Yanni World Tour Visits Pittsburgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shaunda Miles, Director of Public Relations, 412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org
Diana Roth, Communications Manager, 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

Images available: TrustArts.org/press
Search: YANNI 2014

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES
YANNI: WORLD TOUR 2014
August 16, 2014 | 8 p.m. | Benedum Center

Pittsburgh, PA—The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the Yanni: World Tour 2014. The Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series welcomes fans to experience Yanni in concert. Yanni’s orchestra composed of top musicians and vocalists from around the world will perform music selections from the beginning of his career to his latest album. Tickets are currently on sale ranging from $42.25 - $152.25.  The performance begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Benedum Center on August 16. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit TrustArts.org, or call 412-456-6666.

Yanni is an acclaimed performer and composer has influenced multiple genres of music through his talents. His performances have grasped the attention of the world and continue to leave audiences in amazement. The 2014 World Tour is traveling to over 20 countries including Chile, Argentina, Brazil, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Belarus, United States, and Canada.

Yanni is a Kalamata, Greece native who taught himself how to play the piano. Spending 15 hours a day on a piano and having perfect pitch contributed to his successful music career. His latest instrumental and vocal album, Inspirato, was released in April 2014 after four years of preparation. The music for this album took over 30 years because the creative inspiration stems from all of Yanni’s past loves. Inspiratoreached the number one spot on Billboard’s Top New Age Album category for 2014. Other albums that have topped the charts are Yanni’sYanni Mexicanisimo, released in October 2010 and Truth of Touch, released in February 2011. With more than 40 platinum and gold albums worldwide, two Grammy nominations, and over 25 million albums sold globally, Yanni is a living legend.

About The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest landmasses curated by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

Follow us on Twitter @CulturalTrust, and like us on Facebook.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Krystal Ann
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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Chances Are Johnny Mathis Returns to Heinz Hall with PSO

For Immediate Release
May 18, 2012

LEGENDARY SINGER JOHNNY MATHIS RETURNS TO HEINZ HALL FOR 2 SPECIAL CONCERTS WITH PSO
Concerts at 8 p.m. on June 30 & July 1

PITTSBURGH – Music legend Johnny Mathis will return to Heinz Hall for a special two-night concert series with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO).

The concerts will be at 8 p.m., Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1. Tickets, ranging from $35 to $125, may be purchased in person at the Heinz Hall box office at 600 Penn Ave., downtown, by calling 412.392.4900, or visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

 This is Mathis’ sixth performance with the PSO since 1973. His last performance was a sold-out concert series in July 2010.

From jazz to ballads to Broadway, Johnny Mathis has more than 50 years in the music business. Originally from Gilmer, Texas, Mathis was known not only for his singing ability but his athleticism as well. At San Francisco State, he gained additional fame as a high jumper. But Mathis gave up his chance to become a member of the USA Olympic Team and went to New York to record his first album in March 1956. The first album, Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song, was a collection of jazz oriented renditions of popular standards, and included such songs as Angel Eyes, and Easy to Love.

At his second recording session, in the fall of 1956, he recorded two singles. These songs were to become among his most popular all-time greatest hits: Wonderful, Wonderful and It’s Not For Me To Say. Subsequently, MGM Studios signed Mathis to sing “It’s Not For Me To Say” in the film Lizzie, in which he played a tavern piano bar singer. In 1958, he appeared in A Certain Smile, where he sang the title song playing himself in an elegant nightclub scene. Since then, Johnny’s voice has been used in countless Hollywood movies.

At one point in his career, according to record historian Joel Whitburn, Mathis was one of only five recording artists to have Top 40 Hits spanning each of his first four decades as a recording artist. His second No.1  hit single, Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (recorded with Deniece Williams), came almost 21 years after his very first No. 1 hit single, Chances Are.

Mathis has received several Grammy nominations. The first was for Misty in 1960 in the category of Best Male Vocal Performance - Single Record or Track. The second was in 1992 for In a Sentimental Mood / Mathis Sings Ellington in the category of Best Traditional Pop Performance. He also was nominated in 2006 for Isn’t it Romantic in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
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Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole Bring the Bayou to the Burgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Today's date:
January 11, 2012

Contact:
Veronica Corpuz
(412) 471-6082
corpuz@trustarts.org

Diana Roth
(412) 471-8717
roth@trustarts.org

Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at 7:30 PM, Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street

Resurrecting the ancient sounds of French and Spanish dances alongside the spiritual rhythms of the Congo tribes of West Africa, Louisiana musician Cedric Watson and band members Bijou Creole perform on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at 7:30 PM at the Byham Theater. The concert is a part of the Cohen and Grigsby Trust Presents Series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

