmas music in Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, California, and Texas.   Tour Schedule November 23rd Ludington, MI at Peterson Auditorium December 4th St. Louis, MO at the Sheldon Theater December 7th Dayton, OH at Dayton Live December 8th Charlotte, NC at the Knight Theater December 12th Santa Barbara, CA at the Lobero Theater December 14th Arlington, TX at Arlington Music Hall 2023 Christmas Vlog Curious what touring with The Petersens is like? Julianne made these vlogs from their tour in 2023.

Europe, here we come! The Petersens return to Europe this August to perform their American roots music in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, France, and Ireland.   Tour Schedule August 13th London, UK at Union Chapel August 15th Gistel, Belgium for the Well Family Days August 17th Cologne, Germany at Stadthalle Köln August 19th Paris, France at Le Cabaret Sauvage August 22nd Cork, Ireland at St. Luke’s 2023 Europe Vlogs Curious what touring with The Petersens in Europe is like? Julianne made these vlogs from their tour in 2023.

Are you still looking for that perfect Christmas gift for a fan of The Petersens? We have some fun options for you!  This year you can give them tickets to see us at a live show, a personal video from The Petersens, membership to our Patreon community, or some new merchandise items.   Personalized video Think Cameo but a better Petersen version. We have requests from people all the time asking us to sing Happy Birthday or an encouraging hymn to their loved ones going through a hard season. We decided to come up with a special fun Christmas video you can give your loved one! We can’t tell you all the details because we want it to be a surprise for those that will receive this. We will ask you to fill out a quick questionnaire and then we will send you a personalized video you can play for them at Christmas. Read more about A video greeting from The Petersens.  Tickets to a live show Our Home Theater in Branson, MO Portland on March 16th (tickets coming soon) Manistee, MI on April 14th Cincinnati, OH on April 16th Houston, TX on April 12th  Membership to our Patreon community With tier options for every budget, the gift of a Patreon membership will be a gift they enjoy for a month or even a whole year! For just $3 a month, they will have access to exclusive content and a community that is uplifting and full of great music.  Read all about gifting options for our Patreon membership. Some new merchandise A vinyl record Christmas with The Petersens Vinyl My Ozark Mountain Home Vinyl Shirts Hats

Have someone you think would enjoy hanging out with The Petersens on Patreon? You can give a monthly or annual membership as a gift! Patreon hasn’t developed an easy way to do this yet from the platform, but we have you covered in just a few easy steps. Option A: Step 1: Give them money (Venmo, cash, classic check, etc.) along with our gift certificate (links below). There’s a tier for every monthly budget: The Fan: $3 | The Manager: $10 | The Producer: $25 | The Artist: $50 | The Band: $100 (*you get a month free with annual subscriptions!) Step 2: Reward yourself with a cup of coffee or tea knowing that you are about to make someone very happy. Option B: Step 1: Head to our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/thepetersens. *If you are already a Patron, make sure you sign out of your account first. Step 2: Decide which tier to purchase. Step 3: Create a NEW Patreon account for the recipient to use as a patron. Enter the name, email, and password for the person you’d like to gift the Patreon Membership to in order to create an account for them. Make sure to write down the login information so you can pass this along. Patreon will send a confirmation to the email address you enter. If you’re trying to surprise somebody, or are unsure what email to use, you can always create a new email address to be used specifically with this Patreon account to share as well.  Enter Country, State & Zip Code and payment information.  It will ask you for a Shipping Address. Depending on what tier you choose, the recipient may receive benefits in the mail. Every patron receives our annual Christmas so make sure you put something in. We also use the mailing addresses to help us determine where to tour in the United States so you could be helping us travel to do a show near your friend!  Step 4: Give the gift certificate to the recipient (links below). Step 5: Log in to Patreon and change the email address to the recipient’s email. Just delete your credit card from the account when you’d like them to begin paying their way. Thanks for introducing us to new friends! Download our gift certificates here: Printable Gift Certificate | Canva (Customizable with a free Canva account. Replace all the x’s with the correct names.)

