Cabaret Convention Returning to Town Hall

It's an undeniable, outstanding, and extraordinary musical milestone, to be sure: 2015 marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Mabel Mercer Foundation! Not only has the organization survived the ongoing and vastly fluctuating public tastes in music, lyrics, and performers, it has proliferated and burgeoned in its three decades of commitment to the classic, "Great Popular Songbook" -- both past and present.

Now, to cap their achievements, The Foundation returns to The Town Hall from Tuesday, October 13th through Friday, October 16th to present four different concerts in their twenty-sixth annual New York "Cabaret Convention." More than sixty singers, entertainers, and musicians are scheduled to appear, and the programming includes exceptional tributes to the melodies of Marvin Hamlisch and Vernon Duke, the songs of John Kander & Fred Ebb, and "A Sentimental Journey" through the music and lyrics that sustained America through World War II. Each show boasts its own host, and the preeminent emcees include Klea Blackhurst, Jeff Harnar, Andrea Marcovicci, Karen Mason, and KT Sullivan (artistic director of The Mabel Mercer Foundation).

The complete roster for the twenty-sixth New York Cabaret Convention is provided below. Each performance begins at 6 p.m. at The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Presale advance tickets now are available ONLY through The Mabel Mercer Foundation. Please call (212) 980-3026 or visit www.mabelmercer.org. Prices are $100, $50, and $25, and Premium Patron Seating is also available @ $500 ($350 of which is tax-deductible). Those holding Patron Seating tickets are invited to a post-show cocktail reception with the evening's artists; Patron Seating is limited to fifty seats per performance.

On September 8th remaining tickets will be available for sale via Ticketmaster.com (800) 745-3000 and on September 23rd at The Town Hall box office, which is open Monday through Saturday from 12 noon until 6 p.m. (The box office is also open on Sundays, if a performance is scheduled for that day.)

KT Sullivan exults, "It's wonderful - and remarkably appropriate -- to herald our thirtieth anniversary by returning to The Town Hall. The very first Cabaret Convention was held there in 1989, and while we've been delighted to perform at The Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center for the past several seasons, their current renovation makes it possible for us to celebrate an important event on the site where it all began.

"Even earlier, Donald F. Smith - our founder - organized several star-studded, special benefit events to save The Town Hall in the 1970s and 1980s. And, finally, there's also the happy fact that Mabel Mercer herself appeared at the Hall, most notably in two instantly-legendary duo-concerts with Bobby Short in 1968 and 1969.

"So this is 'back to the future' -- and a genuine homecoming -- for us."

Sullivan continued, "Another aspect of which we continue to be proud is the constant introduction of new talent - and first-time Cabaret Convention performers - to our roster. Once again, there are several singers who will appear with us in October who've never before worked with The Mabel Mercer Foundation during one of these events." (The names of those making their Cabaret Convention debut in 2015 have an asterisk before their names in the night-by-night descriptions below.)

Since its inception in 1985, The Mabel Mercer Foundation has stood at the forefront of cabaret championship, both for artists and repertoire. Their shows have presented more than fifteen hundred singers and musicians (both veterans and newcomers) in large and intimate venues all over the country, abroad, and at sea. Apart from regular concerts, the Foundation also currently embraces and endorses educational programming and outreach. In the process, its entertainers have captivated audiences of all ages, all over the world -- while simultaneously revering the memory of The Foundation's namesake: the humble woman of limitless artistry who interpreted countless lyrics and melodies in a career that began in 1914 and continued until the early 1980s. Mabel Mercer (1900-1984) served as an inspiration to countless nonpareil singers, ranging from Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland to Billie Holiday and Barbara Cook; in 1983, she was given the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sinatra is on record as saying, "Everything I learned...I owe to Mabel Mercer. Mabel has enriched my life and the lives of all who were fortunate to know her, or even to see her and hear her."

Here is the twenty-sixth annual cabaret convention roll-call (all artists subject to availability):

Tuesday, October 13th: Gala Opening Night, hosted by KT Sullivan. Also featuring Christine Andreas, *George Ball, *Stefan Bednarczyk,*Frans Bloem, *Joshua Dixon, Lauren Fox, Allan Harris, Maxine Linehan, Kristoffer Lowe, Rebekah Lowin, Marilyn Maye, Sidney Myer, Karen Oberlin, and *Vivian Reed. Presentation of The Julie Wilson Award, underwritten by Linda and Peter Hanson. Presentation of The Mabel Mercer Award to Miss Amanda McBroom.

Wednesday, October 14th: A Sentimental Journey -- World War II Songs, hosted by Jeff Harnar & Andrea Marcovicci. Also featuring Karen Akers, Celia Berk, Anna Bergman, Carole J. Bufford, Ann Hampton Callaway, Eric Comstock, Natalie Douglas, Barbara Fasano, Tovah Feldshuh, Clint Holmes, Nicolas King, Karen Kohler, Marissa Mulder, Todd Murray, Jennifer Sheehan, Gabrielle Stravelli, Iris Williams, and Karen Wyman. Presentation of The Donald F. Smith Award, underwritten by Adela & Larry Elow. Presentation of The Margaret Whiting Award, underwritten by My Ideal Music.

Thursday, October 15th: Life Is A Cabaret -- The Songs of Kander & Ebb, hosted by Karen Mason. Also featuring Brent Barrett, *Jim Brochu, *Bobby Creighton, *Penny Fuller, Anita Gillette, *Ian Knauer, Lina Koutrakos, Stearns Matthews, Sally Mayes, T. Oliver Reid, Steve Ross, *Lauren Stanford, Sandy Stewart, and Amra-Faye Wright.

Friday, October 16th: What I Did For/Take A Chance On/Love -- The Music of Vernon Duke and Marvin Hamlisch, hosted by Klea Blackhurst. Also featuring Matt Baker, Raissa Katona Bennett, *Broadway by the Year Chorus, Alexis Cole, Shana Farr, Liam Forde, Eric Yves Garcia, Eric Michael Gillett, Eva Kantor, Valerie Lemon, Heather MacRae, Nancy McCall, Tammy McCann, Marieann Meringolo, Shawn Ryan, and Carol Woods.

For further information about the 26th Cabaret Convention, please visit www.mabelmercer.org

As The Mabel Mercer Foundation stands on the threshold of its fourth decade, please call artistic director KT Sullivan at (212) 980-3026 for additional information about our 30th anniversary and our plans for the future.