Grammy Winner Porter To Perform in Pgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACTS
Show Publicist: Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org
Other Contact: Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org
Images available:  TrustArts.org/Press
Search Name: Gregory Porter

THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES
GREGORY PORTER
HONORED WITH 1st GRAMMY® AWARD
BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM: "LIQUID SPIRIT”

PITTSBURGH, PA:  Gregory Porter has won his first Grammy® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album Liquid Spirit.  Porter’s award was announced at the 56th Annual Grammy® Awards held on Sunday, January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles.

Gregory Porter, who has been deemed as a disarmingly sincere jazz and R& B performer with a groove that never quits, possesses a voice of incredible virtuosity and a seemingly universal appeal as a songwriter.

Porter will perform at The Cabaret at Theater Square on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. Ticket cost $30.75.  For information, visit TrustArts.org, call (412) 456-6666, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, located at 655 Penn Avenue.  This event is part of the BNY Mellon | Jazz, JazzLive Cabaret Sessions 2014.

Enjoy food & drinks before the show, right at your table! Your ticket is your reservation - simply arrive early (60-90 minutes before curtain) for the most attentive lunch or dinner service. For more information, visit CLOCabaret.com and select "Experience the CLO Cabaret."

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Raised in California, Porter’s mother was a minister, and he cites the Bakersfield Southern Gospel sound, as well as his mother’s Nat King Cole record collection, as fundamental influences on his own sound. Porter began singing in small jazz clubs in San Diego while attending San Diego State University on a football scholarship, where he played outside linebacker. Eventually it was music that Porter chose to pursue full-time at the encouragement of local musicians including his mentor Kamau Kenyatta.

Kenyatta invited Porter to visit him in the studio in Los Angeles, where he was producing the flutist Hubert Laws’ album Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole. When Laws overheard Porter singing along while he was tracking the Charlie Chaplin song “Smile,” the flutist was so impressed with the young singer that he decided to include Porter on the album.

Another fortunate twist of fate was the presence in the studio that day of Laws’ sister, Eloise, a singer who was soon to join the cast of a new musical theater production It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues. Porter had minimal theatrical experience but was cast in one of the show’s lead roles when the play opened in Denver, and he eventually followed it to Off-Broadway and then Broadway, where The New York Times, in its 1999 rave review, mentioned Porter among the show’s “powerhouse line up of singers.” It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues went on to earn both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations that year.

Porter eventually put down roots in Brooklyn, and in 2010 released his debut album Water (Motéma Music), which earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. His sophomore album Be Good (Motéma Music) followed in 2012 and earned him his second GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

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 land masses “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 Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.
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Photos Courtesy of the Artist

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

Elaine Paige at The Cabaret

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Today's date: February 12, 2013
Contact: Diana Roth, roth@trustarts.org

Elaine Paige, March 12, Cabaret at Theater Square

Pittsburgh, PA: Broadway veteran Elaine Paige will be performing at The Cabaret at Theater Square on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The performance is part of the Trust Cabaret Series, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, which provides the opportunity for audiences to experience some of the finest Cabaret Acts in the entertainment industry. Elaine Paige is bringing her powerhouse vocals to Pittsburgh for one night only.

For information and tickets ($35.00-$45.00): visit TrustArts.org, call (412) 456-6666, or in person: Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue. To purchase 10 or more tickets at discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930. Additionally, food and beverages are available for purchase. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust gratefully acknowledges the Benter Foundation and Richard E. Rauh for their generous support of the Trust Cabaret Series, which is arranged in cooperation with rj productions.

Elaine Paige, actress, recording artist, concert performer, producer and broadcaster, Oliver Award winner and 5 time nominee, originated the roles of Eva Peron in Evita, Grizabella in Cats – where the song Memory became her signature - and Florence in Chess. Other credits include Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd, Anything Goes, The King and I and Drowsy Chaperone. Through these productions, Paige made a major contribution to the modern musical and solidified her place in the entertainment world by becoming “The First Lady of Musical Theatre.”

Paige has performed in concert worldwide from The White House to the Bolshoi and has appeared in many television roles including her own TV specials and Royal Variety Shows. She has release 22 solo albums, where nine were certified gold and four certified multiplatinum. Paige hosts a weekly radio show “Elaine Paige on Sunday” on BBC Radio 2 and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Whether on stage or television, Paige continues to dazzle audiences with her signature vocals and fun-loving personality.

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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

Pittsburgh's Tom Rocco Celebrates Release of Live-Recorded CD

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Presents Tom Rocco’s “My Big, Fat, Proposition 8 Wedding.”

Sunday, June 5 Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue

www.pgharts.org


Pittsburgh, PA…”Tom Rocco is blissfully brilliant on every level.” Andrew Martin, www.NiteLifeExchange.com

Pittsburgh-bred, NYC-based actor and singer, Tom Rocco, will be coming home to the Cabaret at Theater Square on Sunday, June 5th to celebrate the release of his new, live-recording CD, “My Big, Fat, Proposition 8 Wedding.”

In the past several years Rocco has added cabaret artist to his resume, culminating in his winning of a 2010 MAC Award, cabaret’s highest honor (presented by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs), for his show, “My Big, Fat, Proposition 8 Wedding.” This show had its debut in Pittsburgh at the Cabaret at Theater Square where, in fact, the soon to be released live-recording took place. “I have such deep respect for my Pittsburgh musicians and such a love of performing in front of a Pittsburgh crowd that it was a no-brainer to debut the show here,” Rocco says, citing pianist Deana Muro, bassist Paul Thompson and drummer R.J. Heid. The show then went on to have a successful run in New York City at The Metropolitan Room and Rocco even flew Muro to NYC for those gigs to continue her role as Musical Director.