The Petersens take the audio experience of their listeners to new levels with the release of “My Ozark Mountain Home,” an album featuring Dolby Atmos, a surround sound music technology, and a choir of nearly 400 fans. “We have always striven for excellence with our music, so heading to Nashville to utilize top-quality equipment and minds of the industry seemed like the next right step for our group,” says Ellen Haygood, banjo player and marketing director for the band. The Petersens’ album is the first ever full-bluegrass album to be mixed in Dolby Atmos.   Atmos technology goes beyond stereo to enable immersive mixes capable of being enjoyed on a diverse range of sound systems — from multi-speaker theaters to headphones. During the recording at the East Nashville studio Forty-One Fifteen, multiple ambient microphones were strategically placed in the studio to enable the listener to experience the music as if they were in the middle of the band.”   Troy Dixon, who produced “My Ozark Mountain Home” and is responsible for its innovative Dolby Atmos audio approach commented, “My goal with the Atmos mixes was to put the listener in the room with The Petersens. On most songs you have mandolin and fiddle to your left; guitar, bass and dobro in front of you; banjo to your right and the rich ambient sound of the 100-year-old wood live room above and behind you. The result is a highly dynamic, natural sound that I think compliments the songs and style of the group.” The album is titled after an original song by Katie Petersen, music director and fiddle player. The rest of the album is a mixture of traditional songs such as “Wayfaring Stranger” and “Down to the River to Pray,” plus more recent songs such as “Here Comes the Sun” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The final track on the album, “Amazing Grace,” includes hundreds of vocal tracks submitted by The Petersens’ online fan base creating a massive global choir. “On “Amazing Grace,” I was able to place nearly 400 voices all around the listener to create an unbelievable immersive experience. I’m so happy that so many fans participated and the group allowed me to present their music in this way!” said Dixon. “The last chorus truly is like a glimpse into heaven when you hear voices from all over the world singing together and praising the Lord,” said Haygood. My Ozark Mountain Home will be released on November 18, 2022, and is available at www.petersenband.com and on streaming platforms everywhere.  Currently, you can listen to Atmos mixes on major streaming platforms such as Apple Music (Spatial Audio), Amazon Music (UltraHD), and Tidal (Dolby Atmos). More info on Dolby Atmos music can be found here: https://www.dolby.com/experience/music/.

Please click the play button below to prepare your hearts and minds for the following message. Join the movement! One of the first songs Julianne learned as a part of The Petersens was the bluegrass song, Bear Tracks. The Petersens released Julianne’s cover of the song on their album, Finally Going Home, and it has been a fan favorite ever since. For many years, our Patreon community and the people of YouTube have been requesting Julianne revisit the song of her youth, but to everyone’s dismay, she has stayed strong in her refusal. Now that Julianne is taking a small break from the band to finish her college studies, we have decided it is time to rally the people and create a movement to Bring Back Bear Tracks! How You Can Help Spread awareness Download your Bring Back Bear Tracks posters here or order one online. Post on your social media and tag us! Put up Bear Tracks stickers which link to this page with a QR code.  Play Bear Tracks on your favorite media outlet. Spotify YouTube Music Amazon Music Apple Music Represent your favorite bear tracks apparel You can purchase merch here The Bear Tracks Bear Bear Tracks Snuggle Blanket Bear Tracks Matte Poster Bear Tracks Tee Shirt Option 1 Bear Tracks Tee Shirt Option 2 Make sure you post a picture online with the hashtag #BringBackBearTracks so we can admire your swag Disclaimer Please note that this campaign is all in good fun. We have loved the inside jokes from our wonderful community through the years and this seemed like the perfect one to stand behind. Julianne, if you are reading this, we love you and hope all your classes are going well! <3 Also, I AM SORRY BUT THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!  