One of the most promising talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole, and Louisianan Zydeco music, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy nominee from San Felipe, Texas, who made his first public appearance in Houston at age 19. “An aggressive and gifted reanimator of Louisiana Creole music, Cedric Watson sings in entrancing brays and yelps and plays fiddle and accordion in cocksure fashion” – The New York Times. Watson received a Grammy nomination for his self-titled debut album, released in 2008. He has performed on six additional full-length albums, including three with his own band, Bijou Creole – members: D’Jalma Garnier (fiddle and guitar), Ryan Poullard (drums), Lance Boston (clarinet), and “Zydeco” Mike Chaisson (percussion).

As a singer, fiddler, accordionist, and songwriter, Watson is a diverse young artist whose repertoire ranges from old Creole melodies to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs. The band also draws on various musical styles, often incorporating bluegrass or string band numbers into performance sets. Additionally, Watson composes almost all of the band’s songs on his own accordion. The band’s 2009 release L’ésprit Créole received a Grammy nomination and featured entirely original material. In 2011, Watson and the band released their self-produced album Le Soleil est Levé. The album features Watson's special mix of Caribbean and Cajun flavor, crossing international barriers while delivering songs of joy.

Drawing on their mixed cultural heritage and varied musical backgrounds, Watson and Bijou Creole combine Spanish, African, French, and Native American sounds to make a unique tapestry during their performance which “runs the gamut” of Cajun and Creole music. “[I]t manages to retain an organic quality that makes for an engaging listen. ... Stirring vocals weave expertly around and through well-crafted rhythms and melodies.” – Living Blues. Watson finds the interrelation of cultures in his music extremely important, particularly the Native American rhythms, and works to create a unique sound that is at once both progressive and nostalgic.

Tickets ($18.00-$35.00) for the February 8, 2012, performance of Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole at the Byham Theater may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

Posted on behalf of Joanne Quinn-Smith by Joyce Kane. Joyce is the Owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

LynnMarie's Wrap Your Heart Around It One-Woman Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Today's date: October 7, 2011

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces a one-night-only

performance by five-time Grammy nominee, LynnMarie

Sunday, October 23 2011, 7:00PM

Cabaret at Theater Square

655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

www.TrustArts.org



PITTSBURGH…The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce a Sunday evening performance by LynnMarie of her one-woman show, Wrap Your Heart Around It – A Journey from Depression to Dessert on Sunday, October 23rd. There will be one performance at 7:00PM. For more information, please contact Randy Kirk at 412-325-6766, or at kirk@pgharts.org.

Wrap Your Heart Around It – A Journey from Depression to Dessert is an engaging one-woman show filled with both poignancy and fun starring five-time Grammy nominee LynnMarie. You’ll be encouraged and entertained, through stories and songs, as LynnMarie reveals how growing up in an ethnic dysfunctional family, being the Adult Child of an Alcoholic, a Special Needs parent and a fumbling, faith-searching woman, all lead her on the road back to joy.

The fans and critics have spoken: Robert Deaton, Executive Producer of the Country Music Awards, said, "LynnMarie takes you to a place that's raw, fierce and healing. Her story applies to all of us. I walked away with hope.” Lori Duke, the parent of a child with special needs, agrees: “Prepare to be inspired. LynnMarie's honesty and courage will move you beyond belief!” And Blair Gardner, national radio personality says, “LynnMarie provides an unflinching account of what it means to overcome life’s greatest challenges. You leave the performance hungry to mount an assault on what holds you back!” The artist, who has performed her unique style of accordion music throughout the U.S. and Europe, as well as on The Tonight Show says, “Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets The Vagina Monologues!

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Doors to the Backstage Bar will open at 5:00PM. Seating and dinner/tapas service (optional, see below) is at 6:00PM. Performance to begin at 7:00PM.

Dine at the Cabaret! You can enjoy dinner, drinks & dessert right at your theater table. Your ticket is also your dinner reservation - simply arrive early enough for our service staff to take care of you before the show begins. The doors to the theater will open at approximately 6:00PM for seating and service, so plan to arrive between 6:00-6:30PM for the most attentive dinner service, or closer to curtain for drinks.

Tickets are priced at $25.75 and are available by calling 412-456-6666, or online at TrustArts.org.

Contact Randy Kirk at 412-325-6766, or kirk@pgharts.org for more information or hi-res pictures.
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