Singer-actress- cabaret performer Shana Farr will receive the 2012 Julie Wilson Award, presented annually by the Mabel Mercer Foundation 'to a cabaret singer who is a rising star,' at the 23rd New York Cabaret Convention at the Rose Theater, Jazz At Lincoln Center, on Wednesday, October 17, at 6 PM, the Opening Night of the Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention, hosted by KT Sullivan, Artistic Director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Ms. Farr will also perform that night as part of an all-star lineup including Emily Bergl, Barbara Carroll, Tony DeSare, Lauren Fox, Gregory Generet, Edward Hibbert, Valerie Lemon, Amanda McBroom, Mark Nadler, Catherine Russell and Amra-Faye Wright.
This will be the start of a busy fall period for Ms. Farr. Over the summer, she recorded her debut album, titled Out of
The Shadows, with her award-winning team of collaborators –
Jon Weber (Music Director/Piano), Adam Fisher (cello) and
Dan Levinson (clarinet). Ms. Farr has woven together an artistic tapestry of song that includes 11 tracks, representing songs by some of her favorite composers and lyricists. The album was put together under the expertise of Lawrence Manchester (producer- recording engineer-mixer) at Carriage House Music. The still photos for the album were shot by Marty Umans and the cover design was created by Anthony Gentile. The album is scheduled for release later in the fall.
On Monday, November 5, at 7 PM, Shana will be performing as part of a great lineup of singers in Hidden Treasures: The Songs of Larry Kerchner at the York Theater in New York City. The evening, a benefit for The
Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative and The
Mabel Mercer Foundation, features songs composed by Grammy Award nominee Larry Kerchner. They will be performed by
Raissa Katona Bennett,
Ann Hampton Callaway, Dennis Chiccino,
Eric Comstock,
Sandi Durell,
Shana Farr,
Barbara Fasano,
La Tanya Hall,
Jeff Harnar, Erica Scanlon Harr, Caitlin Kerchner,
Hilary Kole, Peter Lemongello,
Randie Levine-Miller,
Laurel Masse,
Colleen McHugh,
Sidney Myer,
Jill O'Hara,
Karen Oberlin, Eric Rudy,
Kevin Spirtas and
Stacy Sullivan.
Ms. Farr, also a jewelry designer of note, launched her
design company in the spring of this year, and is proud to announce that one of the signature pieces in her new Pure Imagination Collection – the Bouquet Bracelet --was featured in a recent Bridal Guide Magazine. "This was the first magazine hit I've had for my new collection so it is very exciting," Shana said.
She also announced that Poppy, an upscale boutique in her hometown Columbia, Mo., will be giving a permanent home to her jewelry collection and that on Friday, October 26, she would be there to introduce the collection at a celebratory event that will also serve as an unofficial launch party for her debut CD. "It will be a great evening for me, my family and old friends," she says. "My new collection will be on display and I will perform some of the songs from my album. And to top it off, we will have great chocolates and champagne!"
Shana Farr is a singer/actress who has performed leading roles in operetta and musical theater on New York stages and beyond and has recently entered the world of cabaret with a bang!
Ms. Farr has performed at New York
City Center, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Feinstein's at the Regency, and, most recently, The Metropolitan Room in New York. She has also been recognized for her work with symphony orchestras such as the Missouri Symphony Orchestra and South Shore Symphony among others.
Classically trained at Boston University, Ms. Farr has a voice that has been compared to some of the greats –
Julie Andrews,
Barbara Cooke,
Marni Nixon, Kristen Chenoweth. She is a true performer with the voice, the look, and the presence that seduces the crowd.
The passion she has for music, lyrics, and characters is shared with the audience as she invites them into her world. Everything she sings from operetta and great American standards to contemporary musical theater and jazz is sung from within this beautiful woman. Her lush voice matches her elegance as she uses all of her different colors. Whether it is a delicate pianissimo floating through the audience with angst, a mature, strong belt that makes a statement, or a moment of fun and laughter, Ms. Farr is an intelligent, giving performer.