Rocco grew up on Pittsburgh’s Northside and attended Oliver High School. He received a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Point Park University. He cut his teeth with the usual suspects of the Pittsburgh theater scene…from Don Brockett Productions to the Pittsburgh Playhouse to Pittsburgh Musical Theatre to CLO and has been seen onstage at the Byham, Heinz Hall and the Benedum. His credits over the past two decades also include playing Uncle Ernie in the Broadway production of “The Who’s Tommy” as well as stints off-Broadway and in national tours. Yet he always welcomes the chance for warmly-received trips home to the stages of Pittsburgh.

The show celebrating the CD release will be on Sunday, June 5th, 2011 at the Cabaret at Theater Square at 5:30pm. Tickets will be $18 with $10 student tickets available.

“It’s wonderful to come full circle, in a way,” says Rocco, “and do the show in Pittsburgh again to celebrate the CD release.”

Additionally in June, Rocco will be taking on the role of Felix Ungar in Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland, PA. His friend and colleague, Gavan Pamer, serves as Artistic Director of LPPAC and Rocco is delighted to experience their state-of-the-art facilities. “It’s the kind of theater that actors dream of working in,” Rocco says. Plus, it gives him a chance to be in the Pittsburgh area catching up with friends and family. Performances of “The Odd Couple” will be 6/17-6/19 and 6/24-6/26.

For more information on Rocco, or to be directed to his clips on YouTube, please visit www.tomrocco.com.

"Sweet Poppa Lou" Performs at the Cabaret

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Veronica Corpuz, 412-471-6082

Jazz Legend “Sweet Poppa Lou”

LOU DONALDSON

performs with his quartet at the Cabaret at Theater Square

Tuesday, November 23, 2010, at 8 p.m.

Pittsburgh, PA: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s JazzLive series presents the legendary Lou Donaldson and his quartet on Tuesday, November 23, 2010, at 8:00 pm at the Cabaret Theater. Tickets ($25-$30) are on sale at the Theater Square Box Office, via phone at 412-456-6666, and online at pgharts.org. JazzLive is sponsored by Bank of New York Mellon, DUQ 90.5 FM, the New Pittsburgh Courier, and Pittsburgh Jazz Society.

Jazz critics agree that “Sweet Poppa Lou” Donaldson is one of the greatest alto saxophonists of all time. He began his career as a bandleader with Blue Note Records in 1952 and, at the age of 25, he found his sound, though it would continue to sweeten over the years -- earning him his famed nickname --“Sweet Poppa Lou.”

He cut a series of classic records for Blue Note in the 50’s that showcased many musicians who made their first records as sidemen for him: Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Grant Green, Blue Mitchell, Donald Byrd, Horace Parlan, and others. After also making some excellent recordings for Cadet and Argo Records in the early 60s, Lou’s return to Blue Note in 1967 was marked by one of his most famous recordings, Alligator Bogaloo. Lou was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by North Carolina A & T University and a scholarship was established in his name that is awarded to the most gifted jazz musician at North Carolina A & T University each year. He was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame and is the recipient of countless other honors and awards for his outstanding contributions to jazz, America’s “classical music.”

At 83, he is one of the truly great active figures in hard bop. He continues to tour nationally, playing in New York at the Village Vanguard and twice a year and the Birdland Club. He also attends many jazz festivals and concerts around the world. He still plays with the same power and dexterity of his youth, while bringing a hearty sense of humor to the bandstand. “Blues Walk,” Donaldson’s theme song, as well as “Alligator Boogaloo,” his first big hit in the funk era of the late 1960’s, are always the highlight of every session.

His current quartet features the musical excellence of Randy Johnston on guitar, Pat Bianchi on organ and Fukushi Tainaka on drums.
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Wine Anyone?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Veronica Corpuz, 412-471-6082

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s popular Wednesday Wine Flights return to the Cabaret at Theater Square

PITTSBURGH… The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Wednesday Wine Flights are back. It’s a great opportunity to discover new wines, gather with friends and meet other wine enthusiasts in the heart of the Cultural District. Each hour-long class is held on the first Wednesday of each month, September through December, in the intimate setting of the Cabaret at Theater Square.

Join area wine experts and special guests to sample and discuss wine selections. Each Wednesday Wine Flight session includes thoughtfully paired light fare which makes for a delightful experience.

The forthcoming Wednesday Wine Flight series will feature:

September 1

Briar Valley Vineyard & Winery

Meet vintner Tod Manspeaker and discover what exceptional wines are being crafted in neighboring Bedford, PA. Briar Valley Wines are featured at Eleven, Habitat, Hyeholde and other fine area restaurants. Visit briarvalleywinery.com to learn more about the winery and its offerings.

October 6

Que Syrah, Shiraz

Whether it’s a Shiraz from Australia or a Syrah from France or the U.S., delight in this versatile grape variety.

November 3

The Pacific Northwest

Move over California! Find out why wines from Washington State and Oregon are gaining in stature and popularity.

December 1

Pinot-licious

Sip and savor some tasty Pinot Noirs and Pinot Grigios.

For September through December, enrollment is $35 per person; each Wine Flight includes presentation, wine samplings and light fare. The Cabaret at Theater Square is located at 655 Penn Avenue in the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District. Wednesday Wine Flights begin at 6pm; doors open at 5:45pm

To subscribe to the Wednesday Wine Flight series, call 412-456-1390. For single tickets and more information, call 412-456-6666, visit pgharts.org or stop by the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue.
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