Lehman Center 30th Anniversary Opens with Victor Manuelle 9/18

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts proudly opens its 30th Anniversary Season with one of Salsa's hottest, best-selling performers, VICTOR MANUELLE, who performs with his powerful band on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 8pm. An extraordinary Salsa singer, songwriter and improvisational sonero known to his fans as "El Sonero de la Juventud" (The Youth's Sonero), Manuelle has had the most #1 Tropical albums of any artist in the history of Billboard magazine. This is a not-to-be-missed event by one of tropical music's biggest superstars.

For three decades Lehman Center for the Performing Arts has presented an international array of artists and celebrities at very affordable ticket prices. History-making performances have included the New York Philharmonic (1980's Opening Gala), Sarah Vaughan, MiLes Davis, Vienna Choir Boys, Isaac Stern, Carlos Montoya, Rudolf Nureyev, Victor Borge, Marcel Marceau, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, Moiseyev Dance Company, Stars of the Kirov Ballet, Julio Iglesias and Ray Charles. Many music icons were making their first-ever appearance in the Bronx, including Patti LaBelle, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, José Feliciano and B.B. King. Eva Bornstein, who is beginning her sixth season as Executive Director of Lehman Center, says, "Latin stars such as Victor Manuelle, Oscar D'León and José Feliciano will headline our special 30th Anniversary Latino Series. We are also bringing back your favorite shows and artists from previous seasons, such as Johnny Mathis, El Gran Combo, Doo Wop Forever and Forever Freestyle. We have also secured funding for a state-of-the-art sound system and new lighting which will debut in the coming season. The Bronx deserves the very best, and we will continue to work hard to bring the very best in the performing arts to the borough and beyond."

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for VICTOR MANUELLE on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 8pm are: $85, $75, $65 and $55 and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718.960.8833 (Mon. through Fri., 10am-5pm, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through 24-hour online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Free on-site parking is available.

Special discounts are built into Lehman's concert series. "Create your own Series" offers a 10% discount on a minimum of three shows, or a 20% discount for six or more shows. Becoming a 30th Anniversary Friend of Lehman Center by making a tax-deductible donation will help the Center bring in major artists at affordable ticket prices. Visit www.LehmanCenter.org for more information.

Victor Manuelle, born in New York City but raised in Puerto Rico, has fifteen smash-hit studio albums to his credit and three live albums. A protégé of one of Salsa's great voices of Puerto Rico, Gilberto Santa Rosa, who performed at Manuelle's high school graduation and invited him to join him on stage, Manuelle got his start in music soon after as a back-up singer for a group led by Don Perignon. Known as a formidable repentista, or improviser of rhymes, Manuelle became famous as an interpreter of complex, radio-ready lyrics of amor y desamor - love and its trials -- but the power of his performances comes from his mastery of traditional Puerto Rican singing. Signing with Sony Tropical in 1993, he released Justo a Tiempo, but it was 1996's Sergio George-produced Víctor Manuelle that was his commercial breakthrough, and 1997's A Pesar de Todo spun off a plethora of #1 hits. Ironías (1998), Inconfundible (1999), Instinto y Deseo (2001) and Le Preguntaba a la Luna (2002) were all chart-toppers with huge radio hits. He remained one of the top salsa performers year in and year out, ensuring his legacy as one of the leading voices of his generation.

Manuelle's ninth studio album, 2004's Travesía, produced by Emilio Estefan, went to #1 on the Billboard charts. In 2005 he released two live albums: Dos Soneros, his collaboration with Gilberto Santa Rosa, recorded live at San Juan's Estadio Roberto Clemente; and Víctor Manuelle En Vivo Desde El Carnegie, from his sold-out show at Carnegie Hall. Responding to the reggaeton craze, he executive-produced 2006's Decisión Unánime, which featured two songs with Eddie Palmieri and earned him a 2007 Billboard Award for Tropical Album of the Year as well as Best Salsa Artist at the Premio Lo Nuestro awards. Later that year he released his third live album and a DVD of En Vivo Desde El Madison Square Garden, followed by Navidad A Mi Estilo, his first album on his own label, Kiyavi Records, which immediately went #1 and became the top-selling Christmas album of the year. His latest recording, Yo Mismo, the fifth on his own label, was released in November 2009. Throughout his career, the GRAMMY-nominated Manuelle has earned countless honors, including 2005 Songwriter of the Year at the ASCAP Latin Music Awards, co-hosting the 2006 Latin GRAMMY Awards, and 2008's ASCAP Golden Note Award for innovative and enduring contributions to Latin music as both a songwriter and an artist.

This program is part of the JPMorgan Chase International Performance Series. Additional support is provided by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and The New York State Council on the Arts.

