The band ASCENT, made up of four sisters, Andrea, Angela, Maria, and Anna Dougoveto, will be coming to the Iron Mountain/Kingsford area to perform this summer.  These four sisters were born and raised in Iron Mountain along with two brothers, Walter and Joseph.  Their parents, John and Sharon, provided a home full of love, laughter, and music.  It just seemed natural that music would become a great part of their lives as they grew up.

From the time they were young, the Dougoveto sisters sang in their church choir, local festivals, high school musicals, and wherever they could.  They attended and graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.  The foursome then became teachers in the Ann Arbor area, but the call to sing for the Lord as a ministry clung to their hearts.

Inspired by the life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), an avid outdoorsman and holy young man who was called “The Man of the Eight Beatitudes” by Pope John Paul II, the group named themselves ASCENT.  After the release of their first album Reign In Me in 2003, they began writing their own music with the hopes of recording original songs.  Recently, ASCENT signed on with a new record label, Mediatrix Records (www.mediatrixrecords.com ) and immediately began recording a second album. 

This new album Toward the Heights was released on June 8th.  Co-produced by Mark Cabrera of Mediatrix Records and Nick Dalbis of Crossroads Studio, the album features 8 original songs and 1 cover, all contemporary Christian music.  Anna wrote the words and music for all but two of the songs on this new album.  Toward the Heights unveils a wide musical tapestry of poignant inspiration, joy, love, and faith.  The band is returning to the area to perform songs from this new release. 

If you are interested, you can see ASCENT perform live on July 6th at St. Boniface hall in Escanaba at 7:00pm.  They will also be performing at the Kingsford High School auditorium on July 14th at 7:00pm.  To find out more about ASCENT, go to www.ascentmusic.org.  Information about the concerts will be posted there.

Ascent’s second album, Toward the Heights, was released on June 8th, 2007. After much hard work by Ascent and Mediatrix Records, they kicked off the release with a concert in Plymouth, Michigan. The album features eight original songs, including the title track Toward the Heights, and a duet with Peter Mulka called My Divine Mercy. To hear clips of the songs or purchase the CD please visit www.mediatrixrecords.com