Billie Holiday News

On May 3, 2015, the Kennedy Center will open its doors for the 2015 Spring Gala: It Don't Mean A Thing...A Celebration of Swing. Renowned artists Audra McDonald, Paquito D'Rivera, Megan Hilty, John Clayton, Terence Blanchard, the Puppini Sisters, and Paul Taylor Dance Company will join for a festive evening in celebration of the Swing Era.

April is Jazz Appreciation month and in recognition, the Nash announces a new series of classes for the public to learn about the history of jazz by examining the great masters. This four-part series will be led by ASU jazz instructor, Dr. Jeffry Libman, who will present four weekly Wednesday morning sessions in April each focusing on a different jazz instrument and its master musicians and vocalists. Dr. Libman will lead the discussions with histories and recordings from the great masters such as John Coltrane, Dizzie Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Billie Holiday.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Maureen McGovern in 'Celebrating Women Singer/ Songwriters.' Maureen celebrates women singer/songwriters in her powerful new show and forthcoming CD, Sing, My Sisters, Sing!.

The former pop star and Broadway headliner brings her tribute to female singer-songwriters to 54 Below.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestra's begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven- o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: The Cast of Side Show: Added Attractions; Maureen McGovern: Celebrating Women Singer/Songwriters at 54 Below; Columbia University Songbook featuring David Henry Hwang & More; A Sophisticated Ladies Reunion at 54 Below; and 54 Sings A Man of No Importance.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, March 8, 2015 - Sunday, March 8, 2015.

Cabaret singer, jazz vocalist, songwriter, cult film star, theater artist, drag performer, fashion icon-Joey Arias defies categorization. Long acclaimed for "channeling Billie Holiday" (New Yorker), Mr. Arias has gone on to establish himself as a world-class entertainer, touring internationally and starring in lavish theatrical productions including Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity and Arias with a Twist. In celebration of Lady Day's 100th birthday, he presented a lushly orchestrated, rarely performed all-Holiday program set against the gorgeous nighttime backdrop of Columbus Circle. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you highlights from Arias in concert below!

Today, March 7, Target First Saturday celebrates Women's History Month with an evening of music, film, and more. Highlights include music by D.J. duo JSMN (Jasmine Solano) and MeLo-X, Alissia & the Funketeers and Princess Nokia; screenings of LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 and Didn't I Ask for Tea?; a discussion with Tavi Gevinson, founder of Rookie Magazine; and a performance workshop with Colored Girls Hustle.

Omaha Performing Arts presents jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson: Coming Forth By Day: A Celebration of Billie Holiday in the Kiewit Hall at the Holland Performing Arts Center tonight, March 7, at 8:00 p.m.

As their award-winning theatre home in Bed-Stuy's Restoration Plaza undergoes a multi-million dollar facelift, The Billie Holiday Theatre (BHT) has announced a move that will bring their acclaimed productions to Brooklyn's flourishing Downtown Cultural District. Thanks to a special partnership with the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse, BHT will kick off a two-year residency with a high profile run of the play Brothers from the Bottom, starring actor and TONY Award-winning producer Wendell Pierce (SELMA, Treme, The Wire). The play, written and directed by BHT artistic director Jackie Alexander, will run tonight, March 6th - 29th at the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse, 126 Saint Felix Street between Hanson and Lafayette, in the heart of the BAM Cultural District.

On April 9-12, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Billie Holiday Festival will honor Billie Holiday celebrating an artist of monumental innovation on the centennial of her birth. The Billie Holiday Festival will include three nights of concerts and pre-concert discussions at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, located at Broadway at 60th Street, New York, New York.

Harlem Stage is pleased to present the world premiere of Notes of a Native Song, a new work by Tony and Obie award-winning playwright, singer-songwriter Stew (Passing Strange), co-composed with his long-time collaborator Heidi Rodewald, who also performs.

The mesmerizing songstress Audra McDonald, will grace the Van Wezel stage on March 22, 2015 at 7:00pm with a dazzling performance of her favorite show-tunes and songs from her new album Go Back Home. Her breadth and versatility as both a singer and an actress combines to make her the powerhouse artist that she is. With a record six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and a whole catalogue of other awards to her name, making her one of today's most highly regarded performers.

The Hill House Association (www.hillhouse.org) will present six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald in concert for one night only. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15(th) at the landmark Byham Theater.

Vocalist Joey Arias is not what he appears to the uninitiated. This is not a drag performer executing pastiche, but rather an artist serious about music with the talent to offer a full-blooded show. Lifelong affinity for Billie Holiday first professionally surfaced in 1987's Recording Arias on Holiday and continued with the Off-Broadway run of Strange Fruit, an homage to the icon. Her concert Wednesday night for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, with evocative musical arrangement by Matt Ray, brings Arias' devotion "all the way from downtown above 14th Street."

This March, 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. Below, find the schedule for upcoming events over the next month.

On March 7, Target First Saturday celebrates Women's History Month with an evening of music, film, and more. Highlights include music by D.J. duo JSMN (Jasmine Solano) and MeLo-X, Alissia & the Funketeers and Princess Nokia; screenings of LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 and Didn't I Ask for Tea?; a discussion with Tavi Gevinson, founder of Rookie Magazine; and a performance workshop with Colored Girls Hustle.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: BROOKLYNITE and BRIGHT HALF LIFE open off-Broadway, Ralph Fiennes stars in MAN AND SUPERMAN at the National and more!

Now in its 16th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook continues to expand its scope in celebrating the best in American singing and songwriting, with Joey Arias in A CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO BILLIE HOLIDAY tonight, February 25, 2015 at the Appel Room.