Stephanie Blythe Debuts New Cabaret Show THE TENDER TRAP in Benefit for Mabel Mercer Foundation at 54 Below

World-renowned opera singer and recitalist Stephanie Blythe will premiere her new cabaret act, "The Tender Trap," as a special benefit for The Mabel Mercer Foundation on Thursday evening, June 14th at Feinstein's / 54 Below. Ms. Blythe, acclaimed by The New York Times as "a force of nature," will celebrate "love, obsession, and the stuff in between," in a repertoire selected from the Great Popular Songbook of the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s - a golden age for the melodies and lyrics of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and (eventually) Hollywood.

Long the singing champion of both classic and contemporary material, Ms. Blythe will be musically directed for "The Tender Trap" by Craig Terry. Reservations for the one-night event are available only through The Mabel Mercer Foundation at (212) 980-3026; general seating is priced at $250, and VIP reserved seating -- including a 7:45 p.m. post-concert meeting with Ms. Blythe -- is priced at $500. (A portion of these prices is tax-deductible.) All reservations include cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., with Ms. Blythe's performance to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Feinstein's / 54 Below is located between Broadway and Eighth Avenue at 254 West 54th Street.

Thanks to the generosity of Sanford and Isanne Fisher, all proceeds from this event will benefit The Mabel Mercer Foundation. Artistic director KT Sullivan enthusiastically expressed her gratitude by offering, "Stephanie loves the Great Popular Songbook, which is what we're all about. And she wanted to do something for us, so this event is a perfect match. The Fishers have brought it all together, and it's through the much-appreciated kindness of the three of them - Stephanie Blythe, and Sandy and Isanne Fisher -- that this is happening."

"Additionally, Feinstein's / 54 Below is the ideal room for this type of party, and that's what it will be. There aren't many opportunities to experience a voice and talent of Stephanie's caliber in such an intimate, jewel-box setting."

Happily discussing "The Tender Trap," Ms. Blythe candidly acknowledged that, for all her success in opera and recital, "I grew up in a jazz household, not a classical household"; she credits her grandfather's taste in popular vocal music as a cornerstone of her own passion. "There's such a wide range of emotions and topics in the 1910-1950s catalog; all of those songs operate on so many levels - and they reflect so many personal moments. As a result, this material has so often taken on a life of its own."

"In the process of selecting and learning a song I want to perform, I study what it originally meant to (or in the lives of) its composer and lyricist. Then I determine what it now means to me -- and I try to share all of that with the audience. They then bring their own emotions to the moment.

"From the songwriters to the song to me to the audience, it's a journey. And these journeys are essential; after all, if we don't know where we've been, we don't know where we're going!"

Ms. Blythe's perceptions of the Great Popular Songbook are much in keeping with those of the namesake of the Foundation. Mabel Mercer (1900-1984) enjoyed a seven-decade career, during which she introduced, revived, and/or re-popularized countless masterworks from the men and women whose words and music defined both world-wide entertainment and lives throughout the twentieth-century. As Ms. Blythe has noted, their creations continue to resonate today.

About Stephanie Blythe: A renowned opera singer and recitalist, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe is considered one of the most highly respected and critically acclaimed artists of her generation. Her repertoire ranges from Handel to Wagner, German lieder to contemporary and classic American song. Ms. Blythe has performed on many of the world's great stages, such as Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Paris National Opera and San Francisco, Chicago Lyric and Seattle Operas. Ms. Blythe was named Musical America's Vocalist of the Year in 2009, received an Opera News Award in 2007 and won the Tucker Award in 1999. Ms. Blythe recently released her first crossover recording on the Innova label with pianist Craig Terry.

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