Happy Holly Daze: Go See a LIVE SHOW!

November 28, 2014

Happy Holly Daze: Go See a LIVE SHOW!

The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times.
-Zig Ziglar

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends with no indigestion...of any kind! I truly get into the excitement of this time of year. It has gotten less about presents and more about presence. That is to be truly present at all times, not only within myself, but as far as family, friends, and fellow entertainers are concerned!

Being in this business is both a blessing and a curse. It is a curse mostly because of the daily "demands" and requests that are put upon us.
I say this with deep affection for all of my entertainer friends.

How lucky we are in New York that we have so many shows available to us each and every day. If I were to see three shows a night every night for the next 365 days, I still wouldn't see everything.
My wish is that every town and city had the same options.
I saw an interview a few years ago with William Shatner in which he was asked about the secret of his success. He answered that he gets out of the house.

It is very easy, especially in this 'social' media age, to become very isolated. My advice is to get out and do socially. Take a friend or two to see a LIVE show as your holiday gift! Also, when you do go to these shows, strike up a conversation with someone you don't know.
I do it all the time and I have met some amazing people who have become friends. There are a few shows that I highly recommend to put you in a celebratory mood.
To find out more about what's going on, CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE for 25 years has been promoting the art and artists of cabaret.

TONIGHT and TOMORROW at Cafe Noctambulo at Pangea the brilliant Mark Nadler 8 and 10PM! TICKETS: RESERVATIONS: 212 995 0900

I am very excited to end my holiday weekend with a show celebrating Judy Garland. What could be better on a Sunday afternoon. This will take place at The Metropolitan Room at 4PM.
From Somewhere Over The Rainbow To Purple People Eater, Judy Garland sang them all, and on November 30th, some of cabarets most talented performers will celebrate The Life and Music of Judy Garland. Produced by Award winning cabaret producer Joseph Macchia, An Evening Of

Garland will feature some of cabaret's best and brightest talents. The evening will feature some of her biggest hits as well as some obscure ones.

So join me as they take us over the Rainbow with the music of The World's Greatest Entertainer Judy Garland. Then join me afterwards at Almond also on 22nd Street. Bismarck is the perfect host and it is one of my favorite restaurants.

Performing at This Is Your Night, Bobbie Horowitz

These shows are a perfect opportunity to see several entertainers, many of which have shows or CDs (great stocking stuffers!) to promote. I was lucky enough earlier this week to be part of such a night when I was part of the cast honoring Bobbie Horowitz in This Is Your Night, also at The Metropolitan Room.
One such show that I am really excited about this week takes place uptown on Thursday night, December 4th at one of New York's longest running cabaret rooms, Don't Tell Mama. This show is called It Was A Very Good Year.

Don't Tell Mama, December 4th, 9:15PM

This is a showcase of all that have been directed by Lennie Watts.

Lennie is a 10 time MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets), 5 time Backstage Bistro, and 3 time Nightlife Award winner. Recognized as an outstanding vocalist, director, producer, and booking manager, he has been active in the New York cabaret scene for over 20 years. In addition to directing in small cabaret venues, he has directed events at Symphony Space, Town Hall, and BB Kings.

This year, I had the pleasure of doing press for Peggy Eason, Jim Speake, and Kim Grogg. I am very excited to celebrate this evening. DVR Peter Pan and join us there.

Speaking of Kim Grogg, you have two more chances to catch her audience pleasing and critically acclaimed Go Where The Love Is. You can read the blog I did on Kim HERE. I have seen the show twice and each time I leave on such a HIGH! We ALL need to go where the love is. There has been so much heartache in the world in recent weeks. I believe that if ALL of us began or ended each day with a song, there would be no violence in the world. Please join me Friday night.

On the 8th, I am very excited to announce that I will be hosting Dancers Over 40 Legacy Awards!

They are back at LIPS Restaurant, and this time there will be live entertainment by the staff! So, yes, you will see your waiters like you’ve never seen them before! Here are the honorees for this year – a great bunch dancers who have contributed decades of brilliant dancing to the American stage.

