Quentin Earl Darrington, Alysha Umphress Lead THE NIKO SONGBOOK 3/12

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced the addition of The Niko Songbook - the songs of composer-lyricist Niko Tsakalakos on Monday, March 12 at 7:00pm. The concert will be held at Birdand - 315 West 44th St. – Admission is $25 and doors open at 5:00pm. There is a $10 food/drink minimum.

Directed by John Simpkins (NYU Parade/Tri-Arts Playhouse Artistic Director), The Niko Songbook features Broadway's Quentin Earl Darrington (Broadway revival Ragtime), Alysha Umphress (On a Clear Day, American Idiot), Josh Segarra (Lysistrata Jones) and Cortney Wolfson (The Addams Family). The band will include Brian Usifer (music director/piano) (The Book of Mormon), Justin Goldner (guitars), Joe Nero (drums), and Christos Tsakalakos (bass).

The evening's program features original songs by Niko Tsakalakos and with collaborators - Janet Allard, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Angelique Mouyis, Jess DiGiacinto and Jennifer Stafford.

Niko Tsakalakos is a composer-lyricist whose production credits include Pool Boy (NYC premiere at NYU Steinhardt, 2012; Barrington Stage Company [BSC], 2010), Litter (American Conservatory Theatre, 2011), Duck for President (TheatreworksUSA, 2010–2012), Driving West (Ars Nova, 2011), Songs of a Night Owl (Ars Nova, 2009; BSC, 2008), and Late Nite with Niko (BSC, 2007). His original scores include Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of the Tosser (Alliance Films, 2007). His songs have been heard at New York venues such as Joe’s Pub, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Zipper Factory, and Birdland. In Los Angeles, his band Saint Friday performed at venues such as The Viper Room, The Roxy and The Troubadour. He is a two-time recipient of UCLA Barry Manilow Scholarship, sponsored by Barry Manilow and Concord Records, for “excellence in the art and craft of lyric writing.” He is an inaugural artist of the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. He received his M.F.A. in musical theater writing from New York University in 2008. Check out Niko’s website www.nikosongs.com.

The Niko Songbook
Monday, March 12 at 7pm
Birdland, 315 West 44 Street, NYC
212-581-3080 or www.BirdlandJazz.com
$25 cover, $10 food/drink minimum