***UPDATE**** Listen to the final project here! ************** We are so excited about the album we just recorded in Nashville. Amazing Grace is one of the songs we chose and we really wanted a choir singing behind us on the last verse. This is where you come in! Will you be a part of our choir? Deadline to submit your part is June 18th, 2022 at 11:59 PM CST.   Here are your instructions: Access Folder with vocal parts. Figure out which vocal part you want to sing. If you have sung harmony before, we would appreciate you considering choosing one of those parts Find a good audio space. If you’ve got a clothes closet, go in there. It’s probably the least echo-y space in your house. Record in there.  Another option is your car. No echoes in there, either. Just make sure the air conditioner isn’t on and the engine isn’t running. You will need two devices and a pair of headphones. One to record your singing and another to listen along to the track with your headphones. We recommend using two cell phones or a cell phone and a computer. You can also use a microphone if you have it, but a phone voice memo will work perfectly. Record your part Find and open the Voice Memos app or ask Siri to open it. To record, tap the red button. To pause, tap the same button.  When you finish, tap Done. Name your voice memo by tapping on the title. Share it with us by tapping the symbol with the arrow pointing out of the square. Choose email and send to info@petersenband.com with the subject line AMAZING GRACE CHOIR.  iPhone Users More iPhone help can be found here.  For Android help, follow these instructions. MP3, m4a and Wav files are accepted. If you submit a file that we cannot use, we will reach out and ask you to resubmit with an alternate version. Submit before June 18th, 2022 at 11:59 PM CST. If you are still having problems, grab a child or grandchild and have them assist you. Julianne is the only reason we are still functioning technologically around here so never be afraid to ask for help! 😉 Thank you for wanting to be a part of our album! We can’t wait to hear all your beautiful voices.  ~The Petersens  

Local award-winning American roots music band, The Petersens, has created a page on the online platform Patreon as a new way to stay connected with their fans during the coronavirus pandemic. Patreon allows fans to access exclusive content and interactions with artists by choosing one of five membership tiers that start at only $3 per month. Each higher membership tier gives patrons all the benefits of the previous tiers plus new perks. “We have wanted to start a Patreon page for several months but never had time to create it between performing our shows in Branson and on the road and producing our YouTube videos,” said Ellen Petersen, director of marketing and band singer and banjo player. “Now that we cannot perform live for groups of people, it was the perfect opportunity for us to focus our efforts on connecting more with fans online.” In addition to providing patrons exclusive content, Patreon allows The Petersens to set financial support goals that, when reached, unlock more exclusive content and experiences for their patrons. When The Petersens reached their first two goals, they released a new video and learned a song of their patrons’ choice. They recently reached their third goal and will deliver on their promise to video Ellen yodeling for 1,000 seconds while siblings Katie, Matt, and Julianne do backup dance moves. “The goals are a really fun way for us to provide extra joy for our fans,” said Petersen. “We have patrons from all around the world who we have been able to interact with on Patreon. It’s incredibly humbling that they believe in us enough to financially support us and encourage us during this time.” The Petersens’ Patreon page can be found at patreon.com/thepetersens. You can also find them on their Facebook page, YouTube channel, on Instagram under @petersenbluegrassband and on Twitter under @PetersenBand.

Local award-winning American roots music band, The Petersens, the #1 show in Branson since 2018 according to TripAdvisor, has reached millions of viewers via their YouTube channel. “People have traveled from all over the country to see our Branson show after watching us on YouTube and getting to know us through our online presence,” said Ellen Petersen, director of marketing and band singer and banjo player. The Petersens have posted over 20 music videos to their YouTube channel, which has over 100,000 subscribers. Their cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” has over five million views. Their rendition of Patty Cline’s “She’s Got You” and their cover of Alice Merton’s “No Roots” each boast one million views.  “It has been really cool to reach new people from all over the world through YouTube,” Petersen said. “In addition to our American fans, we have a strong following in Germany, Canada, the UK, France, Brazil and Australia.” The Petersens’ YouTube channel also features their vlog (video blog), which gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the Petersens’ lives. Their videos, set in unique locations that often highlight the natural beauty of Branson, are shot live to keep them authentic. “People really enjoy the pure and organic feel of our videos” said Petersen. “They get to see our unique personalities and the wonderful relationships we have with each other.” The Petersens continue their tenth season of performing at the Little Opry Theatre in the Branson IMAX Entertainment Complex. Their shows are Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. They will also perform at Silver Dollar City select dates this Spring.