Jerry Mitchell

Penny Worth

Dancers Over 40’s last event of 2014, the annual Legacy Awards presentation, is its most joyous. This holiday celebration and awards event honoring their very own members will be held on Monday, December 8th, 6 – 9pm at LIPS Restaurant, 227 East 56th Street.

This year’s extravaganza is hosted by that Impresario of the Internet, the biggest of the bloggers and confidant of celebs and celebutants, ME – my third foray into their Awards dinner – they hope I will get it right this time! Also on hand this year, special performances by the LIPS staff and special guests!

Each of the honorees hold a special place in the world of dance and all have contributed to promoting

Dancers over 40 and the History, Legacy and Lives of the dance community. DO40 Advisory Board Member Jerry Mitchell will be honored this year along with DO40 founding member Eileen Casey and tried-and-true gypsies Carolyn Kirsch, Penny Worth and Paul Berne. These five individuals’ careers span over 50 years in show business, and have worked with all the greats – Robbins, Fosse, Bennett, Champion, de Mille, Gennaro, Layton and more. Please join us in celebrating their History, their Legacy and their Lives if you're in the NYC area on December 8th!

Tickets on sale NOW!! $50 for non-members $30 for members of Dancers Over 40 with discount code. Reservations: Telecharge, 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com; DO40 members call 212-947-8844 or www.broadwayoffers.com with discount code. St. Luke’s Box Office open 2 – 6pm daily, at 308 West 46th Street. For more information on DO40 and this event, call our Hotline at 212-330-7016.

(MEMBERS NOTE: Your discount code has been “shortened” for this event! See your member eblast for more details!)

Jeffrey Solomon in The Santa Closet at Stage 72 at The Triad (Photo by Bree Michael Warner)

I was lucky enough to see The Santa Closet earlier this week at Stage 72 at The Triad starring Jeffrey Soloman. He will be doing one more show in NYC before taking in to Peekskill and then on to LA.

Read the BLOG I did on Jeffrey HERE. It is a fun show that asks the question, What if Santa was gay? I highly recommend this show. Under the direction of Joe Brancato, not only does it make you think, it will give you a lot of laughs.

Also at Stage 72 at The Triad, Jerry Costanzo brings his new show celebrating the legacy of Frank Sinatra. The show is called Sinatra Inspired. Jerry Costanzo and his Orchestra: Sinatra Inspired

Friday, December 12th at 9:15 PM (On the occasion of what would have been Sinatra’s 99th Birthday!)

BUY ONLINE: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/925453
GENERAL ADMISSION $20.00 ($21.69 W/SERVICE FEE)
*PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE HAS A 2-DRINK MINIMUM

At the top of this blog, I included the poster for The Many Sounds of Christmas. This is a TRADITIONAL holiday show that I am really looking forward to. You can join me either on December 21st at 4PM or December 22nd at 7PM. A NEW New York City holiday tradition, This year’s edition will feature The Salvatones (vocal ensemble), New York Virtuosi (String Ensemble), Stephen Fraser (Organist), all under the direction of Daniel Brondel, who is Associate Director of Music at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The program will include holiday gems, cherished Christmas carols for everyone to sing together (O Come, All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World, among others), a brief excerpt from Handel's Messiah, Corelli's Christmas concerto, and some rarely-heard gems like Paul Halley's jazzy arrangement of Go, Tell It on the Mountain, French carol Noël nouvelet, the Nigerian carol Betelehemu, and of course a touching arrangement of Silent Night.

Salvatore Diana

New York-based professional vocal ensemble, The Salvatones consists of passionate, committed singers led by artistic director Daniel Brondel. Since 2010, their impressive vocal artistry has been dazzling and delighting audiences in concert as well as in private and public events. The Salvatones envisions a world where vocal music becomes vital and will work toward this vision with a mission to foster greater appreciation and widen accessibility by cultivating new audiences through high-quality vocal music performances, inventive educational programs, creative partnerships, and social and digital media engagement. Their debut album, Wonderful World, goes on sale this winter. Follow The Salvatones on Facebook and Twitter or visit Salvatones.com for more information.