For additional information, photos, interview requests, contact
Leah Grammatica / LGPR / 212.243.6052 / Leahgram@aol.com

Lehman Center 2010-11 Latin and Popular Music schedule is as follows:

VICTOR MANUELLE
El Sonero de la Juventud
Saturday, September 18, 2010 - 8pm
Tickets: $85, $75, $65, $55
Victor Manuelle has become one of the best-selling salsa performers of recent years, with his albums selling a combined 1 million-plus copies in the U.S. Manuelle, with his suave, musically accomplished style and dynamic band, is attracting crowds both young and old. His music is infectious and his shows are absolutely electric. He's a successful salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational sonero, known to his fans as "El Sonero de la Juventud" ("The Youth's Sonero"). Manuelle's energy is as undeniable as his band is powerful, a combination that is very intoxicating and goes beyond genre limitations.

PAQUITO D'RIVERA and Michel Camilo
Two Masters of Latin Jazz
Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 8pm
Tickets: $50, $45, $40, $35
These two virtuoso musicians take time from their international concert appearances to perform their exciting Latin jazz and jazz repertoires for Lehman audiences. Don't miss these exciting and explosive performances with two of the most extraordinary musicians in the world of entertainment today.

SALSA PALOOZA
Featuring Tito Rojas, Jerry Rivera, and Eddie Santiago
Three Salsa Giants, One Night Only!
Saturday, October 16, 2010 - 8pm
Tickets: $55, $50, $45, $40
Get ready to bring down the house when Salsa superstars Tito Rojas "El Gallo de la Salsa," Jerry Rivera, the largest selling Salsa artist of all time, and Eddie Santiago, a Salsa romántica icon, take Lehman Center's stage for one unforgettable night.

NEW ORLEANS NIGHTS
Featuring Allen Toussaint, Nicholas Payton and The Joe Krown Trio
Brilliance on Every Note
Sunday, November 14, 2010 - 6pm
Tickets: $35, $30, $25
1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the 2009 prestigious Grammy Trustees Award, Allen Toussaint is heralded as a seminal influence on the music of New Orleans. The Rock and Roll Hall of fame describes him as "producer, bandleader, arranger, songwriter, session musician and all-around musical eminence," and his songs are timeless hits, including "Working in the Coal Mine," "Mother-in-Law," "I Like It Like That," "Right Place Wrong Time" and "Southern Nights."

Called "abundantly gifted" and "a high-wire soloist" by The New York Times, NICHOLAS PAYTON is a composer, a bandleader, and an extraordinarily talented trumpet wizard. His recordings have consistently charted in the Billboard Top 20 Jazz albums, from his first recording, From This Moment (no. 15) to his current release Into the Blue (no. 11).

The combination of the soulful vocals of Walter with the big sound of the Hammond B-3 and the masterful drumming of Russell Batiste Jr. has developed a loyal following of New Orleans Jazz aficionados of The JOE KROWN TRIO. The trio's 2008 CD, Live at the Maple Leaf, has garnered rave reviews: "A killer collaboration between three of New Orleans greatest players!" Jan Ramsey, offBEAT Magazine

OSCAR D'LEÓN
Also Featuring Salsa en la Calle with Willie Villegas' Tribute to Joe Cuba
El Faraón de la Salsa
Saturday, November 20, 2010 - 8pm
Tickets: $85, $75, $65, $55
A skill at improvisation is combined with a highly textured vocal tone by Venezuela-born Oscar D'León. A top-ranked performer in his homeland, D'León has continued to solidify his following throughout the world. A joy for entertaining has been a constant thread throughout D'León's career. He brings his string of hits to Lehman on this electrifying night including "Llorarás," "Detalles," "Mi bajo y yo," and "Me voy pa Cali".

Produced by West Side Beat Productions in Association with Latin Media Marketing

JOSÉ FELICIANO
The World's Greatest Living Guitarist
Saturday, December 4, 2010 - 8pm
Tickets: $45, $40, $35, $30
Jose Feliciano, winner of eight Grammy Awards and seventeen nominations is considered by many to be the world's greatest living guitarist. He has recorded over sixty albums, and has brought the acoustic guitar to a new level of excitement with songs in English, Spanish and Italian in the genres of soul, pop, Latin and classical. His artistry is rivaled by few in the industry and makes him an American treasure. Lehman Center is proud to bring him back in this special Holiday celebration.

PLENA LIBRE
The Torch Bearers of Puerto Rico's Plena, Bomba and Beyond
Saturday, December 18, 2010 - 8pm
Tickets: $45, $40, $35, $30
Captivating and moving audiences over the course of a fifteen-year, thirteen-album career, this fine-tuned 12-piece Puerto Rican-based ensemble of virtuoso musicians has only gotten better with age, as evidenced by their four recent Grammy nominations. Plena Libre has created an all-new exciting repertoire along with new choreography, compelling new stories told from the stage between songs, and an overall presentation sure to win the hearts of both aficionados and newcomers to their sound.

