Kept - 2002 - Articles Page 16

This June, July and August, 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.

Houston

Kathy Evans, Founding Executive Director, announced the nine musicals and twenty-six writers selected for the 2014 Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, its fourth year of providing working retreats for musical theatre writers. For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 29th, each writing team will have an individual weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their musical. They are provided with a private home, transportation, food, and a stipend. All costs are fully funded by donors including The ASCAP Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noel Coward Foundation. Writers participating this year include Broadway's Mindi Dickstein (Little Women), this year's Kleban Prize winner Nathan Tysen (Burnt Part Boys), and Peter Mills, past winner of the Kleban, Fred Ebb Award, and Richard Rodgers prize. The musicals' subjects cover 19th century nautical mysteries, 20th century fairy tales, a 1970's gay bar, and modern-day meth addicts. Every score is original and styles include 16th century Renaissance, big band, folk, rock, and electronic music.

The New York Philharmonic will salute departing Principal Trumpet Philip Smith - who will step down from his position at the end of the 2013-14 season following 36 seasons of service - in A Celebration of Phil Smith, a concert featuring the New York Philharmonic Brass and Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Mr. Smith and Bramwell Tovey, July 5, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. The program will also include works that showcase brass: an arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's Procession of the Nobles; a Horn Quartet by Gershwin; Tomasi's Liturgical Fanfares; an arrangement of The Great Gate of Kiev from Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition; and Pollack's That's a Plenty, which the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet, of which Mr. Smith was a founding member, has frequently performed as an encore on the Orchestra's tours. Philharmonic musicians will introduce the works and speak about Mr. Smith.

I was just a little more than a year into my new side career as a cabaret show reviewer when I first saw a Karen Oberlin show. It was Valentine's Day night 2012 and Oberlin—with guitarist Sean Harkness and guest violinist Aaron Weinstein—would be performing her romance-laced set, Stringing Along With Love, at the Metropolitan Room. At the time, all I knew about Oberlin was that she was considered among New York's best female cabaret singers, and I hadn't researched her performing history pre-show. About a third of the way into her set I leaned over to my wife (it was Valentine's Day after all) and whispered, “You know, she has a real Doris Day quality in her voice and in the way she delivers some lyrics.” This immediately ratcheted up my appreciation for Oberlin since there are four passions I inherited from my Dad—baseball, reading the morning papers, sports writing and Doris Day (well, also Sophia Loren, but that's for another column). Since Dad had grown up during the prime of the Big Band Era of the 1940s, I heard the sultry sounds of a young Doris Day singing songs like “Sentimental Journey” on the family stereo more than a few times. Once I saw Day's strikingly adorable blondness on a record cover and her rocking body in one of her films, I knew what Dad was talking about. As popular, famous, and near iconic as Doris Day became, in my book, as a singer and screen beauty she's always been vastly underrated. Little did I know that Karen Oberlin had been doing a Doris Day tribute show so since 2001 at places like Firebird, Iridium, and the late Danny's Skylight Room, and produced a CD, Secret Love: The Music of Doris Day, in 2002. Karen Oberlin had instantly become my secret love.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County.

Tonight, May 2nd, 2014, Damn The Light Promotions (a nightlife based production and promotion company founded by Mike Greco and MaryAnne Piccolo) brings their monthly tribute event 'Midnight Special' to the lower eastside rock and roll club The Delancey. This all-star evening will showcase some of New York City's premiere vocalists from both the downtown rock and roll scene and theatre community.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. The Trumpet of the Swan, part of the Jack Elliott Family Concert Series, runs for a limited engagement, this weekend, May 2 - 4, 2014 at the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County.

COLUMBIA, S.C., April 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The University of South Carolina Press is proud to announce the forthcoming publication of a new memoir by James E. Clyburn entitled, Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black. In moving and personal prose, the civil rights activist, South Carolina political icon and confidant to President Barack Obama describes his rise from the Jim Crow-era South to become, as President Obama describes him, 'one of a handful of people who, when they speak, the entire Congress listens.'

