Tickets to Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton, Mandy Patinkin and More at NJPAC on Sale 3/4

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) located at 1 Center Street in Newark, New Jersey presents an evening of sensational soul music with Grammy winners and platinum plus performing vocalists Anthony Hamilton and Fantasia on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 8pm. Then it's Mandy Patinkin in his much media acclaimed solo performance of Dress Casual, Celebrating the music of Sondheim and Mamaloshen on Thursday, May 22 at 3pm. On Saturday, September 24th at 8PM it is Salsapalooza- featuring salsa's legendary top singers Tito Rojas, Charlie Aponte, Raulin Rosendo and Ray De La Paz on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 8pm.Tickets go On-Sale Friday, March 4, 2016 at 10am at NJPAC.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).

Fantasia rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and garnered Barrino three Grammy nominations.

Fantasia released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the single "When I See U" and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts for 8 weeks. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a 2007 Theatre World Award. Her third studio album, Back to Me, was released worldwide and features the single "Bittersweet," which peaked in the top ten on the R&B chart. The single won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. As of February 2012, Barrino has sold 2,842,000 albums and 1,425,000 tracks in the United States. In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

Barrino returned to American Idol singing "Lose to win." The performance dubbed "dynamic, passionate and powerful" won her fervent expressions of approval from the show's current judges and a wild ovation from the live audience. Moreover, she has received numerous accolades in the media for her performances. Barrino recently returned to Broadway in the musical After Midnight and was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

Anthony Hamilton (singer, songwriter & producer) hailing from the South Carolina and started singing at church as a youth rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From (which featured the title track single "Comin' from Where I'm From" and "Charlene". He is also known for the song "Freedom" from the soundtrack album of Django Unchained co-written and sung as a duo with indie soul singer Elayna Boynton. Hamilton was first introduced to mainstream audiences with his singing of the chorus of Nappy Roots 2002 single "Po' Folks" which earned a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration"

Mandy Patinkin is an award-winning American singer and actor known for his work on such TV shows as 'Homeland' and in such films as 'The Princess Bride' as well performing in concert and on Broadway. A fiery stage star equally at home in musicals and dramas, Mandy Patinkin shot to fame with a Tony-winning performance as Che in Evita. In the three decades since, Patinkin has made his mark on stage (in Shakespeare and musicals such as The Secret Garden and The Wild Party and TV (Chicago Hopeand Criminal Minds).

Tito Rojas started his career in music "Conjunto Borincuba", conducted by Justo Betancourt, Fania All Stars and had a "hit" song with El Campesino (The Farmer). After spending some time with the Fania All-Stars, Rojas decided to form his own band the "Conjunto Borincano" and soon parted and began his solo career.

Tito Rojas had success with solo songs such as Sensual Condename and A Mi Estilo (At My Style) however it was his 1995 when he recorded Por Propio Derecho (On my own right), that placed Rojas on the top of the Latin Billboard charts. Rojas gained the recognition earning a double platinum album and the Paoli Prize for "Best Salsa Artist of the Year" and an "ACE" Award.

Charlie Aponte performed for over 40 years was lead vocalist for the nation's legendary El Gran Combo. Aponte was studying accounting at university, but had also established a solid reputation as a sonero, performing at top-grade clubs such as Lomas del Sol. It was there El Gran Combo's saxophonist Eddie Perez first heard him. Shortly thereafter, the group's founding vocalist, Pellin Rodriguez, left the band for a solo career, and Perez dropped Aponte's name and vouched for his solid reputation to Rafael Ithier, who had been tasked with finding a replacement. The latter made the singer audition over a three-month period, all the while vetting his references and assessing his character.

Steeped in the rhythms of Afro-Antilles music throughout his childhood, he began his performing career at the age of 12 as a member of the merengue group El Chivo y Su Banda, later appearing with acts including Fernando Villalona, Conjunto Clásico andLos Vecinos. Known as "The Angry Sonero", Rosendo made his solo debut with 1991's Salsa, Solamente Salsa;[1] by 1993 he was recording in New York with producer Ricky Gonzalez, scoring the hits Amor en Secreto & Santo Domingo.

Different projects kept Rosendo resurging with success, but in 1995 his record "Uno Se Cura" became the most sold album of the year, and he was nominated for a Cassandra Award and an A.C.E. Award in New York. The subsequent success of albums including ¡Lo Maximo! 1996's Dominicano Para el Mundo, 1997's ¡Simplemente! ¡Contrólate! & 1998's Llegó la Ley established him among the biggest salsa performers of the period. Donde Me Coja la Noche followed in 1999.

Ray De La Paz is a 2 TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER and earned multiple Gold and Platinum albums and an ACE Award. De La Paz attributes his success to touring extensively around the world a performing for fans of Latin music making him one of the most recognized singers within the Salsa community.
Ray was born and raised in New York City's Spanish Harlem and grew up in the Bronx. He started singing at a young age and encouraged by his mother to take vocal lessons.

His first professional singing experience was with a neighborhood local band called El Conjunto De Don Juan, which recorded in New York. Ray De La Paz recorded with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra for the Grammy nominated CD "UN GRAN DIA EN EL BARRIO" (Ryko/Ropeadope Records), on which Ray sings "Aprende A Querer," "Vale Mas Un Guaguanco" and "Obsesion." Since then this CD has gone Platinum. Ray De La Paz continues to be one of the elite singers with Spanish Harlem Orchestra where he plays an important part as one of the orchestra's lead vocalist and in 2004 recorded for the Grammy winning CD titled "ACROSS 110th STREET" (Libertad Records) featuring Ruben Blades, "UNITED WE SWING" (2007), and "VIVA LA TRADICION."