DOO WOP FOREVER
Featuring Kenny Vance and The Planotones "Looking For An Echo", The Chantels "Look In My Eyes", Fred Parris and The Five Satins "In the Still of The Night", Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon "Palisades Park", Terry Johnson's Flamingos "I Only Have Eyes For You", and Speedo and The Cadillacs "Speedo"
Richard Nader's Doo Wop Show Returns to Lehman's Stage for another Night of Oldies and Fun
Saturday, January 15, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $50, $45, $40, $35
Doo Wop's leading singers and musical groups will offer a finger-snappin', foot-tappin' evening of classic hits.

FOREVER FREESTYLE 5
A New Lehman Center Tradition
Saturday, March 19, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $60, $55, $50, $45
With JUDY TORRES, GEORGE LAMOND, TKA/K7, COVER GIRLS, LISETTE MELENDEZ, CORO, SUAVE and more artists to be announced soon.

The freestyle phenomenon of the late 80's featuring the artists that made this genre a world-wide sensation featuring Judy Torres "Come Into My Arms," "No Reason to Cry;" George Lamond "Bad of the Heart," "Without You," "Don't Stop Believing;" TKA/K7 "Maria," "Louder Than Love," "Come Baby Come;" Cover Girls "Show Me" "Wishing on a Star," "Because of You;" and Lisette Melendez "Together Forever," "A Day in my Life Without You;" Coro "Where Are You Tonight," "Can't Let You Go;" and Suave "Crying Over You."

Dennis Edwards and The Temptations REVIEW with THE MARVALETTES
A Long Waited Return
Saturday, April 9, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $50, $45, $40, $35
The legendary Motown quintet The Temptations brings unforgettable hit after hit to Lehman Center, including "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Ball of Confusion" and "Papa was a Rolling Stone." The marvelous Motown girl group The Marvelettes will begin the party with their sing-along hits including "Please Mr. Postman."

CUARTETO LOS HISPANOS
Also Featuring Trio Ideal and Grupo Típico Boricua
An Evening of Boleros!
Saturday, May 7, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $45, $40, $35, $30
Celebrate Mother's Day with this intimate and romantic concert featuring the songs that defined an era.
Produced by West Side Beat Productions in Association with Latin Media Marketing

Johnny Mathis
One of America's Most Beloved Singers
Saturday, May 21, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $85, $75, $65, $55
Johnny Mathis celebrates Lehman Center's 30th Anniversary Season with a return performance accompanied by a full orchestra. Come bask in Mathis's velvety, honey-soaked vocals as he sings his classic hits "Chances Are," "It's Not for Me to Say," "Wonderful! Wonderful!," "The Twelfth of Never," "Misty" and "A Certain Smile," as well as a mix of jazz and classic standards and the best songs from Broadway musicals. Mathis won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2003, has received 3 Grammy nominations, and has twice been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

EL GRAN COMBO
Back by Overwhelming Demand!
Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $60, $55, $50, $45
El Gran Combo is undoubtedly one of the most popular salsa bands in the entire world. For over 40 years, generations of music lovers have danced to their hits. They return to Lehman Center with their distinct power and history with a program from their multiple gold albums that includes hits like "Timbalero," "Menu," "Teléfono," "Me liberé" and "Nadie como ella."

Part of the CHASE International Performance Series

KING MICHAEL
Tribute to the King of Pop
Back by Popular Demand!
A Spectacular, Multi-Media, Live Performance Honoring the Greatest Entertainer of All Time on this Very Special Second Anniversary!

Exclusive NYC Engagement
Saturday, June 25, 2011 - 8pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25, $20 | Children 12 and under, $10 any seat
The audience is raving about King Michael:

"I loved the show and I really hope you guys bring it back because I definitely wouldn't mind seeing it again and again!"

"The show was outstanding! Please bring it back!"

"Amazing show! Congratulations Lehman Center!"

From early moments with his brothers to his stratospheric rise to become the GREATEST ENTERTAINER OF ALL TIME, three talented singers portray Michael at different stages of his dynamic career in this multi-media spectacular featuring his greatest hits including "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "Smooth Criminal," "Earth Song" and more! It features artists who can sing live while presenting the intense dancing that Michael was so famous for. PLUS, NEWLY EXPANDED, NEVER SEEN BEFORE TRIBUTES...including an all-star dance company, DJs, Video Jockeys and master percussionists.

For Complete Lehman Center Event Schedule / www.LehmanCenter.org