Cat Catalani didn't even write her first song until she was 40.

And the thought of being on a stage - forget it. She tried performing in college, and it was "almost mortal terror," she said.

Now she's 44, and making her living as a performer.

Not too shabby.

"Something magical happens at about 40," Catalani said. "I used to be timid and self-conscious. But then I thought, 'If not now, when?' I pulled out all the stops and went with it."

In fact, Catalani now craves being on stage like a dieter craves gooey frosted brownies.

"It's exciting to me," she said. "I love being on stage now. I went from having almost mortal terror to now, when I get off stage, all I can think of is 'How long until I can go back?' I feel like I've found my true calling. I'm working all the time, but it feels like play."

Catalani, who lives in Skokie, will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Wood Dale Public Library, 520 N. Wood Dale Road, in a free concert.

She'll be presenting her program, "From Gershwin to Now: Popular Music from the '30s to the present." The evening will include '30s and '40s standards from Duke Ellington and Hoagy Carmichael, along with well-known '60s songs like "King of the Road" and even some of Catalani's original creations, like "Bingo City," that recounts an old woman's trip to her favorite gaming joint.

Before she started her career as a singer, Catalani first followed her dream of getting her masters degree in poetry writing. She then taught for five years at Stanford University.

"That was really fun - I loved teaching," she said. "The students were bright, and it was a beautiful place to be."

But the whole singing thing is treating her pretty well, too.

"There are so many fun, new things to learn," Catalani said. "I get so much from singing. I've learned to connect with the audience and let them feed me, so I don't get exhausted. I'm up there to share my heart, which means sharing who I am."

Catalani's musical influences include Joni Mitchell, whom she calls her idol, the Beatles, Paul Simon - and her father, who also was a professional musician.

She grew up in Franklin Park, a town surrounded by railroad tracks, she said. Inevitably, her dad would take her to school and they'd get stopped by a freight train.

"Others would get impatient, but he'd use that time," Catalani said. "He'd sing a song that he loved from (the '30s and '40s)."

That's where her love for the music of the Gershwins, Hoagy Carmichael and Duke Ellington evolved.

"I have the gift of the heritage of this older music," she said. "People like to hear some familiar songs, but some new songs, too. It's a fun mixture for me, and for the audience."

Catalani's concert at the library should be fun, too, because libraries are her favorite venue.

"I love library audiences, because they tend to be people who like libraries, so they're already friends of mine," she said. "I sing for people who like to listen, and if they feel like singing along, great."

For details or to register for Catalani's program, call the library at (630) 766-6762.