Esperanza Spalding News

Kaki King is excited to introduce Treya Lam, the first artist signing to Kaki's own label,Short Stuff Records. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist based in Brooklyn, Treya's debut album, Good News, was produced by Kaki (who also plays multiple instruments throughout the album), and recorded with an array of talented female musicians, most notably Catherine Popper (Ryan Adams, Jack White, Norah Jones) on upright bass, and mixer Erin Tonkon (David Bowie, Esperanza Spalding). Mastered by Sarah Register,Good News is an instant classic, full of the kind of songwriting and raw talent that has never gone out of style, as well as a message of love, longing. Because as Treya says, 'It's never too late to have a happy childhood.'

Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced that on the heels of Todd Barkan's recent National Endowment for the Arts' (NEA) Jazz Masters fellowship award -- the highest honor the U.S. bestows on jazz artists -- he will join its Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival as the featured host and D.J. broadcasting live from the SPAC amphitheater.

Vangeline Theater presents Japanese Butoh dancer Dai Matsuoka (principal dancer with celebrated butoh company Sankai Juku) on April 21, 2018, at 8pm at Cameo Studios, 307 W. 43rd Street, Studio A, NYC. With this performance, Vangeline Theater debuts its Studio Series, where audiences enjoy the unique opportunity to witness the skill and polish of talented dancers in an intimate setting. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at https://nine.brownpapertickets.com. Doors open at 7:45pm - Space is limited to 60.

Abingdon Theatre Company (Tony Speciale, Artistic Director; Denise Dickens, Producing Director) has announced casting for the first production of its 25th Anniversary main stage season, The Gentleman Caller, a new play by Philip Dawkins (Charm, Le Switch, The Homosexuals).

Vangeline Theater presents Japanese Butoh dancer Dai Matsuoka(principal dancer with celebrated butoh company Sankai Juku) on April 21, 2018, at 8pm at Cameo Studios, 307 W. 43rd Street, Studio A, NYC. With this performance, Vangeline Theater debuts its Studio Series, where audiencesenjoy the unique opportunity to witness the skill and polish of talented dancers in an intimate setting.

Carnegie Hall today announced the names of the 79 young musicians selected from across the country for NYO2, a three-week, intensive summer orchestral training program for outstanding American instrumentalists ages 14-17. The members of NYO2 2018-coming from 24 US states plus Puerto Rico-have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as exceptionally talented musicians who not only embody a very high level of artistry, but who also come from a wide range of backgrounds, representing a future for American orchestral music that includes communities which have often been underserved by and underrepresented in the field. Twenty-two musicians will be returning to NYO2 from previous seasons. In addition, 18 musicians who previously took part in NYO2 have been accepted to the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) in summer 2018.

As part of Jazz Appreciation Month, Governor Doug Ducey has issued an official proclamation declaring April 2018 as Jazz Appreciation Month and April 30, 2018 as International Jazz Appreciation Day.  Representing Governor Doug Ducey to present the Proclamation was Barry Wong, Director of the Governor's Office of Equal Opportunity.  Mr. Wong read the proclamation to audiences at The Nash  on March 29 at the Lewis Nash Pro Jam, with Lewis Nash and Doc Jones in attendance.  The Proclamation will be on display at The Nash throughout the month.  

Vangeline Theater, with renowned Japanese composer and musician Yuka C. Honda (Japan) and butoh dancer Vangeline, perform the World Premiere of Elsewhere from May 24 - 26, 2018 at 8 pm at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, 280 Broadway (Entrance at 53A Chambers Street). Tickets are $15 in advance ($20 at the door) and can be purchased at https://gibneydance.org/performance/pop/vangeline-and-yuka-c-honda-elsewhere/ or by calling (646) 837-6809.

Abrons Arts Center is pleased to present the world premiere of Aloha, Aloha, or When I Was a Queen (April 4-21), a solo play written and performed by Eliza Bent and directed by Knud Adams. In 1996, a young Eliza Bent, along with a friend, created, directed and starred in an amateur historical film for a school project. In it, Bent portrayed Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. 22 years later, Bent uses her home movie as a jumping off point to lead audiences on a journey that grapples with personal history, legacy, and cultural appropriation. In the tradition of Spalding Gray, Fran Lebowitz, and David Sedaris, Bent's humorous cringe-inducing stories chart a young Bostonian's education in race and appropriation.

