Sting News

The Submission, A Mid-South premiere by Jeff Talbott will take over the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis April 4 and run through April 19, 2014. Raw, unsentimental, and sometimes fiercely funny, this play exposes prejudices among young artists one might think more liberal and progressive. A white male playwright submits a race-based play to a national theatre competition, but when it is selected for production he is faced with producing the fictitious African-American female whose name he invented as the playwright.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are proud to welcome world-renowned artist, Vonda Shepard, to Feinstein's at the Nikko for two performances only - tonight, March 21 (8 p.m.) and Saturday, March 22 (7 p.m.).

John Pizzarelli once again expertly switches (musical) hats at Cafe Carlyle with his new concert of bossa nova music. The evening is titled "Strictly Bossa Nova" and it features Daniel Jobim, grandson of the seminal Antonio Carlos Jobim and an ensemble of Brazilian musicians.

In her most daring and revealing project to date, five-time Grammy nominee, Tierney Sutton, pays homage to the revered pop singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in After Blue: The Joni Mitchell Project. Sutton puts her unique stamp on Joni Mitchell tunes going back to 'Both Sides Now' and 'Big Yellow Taxi' to more recent numbers like 'The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines,' 'Be Cool,' and 'Don't Go to Strangers.' Collaborating with Tierney this evening is Mark Summer on cello and Serge Merlaud on guitar.

Universal Music Enterprises, Stage Entertainment USA, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sylvester Stallone announced today the forthcoming release of the new original Broadway cast recording of ROCKY, on May 27th, 2014 (UMe). ROCKY has an original score by the Tony Award-winning team Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Once On This Island), who are the album's producers; additionally the score incorporates the iconic songs 'Eye Of The Tiger' and 'Gonna Fly Now.' The musical, which opened Thursday, March 13th at the historic Winter Garden Theatre, stars Andy Karl as Rocky, Margo Seibert as Adrian (making her Broadway debut), Terence Archie as Apollo Creed and features a superb ensemble.

Carrie Linquist of Memphis was the first reader last week to let me know Sullivan's Shakespeare-text request of me. Caliban speaks it in The Tempest as the drunken Stephano and Trinculo attempt to sing: 'That's not the tune!'

Broadway personality and SiriusXM Radio 'On Broadway' host Julie James will debut her new musical comedy, The Julie James Show, on Thursday, March 27th at 9:30 PM at 54 Below, it was announced today. To Broadway fans and 'On Broadway' listeners, Julie is best known as the effervescent host of 'Broadway Names with Julie James.' Now Julie utilizes a thrilling 3 ½ octave range with hilarious stories and songs to reveal a childhood obsession with jingles, theme songs and cast albums, as well as a performance background in opera and musical theatre, that would ultimately lead her to her role at SiriusXM where all of these elements combine into one incredible dream job.

Today we are talking to the founder and Vice President of Yamaha Entertainment Group who single-handedly spearheaded the incentive to create a one-of-a-kind work of pianistic art for iconic Tony Award-winning rock legend Elton John to utilize in a spectacular new concert experience called THE MILLION DOLLAR PIANO - the passionate and dedicated Chris Gero. Discussing all aspects of the impetus, development, design and actual building and subsequent employment of the technology created to craft the Million Dollar Piano itself, Gero sheds a light on the half-decade-spanning process of bringing the technological and artistic achievement to the stage and outlines Elton John's own participation in the project. Furthermore, Gero opens up about the new software developed for the project and how that has established a whole new avenue of live entertainment via the Yamaha Disklavier. On that note, Gero shares stories detailing his participation with various Disklavier showcase events and the possibilities afforded by the revolutionary new piano tech that will be spotlighted in his new documentary 88 - featuring performances by Elton John, Michael McDonald, Sara Bareilles, Jamie Collum and more. Additionally, Gero offers the 411 on Yamaha's participation in a wide range of specialty events, ranging from the silver piano Alicia Keys played on the Super Bowl to provided keys for Paul McCartney and more, as well as various Elton John charity benefits he has helmed over the years. All of that and much, much more in this behind the scenes look at the modern technical marvel that is Elton John's Million Dollar Piano and the man behind it!

