Kathleen Battle News

Over three days of preliminary auditions today, February 25 through the 27th, 2013, approximately 90 of the best young American and Canadian opera singers will compete to reach the final round of the 42nd annual George London Foundation Awards Competition.

On Monday, March 11, at 8:00 p.m., the versatile and commanding mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, joined by frequent collaborator, pianist Warren Jones, makes her Carnegie Hall recital debut in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with a deeply personal program of American song. Ms. Blythe's program features Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, a set of songs written for her by the late composer James Legg, and Samuel Barber's Three Songs, Op. 10, powerful settings of three poems by James Joyce. Also featured are songs by Tin Pan Alley songwriters Ray Henderson, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) welcomes alumnus Jesse Blumberg, baritone (MM, '03), and renowned collaborative pianist Martin Katz for free performances of Franz Schubert's two great Lieder cycles this February.

Over three days of preliminary auditions on February 25-27, 2013, approximately 90 of the best young American and Canadian opera singers will compete to reach the final round of the 42nd annual George London Foundation Awards Competition.

Gotham Chamber Opera continues its 2012-2013 Season with ELIOGABALO (1667) by Francesco Cavalli. The show will run from March 15-29, 2013 at 8pm at The Box, 189 Chrystie Street, NYC. Tickets are $30-$250 and are available on www.ticketcentral.com or by phone at 212-279-4200. Eliogabalo will be performed on Friday, March 15; Tuesday, March 19; Thursday, March 21; Saturday, March 23; Tuesday, March 26; and Friday, March 29.

The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary Celebration makes its way to Segerstrom Center for the Arts today, January 13 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The all- star ensemble will perform classic jazz and original compositions by critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning artists: bassist and musical director Christian McBride, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green and drummer Lewis Nash.

Gotham Chamber Opera continues its 2012-2013 Season with ELIOGABALO (1667) by Francesco Cavalli. The show will run from March 15-29, 2013 at 8pm at The Box, 189 Chrystie Street, NYC. Tickets are $30-$175 and are available on www.ticketcentral.com or by phone at 212-279-4200.

Gotham Chamber Opera continues its 2012-2013 Season with ELIOGABALO (1667) by Francesco Cavalli. The show will run from March 15-29, 2013 at 8pm at The Box, 189 Chrystie Street, NYC. Tickets are $30-$175 and are available on www.ticketcentral.com or by phone at 212-279-4200.

The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary Celebration makes its way to Segerstrom Center for the Arts on January 13 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The all- star ensemble will perform classic jazz and original compositions by critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning artists: bassist and musical director Christian McBride, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green and drummer Lewis Nash.

GPR Records (Glen Roven, Peter Fitzgerald, Richard Cohen, artistic directors)releases a children's CD of Catherine Zeta-Jones narrating The Runaway Bunny, based on the best selling children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown. Michael Douglas narrates everyone's favorite elephant - The Story of Babar - The Little Elephant, a 1931 classic written by Jean de Brunhoff. Also on the CD will be English Baritone Mark Stone singing Goodnight Moon also by Margaret Wise Brown. The CD, distributed by Naxos, will be released today, November 15th and will be available at www.GPRRecords.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

GPR Records (Glen Roven, Peter Fitzgerald, Richard Cohen, artistic directors) will release a children's CD of Catherine Zeta-Jones narrating The Runaway Bunny, based on the best selling children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown. Michael Douglas narrates everyone's favorite elephant - The Story of Babar - The Little Elephant, a 1931 classic written by Jean de Brunhoff. Also on the CD will be English Baritone Mark Stone singing Goodnight Moon also by Margaret Wise Brown. The CD, distributed by Naxos, will be released on November 15th and will be available at www.GPRRecords.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

Barbara Cook returns to Carnegie Hall to celebrate her 85th birthday tonight, October 18 at 8:00 p.m. with a special performance in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the availability of Desdemona by Toni Morrison, with lyrics by Rokia Traore, published by Oberon Books in London. This re-imagining of Shakespeare's Othello includes a foreword by Peter Sellars, who directed the piece at Barbican Concert Hall in London in July.

Barbara Cook returns to Carnegie Hall to celebrate her 85th birthday on Thursday, October 18 at 8:00 p.m. with a special performance in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage.

The Frick Collection presents its 74th season of classical music concerts in the elegant setting of the Music Room.

GPR Records will release a recording of Catherine Zeta-Jones narrating The Runaway Bunny, based on the best selling children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown. Also on the CD will be English Baritone Mark Stone singing Goodnight Moon and a special guest superstar narrating Poulenc's Babar, The Elephant. The CD will be released on November 15th, will be available at www.GPRRecords.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

The RRazz Room, San Francisco's premier nightclub, will welcome back CLAYON BRYANT for his new show "Out Of The Shadow" celebrating the release of his debut CD.

The Blue Note Jazz Festival will return, June 10 - 30, with over 50 performances at venues throughout New York City. Ticket information and a complete schedule of events are available on the official website, www.BlueNoteJazzFestival.com.