Billie Holiday News

The eclectic San Diego vocal performance ensemble SACRA/PROFANA has gained acclaim as a genre-defying ensemble breaking down the barriers between pop, classical, and contemporary music. In that tradition the group presents MUSIC AS SOCIAL CHANGE, a concert that will feature arrangements of socially aware pop music from the 1960s to the present day, as well as choral music that comments on the issues of our times.

Manoa Valley Theatre has announced a second season of the Manoa Valley Theatre Music and Comedy Series featuring some of Hawaii's favorite entertainers in a six-part subscription series beginning on January 28th with Erhu virtuoso Tsun-Hui Hung along with two-time GRAMMY Award-nominee slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is springing into action with even more exciting shows added to its 2019-20 season that everyone can enjoy. Performances include must-see local talent, classical tunes, hysterical comedy and evengings of jazz and American Songbook greats. Below are just-announced shows and the remaining 2019-20 season to spring you forward and into summer.

The JCCSF welcomes the new year and the next decade with a collection of Arts & Ideas events for 2020, including the Bay area premier of a?oeLove Heals All Woundsa?? with Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, a special Mother's Day program with Alice Waters and Fanny Singer, and the return of Giants of Jazz on Film series with Mark Cantor.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will pay tribute to the work of outstanding business and community leaders at its Black History celebration on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, at the Billie Holiday Theatre at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration, 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn. The evening celebration begins with a Cocktail Hour at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Awards Ceremony at 7:15 p.m.

Alexia: The Untold Story of Women in Jazz comes to the Rialto Theatre, January 12.

Award winning cabaret singer Lisa Viggiano enters her 20th year in cabaret by kicking off 2020 at The Beach Cafe with a new show. Stephen Mosher chats with the powerhouse performer as 2019 comes to a close.

City Winery Chicago has released its schedule (1200 W. Randolph St) for the month. All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8:00 p.m., unless noted.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-733-WINE (9463) or by visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago.

Full casting has been announced for Chicken and Biscuits at Queens Theatre! 

Fresh off sold-out tours in Australia and the UK, Songs For Nobodies by Olivier Award nominated playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, asks the question, 'What if an essentially unremarkable human being had an encounter or connection with a huge star that changed the course of their life?' Ten women, all played by one extraordinary actress in Songs For Nobodies is running January 23rd through February 2nd at the Kranzberg Arts Center Black Box Theater in the Grand Center Arts District. Visit maxandlouie.com or call (314) 534-1111 for tickets.

Last night, CBS aired the 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors, which paid tribute to conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sally Field, Sesame Street, and Linda Ronstadt.

Variety reports that Audra McDonald and Geena Davis will be honored at this year's Artios Awards by the Casting Society of America.

Casting is set for Studio Theatre's production of Pipeline, playwright Dominique Morisseau's searing drama about the school-to-prison pipeline and a mother desperately trying to keep her son from becoming ensnared in it. The production runs January 15-February 16, 2020 and is directed by Awoye Timpo. Starring are DC theatre favorite Justin Weaks (Studio's Curve of Departure) as high school student Omari and Andrea Harris Smith making her Studio debut as his mother, public school teacher Nya. In its recent People Issue, Washington City Paper's called Weaks a 'standout,' going on to say: 'D.C. theater audiences love Justin Weaks. ...Weaks came to D.C. for a job about four years ago, not expecting to stay. But he kept getting cast in shows, and lucky for local theatergoers, he's still here.'

Vevo announces the release of Cold War Kids' live performances of “Complainer” and “Beyond The Pale.” As they grew from quirky mid-2000s blog darlings into a rock band with a polished yet passionate sound, Cold War Kids' music spanned influences as diverse as Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, Nick Cave, and U2. The group's shifting lineup reflected their evolving sound over the years, from the stomping blues-punk of 2006's debut Robbers & Cowards to the slick alt-rock of 2011's Mine Is Yours. Cold War Kids grew more anthemic, and more popular, as time went on: 2017's L.A. Divine, which celebrated the mythos of their adopted hometown as well as the power of sweeping rock, made the Top 10 of Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.

Today Norfolk & Norwich Festival has announced new acts for its 2020 line up. John Grant will play Great Yarmouth Hippodrome on Friday 8 May; Kandace Springs will play St Andrew's Hall on Tuesday 12 May and Frozen Light will perform at The Garage on Tuesday 12 - Saturday 16 May.

'What could be better than a play that asks you to shout? Well, one that asks you to sing. All this fun is part of an updated version of 'The Brave Little Tailor...' My son also thought of another reason that Seven in One Blow is the greatest play ever: the actors pass out candy at the end.'-The New York Times

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces world-renowned violinist Damien Escobar, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, three-time Grammy winner Taj Mahal, and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Friday, December 6 at noon. Tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

WNYC and the Apollo Theater will present WNYC's 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration, 'The Strategic King: MLK's Visionary Leadership,' as part of the Apollo's Uptown Hall series, on Sunday, January 12 at 3pm.

The year may be winding down, but Queens Theatre is just getting started with a trio of Queens debuts, two Family Series shows based on beloved children's books and the launch production of a family comedy that was a hit with our Reading Series audiences.

The year may be winding down, but Queens Theatre is just getting started with a trio of Queens debuts, two Family Series shows based on beloved children's books and the launch production of a family comedy that was a hit with our Reading Series audiences.