From One Singular Sensation to The Way We Were, composer Marvin Hamlisch left a legacy of hits that have brightened Broadway and the musical catalogue of America forever. And so, The Philly POPS presented 'Marvin Hamlisch - A Musical Tribute' conducted by Larry Blank, Hamlisch's conductor, and three of his favorite singers: Donna McKechnie, Jodi Benson and Doug LaBrecque. The tribute took place on Friday, March 14-16 in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center. Blank and the guest artists not only presented wonderful musical memories with the audience, but they shared personal recollections of Marvin Hamlisch as well. Look below to check out photos from the event!

Violinist Jennifer Koh, known for her commanding, laser-focused performances and commitment to new repertoire, plays the New York premiere of Jennifer Higdon's The Singing Rooms, a large scale work for violin, chorus and orchestra with the New York Choral Society and Orchestra conducted by David Hayes at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 8:00 p.m.

The UW World Series brings Seattle audiences some of the most exciting artists and companies from around the globe. The tradition continues into the 2014-15 season with a stellar line-up of living masters and emerging talents curated by Artistic Director Michelle Witt in her third year of programming the Series. 23 artists and companies from over 21 countries will be represented, including Israel, Mali, Ukraine, Great Britain, Spain, France, Canada, Russia, Hungary, the USA, and the eleven countries that make up the Nile basin.

Chicago-based composer/solo pianist and singer-songwriter Peter Saltzman will perform Piano Diaries, a one-man show blending monologue and music, in the Athenaeum Theatre's Studio One, 2946 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, from May 28 - July 6, 2014, Saltzman has announced.

The Last Ship, with an original score by 16-time Grammy Award® winner Sting, will have its pre-Broadway World Premiere at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe) from June 10 - July 13, 2014. The Last Ship will open on Broadway in the fall of 2014. An epic yet intimate tale inspired by Sting's own childhood experiences, this World Premiere production features direction by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello (Wicked), a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan (Red) and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) and choreography by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award® Nominee Steven Hoggett (Once). Check out a just-released television spot for the musical below!

AXS TV, the TV home for music festivals, is proud to present the exclusive premiere of the 2013 MusiCares® gala, honoring the legendary Bruce Springsteen

Eleven half-hour episodes of 'Catch A Contractor' debut starting tonight, March 9 at 10PM ET/PT with two back-to-back new episodes on Spike TV.

Smuin Ballet closes its 20th Anniversary Season with two World Premieres and a Michael Smuin Classic, touring the Bay Area May 2 - June 7, 2014 in the XXcentric Spring Dance Series.

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Screenings sections, as well as the selections for the Storyscapes program.

Music Director and Conductor Michael Krajewski, the nationally recognized Pops conductor who performs with orchestras throughout the country, brings back his innovative programming and lighthearted approach with the 2014-2015 concert season of The Philly POPS. Encore Series, Inc, the presenter of The Philly POPS, is pleased to introduce this exciting series of concerts which begins in October, 2014 with the Era of ABBA, followed by Classic Soul. It continues with a salute to the American Songbook Then and Now and a visit to the movies with Epic Hollywood Soundtracks. The season ends with the Legends of Rock.

Landmark on Main Street's World Beat Series ends with the return of Eileen Ivers tonight, March 1, 2014 at 8 PM. Landmark thanks s World Beat Sponsors Entertainment One and Program Sponsors Finn MacCool's and WFUV Radio.

With a long and varied list of credits that reads like a Who's Who in Rock and Jazz (Weather Report, Miles Davis, Madonna, Sting, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Daft Punk, among countless others), Omar Hakim has long been regarded as one of the elite drummers on the scene. And because his services have been so in-demand since the '80s, his own solo projects have been few and far between. He debuted in 1989 with the aptly-named Rhythm Deep and followed up in 2000 with The Groovesmith, both of which showcased his writing-arranging skills along with his irrepressible prowess on the kit. Now, 14 years later, comes Hakim's crowning achievement to date. A powerful, genre-defying high energy concept album, We Are One boasts an all-star cast including keyboardist Rachel Z (Wayne Shorter, Peter Gabriel, Al Di Meola), guitarists Chieli Minucci (Special EFX) and Jimi Tunnell (Trilateral Commission) along with keyboardist, co-writer and arranger Scott Tibbs, bassist Jerry Brooks, vocalist Angel Rogers and special guests Gregoire Maret on harmonica and Bob Francheschini on tenor sax. For a few songs on the album, Omar also acts as multi-instrumentalist, performing on guitar, keyboards, bass and vocals.