Shirley Ritenour Returns to Manhattan Cabaret with AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

Shirley Ritenour returns to the New York cabaret scene this fall with a new show, An Affair to Remember. The October 19th and October 26th performances at Don't Tell Mama will benefit Gilda's Club, NYC and Stony Brook Cancer Research Center through Concerned Women of the Grove. Ritenour will sing a Great American Songbook and pop repertoire, including music from Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, David Friedman, Sammy Cahn and Judy Collins to name a few, along with a sweet tribute to Debbie Reynolds. People who know Ritenour from her operatic roles won't be left out - she will perform an aria as well. The show is directed by Scott Barnes with Musical Director, BrIan Holman. Shows are at 7pm. Don't Tell Mama is at 343 West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Visit: http://donttellmamanyc.com or call 212.757.0788 after 4pm weekdays for reservations. There is a $25 cover charge and a two Drink minimum. PLEASE NOTE: Don't Tell Mama is a CASH ONLY ROOM.

Shirley Ritenour has brought several unique shows to concert halls in the city, her most recent at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2013, a benefit titled Shirley Ritenour Conquers Valhalla for Cancer! In 2010, she presented a tribute to kindred spirit, Eileen Farrell, at Merkin Hall titled, Let My Song Fill Your Heart.

"With a beautiful classically trained voice, Shirley Ritenour puts her heart and soul into operatic favorites by Wagner, Puccini, and Mascagni along with songs by Rodgers and Hart, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Sammy Cahn, and others. There aren't many singers around who can make these kind of vocal transitions. Ms. Ritenour proves she is one of the few who can."
Ron Della Chiesa, WGBH, Boston

"Ritenour's pop technique revealed the smoky beauty of heR Lower register, most notably in Alec Wilder's 'Blackberry Winter,' an obscure gem." - Fred Cohn, Opera News

Recently, Ritenour appeared as an opening act for popular comedian, Michele Balan, at the Cherry Grove Theater. She's produced several cabaret shows in New York, notably It's A Grand Night for Giving at Don't Tell Mama, the show that began her tradition as a fundraiser for Gilda's Club.

Ritenour began her musical career at the age of twelve as part of the family singing group Two Dots and a Dash-Shirley and her twin sister Sheryl were the dots, sister Donna was the dash. The girls hit the local talent circuit and eventually Ritenour went off to study the classics and came to New York City. Her rich life experiences (she was a dealer in Vegas, an opera singer in Graz, and a singing bartender in Greenwich Village) influence the themes of her shows.

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