Love is in the Air On January 11th, Ellen Petersen became Ellen Haygood when she married Michael Haygood from The Haygoods, another performing family in Branson. Read all about their fun engagement here. The wedding celebrations took place in Branson, Missouri with the ceremony held at their church, First Baptist Church Branson and the private reception at the Branson Airport. The Wedding Party The Maid of Honor was the bride’s sister, Katie Petersen, and the Maiden of Honor was Julianne Petersen, the bride’s little sister. The bridesmaids were Catherine Harvey, Nicole Sager, Arielle Metzger, Ashley Bressler, and Veronica Coleman.  The Best Man was Michael’s older brother, Patrick Haygood, and the groomsmen were Jason Harvey, Matt Petersen, Michael Maples, Anders Fredlund, Jay McManus, and Chris McLemore.  The flower girl was Everlee Haygood and the ring bearer was Xavier Haygood.  The Wedding Day The bridal party got ready and took pictures at Rock Canyon, a beautiful resort right in the heart of Branson.  The wedding ceremony took place at the bride and groom’s church, First Baptist Church Branson, with pastor Jeremy Thomas officiating. The ceremony musicians were The Johnson Strings with Emmet Franz playing a special number during communion. Reception A private reception was held later that evening from Michael and Ellen’s family and close friends at the Branson Airport. The couple fell in love flying together so it was really sweet to be able to highlight their personalities through all the celebrations. Michael video mapped the wedding cake by Sugar Leaf so it changed colors and images throughout the night. For their first dance, they danced to Extraordinary Magic by Ben Rector. Michael surprised Ellen with fog so it looked like they were dancing on clouds and then had a snow machine for the grand finale. Nothing short of magical. Ellen’s siblings played “Today” by John Denver for the Father-Daughter dance. It was sentimental to them because their dad sang them to sleep every night with that song growing up. Michael also arrange for a firework display at the reception! Ellen and Michael left for their honeymoon following the wedding and returned in time for Ellen to kick off the Petersens’ 10th season in Branson on February 1st. The Haygoods kicked off their season at the Clay Cooper Theater on February 8th. Michael and Ellen will both continue to play music with their own families and look forward to many more wonderful years together entertaining in Branson, Missouri. Thank you for all your support as the couple begins their new life together.

Engagement Announcement On October 13th, 2019 Michael Haygood of The Haygoods proposed to Ellen Petersen of The Petersens at Gaston’s White River Resort. Michael and Ellen began dating in 2016 after meeting at The Haygoods show and finding common ground over their love of aviation, music, and faith. The Proposal The proposal was a complete surprise to Ellen as she thought they were flying down to meet her dad and uncle for dinner. Gaston’s is a favorite spot and has sentimental value to the Petersen family because that is where parents, Jon and Karen, went on their first date many years ago. When Katie, Ellen, Matthew, and Julianne were young their dad would also fly them down to eat ice cream and watch planes take off and land on the grass runway. Michael’s brother, Patrick, helped with the proposal surprise by pretending to steal their plane to lure Ellen out to the perfect spot in the middle of the runway. That’s where Michael got down on one knee and asked Ellen to marry him! Their friend, Beckie Fairchild of TGC Photography, was there snapping pictures and took some more while waiting for their surprise ride back to Branson. Sunset Helicopter Flight Michael doesn’t do anything halfway. He knew he didn’t want to pilot his plane back to Branson after all the emotions and excitement of getting engaged, so he hired Chopper Charter to be their chauffeur. There is nothing like a sunset flight over the Ozarks in the fall. Just as the sun was setting the helicopter flew around the side of the Chateau on the Lake where all of their family and close friends were leaning off the deck and waving. It is such a blessing when two people decide to start a new life together and their people are excited and supportive. Ellen and Michael both intend to keep doing exactly what they have been doing and use the gifts God has given them to entertain Branson audiences with their families. Wedding details have not been set, but are definitely in the works! To keep up with more behind the scenes information, follow The Haygoods and The Petersens on Facebook or Michael and Ellen on Instagram. Thanks again to TGC Photography for capturing such special memories.