Stephen R. Fraser, a native of St. Catharine’s,

Stephen R. Fraser

Ontario, Canada, has completed degrees in music at the University of Toronto, the Eastman School of Music, and Yale University. In New York, Stephen has served as director of music at The Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal), and assistant organist at St. Patrick's Cathedral. As a composer, he was winner of the 2008 American Guild of Organists/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition. This past April, he won the 2nd prize (ex-aequo) in the 2nd International Composition Competition for Sacred Music Pope Benedict XVI. Stephen is currently director of music and organist at Christ the King Parish in Yonkers, and coir director at the St. Margaret of Cortona School in Riverdale.

The New York Virtuosi is an international string orchestra comprised of The Julliard School of Music, The Manhattan School of Music and other prestigious musical university graduates.

The New York Virtuosi

The New York Virtuosi was created by violist, Peter Kiral.

Since its inception in 2012, The New York Virtuosi has performed throughout New York City as well as cities, festivals and venues along the east coast, such as The Stony Brook University Concert Series, The Rahway Musical Festival, The Planting Fields Foundation in Oyster Bay, NY, The Soofser Concert Series in NYC, The Embassy Concert Series in Washington, DC and The Monday Night Concert Series in Charleston, South Carolina to name a few.

The New York Virtuosi is currently scheduling an Easter tour in select cities across the country. Commencing with the arrival of Spring (late March/early April), the New York Virtuosi will celebrate this annual rejuvenation with the performance of Joseph Haydn's Seven Last Words.

Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit newyorkvirtuosi.com to learn more and to view their video gallery.

Daniel Brondel is the Associate Director of Music at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, playing the pipe organ at Masses each week that are broadcast live on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and streamed online worldwide.

He assists in the direction of the cathedral choir while also managing the organ recital and visiting choir concert series. Daniel performs solo organ recitals in the United States, Puerto Rico, France, Austria and Germany and his first solo-organ album, The Glory of the Organ, recorded at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, is one of the top-selling albums on the JAV label and is available in the Cathedral's Gift Shop, from JAV Recordings, and on iTunes. Daniel is a graduate of the

Daniel Brondel

Eastman School of Music, where he studied organ and improvisation and holds a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance.

At Eastman, he did doctoral work in organ and musicology, and studied voice. During his entire college career, he was a singer and French-diction coach for the Grammy-Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus, directed by the late Robert Shaw. Shaw, considered unofficially the "Dean" of American choral conductors, was a mentor to Daniel and is a major influence in own direction of vocal ensembles. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists as well as a founder and the artistic director of The Salvatones.

A native of southern France, Mr. Brondel has lived in the United States since 1988 and in New York City since 2004.

St. Peter's, the first Roman Catholic Parish in New York, was established in 1785 on the site it still occupies. Federal, state, and city agencies have declared the present church a landmark. Among its most important qualities, St. Peter's Church is an outstanding example of Greek revival architecture. Located just steps away from Ground Zero, St. Peter's played a central role in assisting with the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the rescuers and served as command station for government relief agencies. As a result of these activities, the chapel had to be completely restored.

St. Peter's Catholic Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)

Today, St. Peter's Church embraces its role as a center for the growing residential community in Lower Manhattan, Tribeca, and Battery Park City.
TICKET INFORMATION
The Many Sounds of Christmas
Ticket Price: $25 ($35 if purchased at the door)
Please select your desired performance date:
Tickets:
$25 advance
$35 at door
http://manysoundsofchristmas.com/?p=buy-nyc-chrsitmasshow-tickets
CONTACT
Phone: 212-784-6176
Email: info@ManySoundsOfChristmas.com

I hope to see you there!

If you're in the holiday giving mode, please help save a New York City landmark. Watch Liza Minnelli and