Vangeline Theater, with renowned Japanese composer and musician Yuka C. Honda (Japan) and butoh dancer Vangeline, perform the World Premiere ofElsewhere from May 24 - 26, 2018 at 8 pm at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, 280 Broadway (Entrance at 53A Chambers Street). Tickets are $15 in advance ($20 at the door) and can be purchased athttps://gibneydance.org/performance/pop/vangeline-and-yuka-c-honda-elsewhere/ or by calling (646) 837-6809.

Vangeline Theater Presents ELSEWHERE 5/24-5/26

New York Live Arts 2018 Live Ideas Gala, co-chaired by Slobodan Randjelovi? and Jon Stryker and Ruth and Stephen Hendel and hosted by award-winning performer and playwright Anna Deavere Smith, pays tribute to Live Arts' annual Live Ideas Festival. The Gala will take place at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, New York City on Monday, April 16, starting with a cocktail reception at 6:30pm and followed by the dinner and program at 7:15pm.

The Orchard Project (Artistic Director, Ari Edelson) announced the eleven writers, composers, directors and companies for its 2018 New York City Greenhouse. In its first year, the Orchard Project NYC Greenhouse is a new NYC-based accelerator for directors, writers, composers and other generative artists to seed ambitious and unexpected work, form new relationships and develop a new generation of theater. For the Orchard Project, it aims to parlay the strength of support that has set the organization apart and transform it into a resource for its growing network of artists.

MISTER ROGERS: IT'S YOU I LIKE, a celebrity-filled, hour-long special that premieres on PBS stations in March 2018(check local listings), celebrates Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the pioneering PBS series that premiered nationally 50 years ago and became an iconic and enduring landmark in the world of children's television and beyond. Cast members from the groundbreaking series share their personal perspectives and insights in this new production, which pays tribute to television's longest-running children's series, still broadcast on many PBS stations today. The program also features interviews with numerous celebrities who have been influenced and inspired by Fred Rogers, a modest man who always said, “I am not a teacher, I simply help children learn.”

Carnegie Hall today announced that world-renowned jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves and critically-acclaimed trombonist Wycliffe Gordonwill join NYO Jazz as special guest artists for the ensemble's Carnegie Hall debut on July 27, 2018. Following its New York concert, NYO Jazz will embark on its first-ever tour to Europe, which includes performances in The Netherlands, Germany, and Great Britain, July 30 - August 10, 2018. Dianne Reeves will also be featured as a guest artist on NYO Jazz's European tour.

Abrons Arts Center is pleased to present the world premiere of Aloha, Aloha, or When I Was a Queen (April 4-21), a solo play written and performed by Eliza Bent and directed by Knud Adams. In 1996, a young Eliza Bent, along with a friend, created, directed and starred in an amateur historical film for a school project. In it, Bent portrayed Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. 22 years later, Bent uses her home movie as a jumping off point to lead audiences on a journey that grapples with personal history, legacy, and cultural appropriation. In the tradition of Spaulding Gray, Fran Leibowitz, and David Sedaris, Bent's humorous cringe-inducing stories chart a young Bostonian's education in race and appropriation.

Following a five year search for a permanent home, Target Margin Theater (Founding Artistic Director David Herskovits, Associate Artistic Director Moe Yousuf, General Manager Lu Liu) is proud to present the world premiere of Pay No Attention To The Girl (March 29-April 21), which marks the Company's debut off-Broadway performances in their new 3,250 sq. ft. home in Brooklyn. Directed by Founding Artistic Director David Herskovits, Pay No Attention To The Girl is an interlocking set of tales about the deceptions of the sexes that lead us deep into the labyrinth of The Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Silk Road, MENA (Middle Eastern / North African), and South Asian stories.

MISTER ROGERS: IT'S YOU I LIKE Premieres March 2018 on PBS

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

In tandem with its philosophy of allowing music fans the opportunity to step inside the music and close the gap between artists and their fans, oiid, a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technology company based in Norway, is thrilled to announce its official global launch with the exclusive digital release of Esperanza Spalding's new album, 'Exposure.'