Ann Hampton Callaway News

On Sunday, December 9th, at 8 PM, Feinstein's at Loews Regency unwraps MY GIFT OF THANKS: New Songs for the Holidays to benefit The Actors Fund.

Voting is now underway for the Inaugural Cabaret Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the standings here!

In this week's edition of 'Regional Highlights of the Week', we bring you the most-read stories for the week of November 12. Enjoy and check back next week for another recap!

Ann Hampton Callaway joins the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra for the NJSO's first pops program of the season-"Holidays with the NJSO"-December 15 in Newark and December 16 in New Brunswick. Cincinnati Pops conductor John Morris Russell, who last led the NJSO in a classical program in March 2012, conducts the holiday program, which also features the Masterwork Chorus.

Barbara Cook and the Los Angeles Philharmonic launch the 2012/13 Songbook Series at Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight, November 14 at 8:00 PM to celebrate the legendary Broadway lyric soprano's 85th birthday. For their first performance together at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cook and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will explore the American songbook and timeless classics. The evening's performance also marks the first time the LA Phil performs a concert in the Songbook Series.

In honor of Veterans' Day, the State Theatre in Easton presents a free concert with the United States Air Force Liberty Jazz Band tonight, November 13 at 7:30 PM.

Blues/jazz singer William Blake will kick off the new "Landmark Wednesdays" series of concerts at the historic SideWalk Cafe in the East Village on November 21 and 28. Blake, along with Randy Napoleon on guitar, Mike Karn on bass and Danny Young on percussion, will perform sets at 8 and 10 pm.

The 2012 Ravinia Festival season was a major milestone for the wonderful ladies of our Women's Board. This marked their 50th Anniversary, and numerous Ravinia artists from Patti LuPone to Jim Belushi showed their support. In the video below, Patti LuPone, Ann Hampton Callaway, and more chat about the board!

'This feels like opening night,' Liz Callaway admitted early on the second night of her new 54 Below Show, 'Coming Around Again,' in response to the lusty audience cheering that continued throughout an eclectic 15-song set. For Callaway, a self-admitted New York Mets baseball fanatic, this show was definitely a home run.

After receiving more than 3,000 nominations once BroadwayWorld.com announced it's first-ever New York Cabaret Awards in early October, BWW is now pleased to announce it's final nominations ballot in 20 categories. Now it's time for all you cabaret performers and fans to vote for the best singers, musicians and shows of the year. Voting will continue until December 31 and winners will be announced in early January.

Tonight, November 5th at 7 pm, the Theatre at Saint Peters (Home of the York Theatre) Lexington Avenue at 54th Street will resound with the songs of Larry Kerchner ("Somewhere in Time") sung by some of today's most formidable singers: Headliner: Ann Hampton Callaway, Hilary Kole, Laurel Masse, Kevin Spirtas, Stacy Sullivan, Jeff Harnar, Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano, Karen Oberlin, La Tanya Hall, Sidney Myer, Raissa Katona Bennett, Jill O'Hara and a host of others. Musical Director is Tex Arnold. The event is produced by Sandi Durell.

The RRazz Room, San Francisco's premier nightclub, will present the return engagement of San Francisco's first couple of Jazz and the Great American Songbook, WESLA WHITFIELD with THE MIKE GREENSILL TRIO from November 11 - 21. "Lucky To Be Me" will feature a retrospective of their illustrious recording career, including selections from the new CD.

In honor of Veterans' Day, the State Theatre in Easton presents a free concert with the United States Air Force Liberty Jazz Band on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:30 PM.

Noted composer/lyricist/arranger and two-time Grammy Award nominee Larry Kerchner will be celebrated on Monday, November 5, 2012, at 7 PM at a special benefit performance of his musical works, titled Hidden Treasures: The Songs of Larry Kerchner, at The York Theatre (at St. Peter's), Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, in New York City. Produced by Sandi Durell, the musical evening will benefit The Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative and The Mabel Mercer Foundation.

Barbara Cook and the Los Angeles Philharmonic launch the 2012/13 Songbook Series at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Wednesday, November 14 at 8:00 PM to celebrate the legendary Broadway lyric soprano's 85th birthday. For their first performance together at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cook and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will explore the American songbook and timeless classics. The evening's performance also marks the first time the LA Phil performs a concert in the Songbook Series.

There may have been 40 cabaret performers strutting their stuff this past week at the 23rd New York Cabaret Convention at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, but the true star of the three-night extravaganza (October 17-19) was the late Donald Smith, the cabaret impresario and guru to the genre's luminaries, who died this past March at 79. Sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, which Smith founded in 1985, this year's Convention featured numerous homages to Smith from the performers, many of whom had their career's supported and advanced with the help of the colorful and beloved cabaret producer and promoter. Early in Wednesday's Gala Opening Night show, the 'first lady of the American keyboard' Barbara Carroll called her friend Donald Smith 'the quintessential New Yorker,' and when Mark Nadler closed night one with George and Ira Gershwin's 'Our Love Is Here to Stay,' he said, 'Everybody who cares about the myths of these songs are in this room tonight.' Well, it was clear that anyone who cared about Donald Smith was at the Rose Theater for at least one of the three shows.

As New York City celebrates the return of everyone's favorite Funny Girl, the worlds of Broadway, TV, cabaret and the recording industry came together on October 12 to salute the greatest star with the one-night-only concert 'Hello Gorgeous! A Salute to the Streisand Songbook', presented by Scott Nevins and Joe Lodato and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Click below to watch a slew of performances from the event!

Hangar Theatre's third annual fall CabarETC season continues with An Evening of Latin and World Music featuring jazz vocalist Sally Ramírez and guitarist Doug Robinson who will be joined by percussionist Jorge Cuevas, and violinist Eric Aceto in a one-night-only performance tonight, October 20th at 8pm.

The annual New York City Cabaret Convention -- conceived, launched, and brilliantly sustained for the past 23 seasons by The Mabel Mercer Foundation --has honored many specific people and events across the past two decades. Legendary performers, composers, lyricists, and their anniversaries have all had their day and their due as the Convention grew in visibility, stature, and acclaim.