Lea DeLaria to Host Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles' Women in Music Concert, 11/16

Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles presents Women in Music, a festive celebration featuring female composers, conductors and performers, at Preston Bradley Center (941 W. Lawrence, Chicago) on Sunday, November 16, 2014 at 3 p.m. This concert, hosted by Orange Is the New Black star Lea DeLaria, will feature a special guest appearance by Chicago's own Artemis Singers, the first lesbian feminist chorus in the U.S. The Lakeside Pride Symphonic Band, under the direction of Kyle Rhoades, will perform the masterworks planned for this special event.

"Butch Queen of Hollywood," Broadway diva, stand-up comic, actor, writer and jazz musician Lea DeLaria is currently starring in the hit series Orange is the New Black, as prison inmate Carrie "Big Boo" Black. DeLaria broke new ground more than two decades ago as the first "openly gay" comic to appear on national television, with appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show and as host of Comedy Central's all-gay special, Out There. This stocky, cocky, loud-mouthed Italian-American lesbian hails from Belleville, Illinois. The daughter of a jazz pianist, she sang in jazz clubs as a teenager, before extending her talents to stand-up comedy. Lea has recorded both comedy (Box Lunch and Bulldyke in a China Shop) and jazz albums (Double Standards, The Live Smoke Sessions, Play it Cool, and Be a Santa) to great acclaim. Her film credits include Edge of Seventeen (1998) and The First Wives Club (1996).

Artemis Singers will join the Lakeside Pride Symphonic Band for an unforgettable finale to perform the powerful and uplifting song Light the Fire Within, which was written for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Artemis will also perform two choral works during this concert. As the first lesbian feminist chorus in the U.S., Artemis is comprised of women with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to performing music written or arranged by women. The chorus works to effect positive change in cultural attitudes toward women and women artists, as well as to increase the visibility of lesbian feminists. Artemis Singers and Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles are both members of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.
Tickets for the concert are $25 and can be purchased online at LakesidePride.org or at the Preston Bradley Center Box Office starting one hour before the concert. Discounted senior and student tickets can be purchased, subject to availability, online in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. For group rates, please call (773) 381-6693.

Limited tickets are available for a special VIP experience with DeLaria, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., before the concert. Tickets are $75 and include a meet-and-greet, admission to the concert, a signed CD, and a wine reception with hors d'oeuvres.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to bid on silent auction items throughout the event. All proceeds will help Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles continue its mission to help the LGBT community connect with diverse audiences through music.

The concert is conveniently located near the CTA Red Line as well as several bus routes. Street parking is available near Preston Bradley Center. Validated parking is available at Weiss Memorial Hospital's main parking facility at 4650 N. Clarendon, Chicago, which is located less than a half mile from Preston Bradley Center. Parking is $5 with validation purchased from the box office on the day of the show.

Programs, artists, dates, prices and availability subject to change.

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