On Friday, May 2nd, 2014, Damn The Light Promotions (a nightlife based production and promotion company founded by Mike Greco and MaryAnne Piccolo) brings their monthly tribute event "Midnight Special" to the lower eastside rock and roll club The Delancey. This all-star evening will showcase some of New York City's premiere vocalists from both the downtown rock and roll scene and theatre community.

Spring is in the air, as are the sounds of a nationally-acclaimed Iowa pianist in concert halls across the state. International Steinway Artist Jim McDonough and his orchestra are currently touring Iowa with his '2014 SPRING TOUR.' McDonough has sold a quarter- million CDs, and has performed breathtaking concerts for tens of thousands of Iowans.

After more than a decade of notoriety on labels such as Cocoon, B-Pitch and Visionquest, French producer David K's debut album, 'Out of Range,'

Spring is in the air, as are the sounds of a nationally-acclaimed Iowa pianist in concert halls across the state. International Steinway Artist Jim McDonough and his orchestra are currently touring Iowa with his "2014 SPRING TOUR." McDonough has sold a quarter- million CDs, and has performed breathtaking concerts for tens of thousands of Iowans.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its May 2014 schedule, featuring Steve Kuhn Trio, Joey DeFrancesco Organ Quartet, Karrin Allyson, BOSSABRASIL Festival, and more.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. The Trumpet of the Swan, part of the Jack Elliott Family Concert Series, runs for a limited engagement, May 2 - 4, 2014 at the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Nancy Laurie, Founder and Board President of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, announced the appointment of Alexandra Damiani as the company's new Artistic Director effective immediately. Damiani has worked with Cedar Lake since 2005 as Ballet Master and Rehearsal Director of the 16-member troupe. Crystal Pite will join Cedar Lake as Associate Choreographer contributing a minimum of two works over the next three years.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Managing Director William Russo, has announced its 2014/15 Season.

Actor Josh Charles, star of the critically acclaimed CBS drama series THE GOOD WIFE, discussed the unexpected and shocking death of his character, Will Gardner

Austin's multi-award winning world music band, Atash, shall release their long-awaited 3rd album, Everything Is Music, worldwide today, March 25, 2014, featuring the pan-cultural alchemy of sound the group is so famous for, and incorporating heavyweight musicians from the worlds's stage such as world jazz guitarist Fareed Haque, Uzbek doira (frame drum) master Abbos Kosimov, and tabla maestro Subrata Bhattacharya along with fellow local indie Indo-rock songstress Naga Valli and members of the Haitian boys' choir Les Petits Chanteurs. In one sense, the album is over a decade in the making, in that it is the international collective's first studio album since their 2003 debut, republic of love, itself the winner of an Austin Music Award in 2004. Everything Is Music captures some of the live essence of the band, reflecting the closer telepathic connection between the musicians that has been earned through many diverse experiences over its long career.

On Sunday, April 13 2014, Pace Presents will welcome ORQUESTA ARAGON - Charanga Cubana, curated by LiveSounds.org at The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. Doors at 6:30pm, Show at 7:30pm. Tickets: $35.

The Pasadena Playhouse announced Bruce Davison, Sharon Lawrence and RoxAnne Hart to star in A SONG AT TWILIGHT by Noel Coward, the fifth production of its 2013 - 2014 Season. A SONG AT TWILIGHT is performed tonight, March 18 to April 13; the press opening is Sunday, March 23.

After more than a decade of notoriety on labels such as Cocoon, B-Pitch and Visionquest, French producer David K's debut album, 'Out of Range,'

Daniel Mantei joined American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company in 2002 and became a member of American Ballet Theatre in 2003. Through his work, Mantei aims to explore themes of humanism by infusing classically inspired movement with an intention of anatomical and kinetic awareness. In his latest work, he collaborates with the Ensemble of the Romantic Century (ERC) representing some of the Tchaikovsky's balletic works through dance both choreographed and performed by Mantei.