The Black Rep Closes BILLIE HOLIDAY March 10

It's May 1959. A New York club is the stage for a stunning night of music - the last performance of the soulful, incomparable Billie Holiday. Critically acclaimed jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin portrays the legend in a night of song and story, featuring Billie's unforgettable classics including "My Man", "Strange Fruit", and "God Bless the Child" from February 24 through March 10, 2010 at The Black Rep.

Vanessa Rubin (Billie Holiday) Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio to parents from Trinidad and Louisiana, Vanessa arrived steeped in great musical traditions.  After achieving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Ohio State University, Rubin taught school for a number of years, all the while with both feet squarely in the jazz lexicon on a path towards a career in music.  Along the way she played the regional joints and concerts, dabbled in band management, and continued to hone her skills. Clearly Vanessa Rubin's musical skills do not end on the bandstand.  She's not only a vocalist, lyricist, and composer, she's a producer, arranger. As an educator she was cited for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education by the International Association of Jazz Educators. She is also a consultant/facilitator, and music student adjudicator engaged by such auspicious institutions as the Thelonious Monk Institute, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center.  Labeled one of the "Diva Nouvelles" by Essence Magazine, Vanessa Rubin continues on a sure and true sojourn towards mastering her craft.

Joining Ms. Rubin on stage are three outstanding musicians: Levi Barcourt, musical director/Pianist, on bass is, David Jackson, and Bernard Davis, on drums.

For ticket information and a performance schedule for Yesterdays: An Evening with Billie Holiday, contact The Black Rep at 314-534-3810.

The Black Rep is the country's largest and premier professional, African-American theatre, providing platforms for interpretation of theatre, dance and other creative expressions from the African-American perspective. The Company is committed to entertaining diverse audiences, educating promising youth and enriching our community through its mainstage productions and educational programs that touch the lives of more than 150,000 people each year. The Black Rep receives sustaining support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Arts Council, Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts and Education Council. For more information call 314.534.3810 and www.theblackrep.org.