Jessye Norman News

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) 2008 Summer Gala honored Public Theater Board Member David Rockwell for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the institution for the past 20 years.

The Actors Fund concert series entitled Musical Mondays, a series of Cabaret events in the lobby of the historic Pantages Theatre, will return this year. Produced by John Bowab and Martin Wiviott, all shows include pre-show cocktail reception at 7:30 pm and post-show dessert reception with the artists. On Monday March 24, the series kicks off with a tribute to Ron Abel. Scheduled to appear are Lucie Arnaz, Loretta Devine, Joely Fisher, Joey Gian, Marsha Kramer, Wayne Moore, Valarie Pettiford, Linda Purl and Giselle Wolf. The reception begins at 7:30 and the program at 8:30. The Pantages Theater Lobby is at 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. Tickets are $125 per concert. Call 323-933-9244 ext. 59.

'Musical Mondays,' the Actors Fund concert series in the lobby of the historic Pantages Theatre, returns Monday March 24 at 8:30PM with Ron Abel and appearances by Lucie Arnaz, Loretta Devine, Joely Fisher, Joey Gian, Marsha Kramer, Wayne Moore, Valarie Pettiford, Linda Purl and Giselle Wolf

On March 3rd at 7:30PM the University of Michigan Entertainment Coalition (UMEC) and the U of M Club of New York will present Bravo Blue! This 'Musical Homecoming' Concert will feature over 40 U of M alumni professionals and friends in a fast paced sampler of musical theatre, classical and contemporary music, jazz, opera, and dance. The performance will be held at the Peter Norton Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia on Broadway at 95th St at 7:30PM.

New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) continues its 20th Anniversary season by presenting Bastianello and Lucrezia, two newly commissioned comic operas by composers John Musto and William Bolcom with libretti by Mark Campbell. The concerts will take place on Tuesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 13 at 8PM, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, West 57th Street and 7th Avenue.

Three Mo' Tenors, currently playing off-Broadway at The Little Shubert Theater, recently celebrated Jessye Norman's 62nd Birthday by singing to the opera diva at Chez Josephine restaurant in Hells Kitchen on September 15.

Purchase College will mark its 40th Anniversary on November 12, 2007 with a gala at the Millenium Broadway Hotel/Hudson Theater to honor Jessye Norman, Helen Frankenthaler, Merce Cunningham, Douglas Durst and Ming Cho Lee with the first Nelson A. Rockefeller Awards for their contributions to the visual and performing arts or the environment.

At 8 pm on Wednesday, May 9th and Thursday, May 10th, the New York Festival of Song will perform We Open in Paris. Paris is the backdrop for four musical theatre works in vest-pocket NYFOS productions, including Jacques Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne and Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen.

Mother Courage, presented by the Public Theater, opened at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park on August 21st after beginning previews on August 8th

The New York Festival of Song, with Artistic Director Steven Blier and Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett, continues its 18th season on Tuesday January 31st with FATS AND FIELDS, a tribute to the song legacies of brilliant lyricist Dorothy Fields and prodigious piano virtuoso/singer/songwriter Fats Waller.

The New York Festival of Song, with Artistic Director Steven Blier and Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett, closes its 17th season on Wednesday, May 11th with LOST TRIBES OF VAUDEVILLE, at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, 129 West 67th St., beginning at 8 p.m.

The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) will continue its season with a program titled At Harlem's Height on Wednesday, February 23 at 8:00pm as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook in the Rose Theatre at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The featured soloists will be soprano Dana Hanchard, tenor Darius de Haas, and baritone James Martin, with Steven Blier at the piano.