Il Divo, Lea Salonga Perform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Show Publicist: Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org
Other Contact: Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org
Images available:  TrustArts.org/Press

Search Name: 2014 IL DIVO

THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL VOCALISTS

IL DIVO

A MUSICAL AFFAIR: THE GREATEST SONGS OF BROADWAY LIVE TOUR

WITH SPECIAL GUEST, BROADWAY’S 

LEA SALONGA

TO PERFORM IN PITTSBURGH

Sunday, May 18, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. | Benedum Center

PITTSBURGH, PA:  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces Il Divo, with special guest Lea Salonga, will perform on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at 7:30 pm, at the Benedum Center.  Following a successful week of concerts in November 2013 at New York City’s Marquis Theater, Il Divo, the record-breaking classical crossover group, is bringing IL DIVO A MUSICAL AFFAIR: THE GREATEST SONGS OF BROADWAY LIVE to theaters across the U.S. and Canada as part of their world tour.

This concert tour is promoted by Live Nation and supports the group’s sixth studio album A Musical Affair, their first compilation of songs inspired by Broadway shows such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel and West Side Story (music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim).  “It has been so inspiring to work with such legendary songs from the world of Broadway musicals for our new album,” says Urs Buhler from Il Divo. “We can't wait to now perform them in our own style to our fans around the world.”  The show was developed by long-term Il Divo collaborator and artistic director Brian Burke.

“A joyous experience from start to finish, Il Divo is an affair that deserves to be seen, enjoyed, and embraced by everyone who appreciates good music brilliantly sung by professionals at the top of their game.” ̶ The Epoch Times

For tickets ($52.00  ̶  $125.00) and information about VIP packages, visit www.TrustArts.org, call 412-456-4800, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue. For more information about parking garages and real time parking availability in the Cultural District, visit: www.ParkPGH.org.

Il Divo’s international vocalists include tenor Urs Buhler of Switzerland, baritone Carlos Marin of Spain, pop artist Sébastien Izambard of France, and tenor David Miller from the United States. Their latest record and current concert tour marks a milestone for the four singers as they commemorate the success of a 10-year career together.  To date, Il Divo has sold over 26 million albums worldwide, achieved over 50 number one records, received 160 gold and platinum sales awards in over 33 countries, and staged four groundbreaking world tours.  For more information about Il Divo, visit: www.IlDivo.org.

Special guest artist on this tour, vocalist and Broadway star Lea Salonga, is best known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon  for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards. Other highlights in Ms. Salonga’s career: she was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway; and provided the singing voice of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998).  For more information about Lea Salonga, visit http://www.leasalonga.com.

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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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

Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society to Perform at the Byham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: September 4, 2012
Contact: Diana Roth, (412) 471-8717, roth@trustarts.org
Production photographs are available for download: www.Trustarts.org Press Room

Esperanza Spalding-Radio Music Society

to perform at the Byham Theater on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Pittsburgh, PA-  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society tour at the Byham Theater on Saturday, October 6, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. Brought to you as part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series. Tickets ($30-$50) may be purchased in person at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.trustarts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666.  For group tickets, 10 or more, call (412) 471-6930.

An impassioned young bassist/vocalist/composer, Eperanza Spalding has made a splash in the American music scene and is one of the strongest voices in contemporary jazz. After having her second album top Billboard contemporary jazz charts, she caught the attention of President Barak Obama who invited her to perform at The White House. After appearing at The White House, Esperanza Spalding was also asked to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. To prove this was no short flash of success her next album Chamber Music Society went on to win a Grammy for Best New Artist (2011).

Esperanza Spalding knew from the time she saw Yo Yo Ma on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that she wanted to dedicate herself to music. She was five years old and within the year Spalding had become a member of The Chamber Music Society of Oregon. Through her hard work during the next ten years Spalding became a concert master at the age of 15.  It was at this time in her life that Spalding decided to hone her skills on the bass, moving away from the variety of instruments she had formerly played.  Armed with a GED, Esperanza Spalding enrolled in Portland State University’s music program. Learning and growing she migrated to the east coast where she received a Bachelor of Music from the Berklee College of Music. In 2005 Spalding was signed as an instructor at Berklee College; at 20 years old she was the youngest faculty member in the history of the college.

From her creative thoughts formatted on paper or arranged on a sheet of music, Esperanza Spalding’s accomplishments are impressive. Words or notes, however, cannot describe the beauty that comes through as she sings and plays her bass. The only way to truly experience the fruit of her labors is listening to her passionate performance.  Billboard described Esperanza Spalding as one of their “Faces to Watch” exclaiming, “Whether exploding into vocalize or making her bass solo sound like a horn, she’s a spark plug who dances as she grooves through a funked-up and rocked-out repertoire.”

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The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support.  The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. www.Trustarts.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

The Priests in Concert at the Byham

The Priests in Concert
Sunday, April 29, Byham Theater, 7:30 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents Father Eugene O’Hagan, Father Martin O’Hagan, and Father David Delargy who will perform at the Byham Theater on Sunday, April 29, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. For over 20 years, these three Catholic priests have cared for the needs of their congregations and parishioners, but since 2008, they have also worked together to form “The Priests,” a highly successful classical crossover vocalist trio. The concert is part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Series.

The three clergymen began singing together as children while attending boarding school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Brothers Eugene and Martin O’Hagan and Delargy, their childhood friend, sang together in school, church, and the community, and continued to perform in their seminary in Rome and locally after becoming ordained as priests.

In February 2008, the three priests recorded a demo in Belfast and sent it to various labels, expecting nothing to come from it. However, they were almost immediately offered a $2 million contract with Sony BMG records. Their debut album on this label, The Priests was released in 2008 and featured a blend of traditional religious songs and Irish folksongs. It sold over 2 million records, topping the Billboard 200 charts and earning the three a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest-selling UK debut for a classical act.

The Priests released their second album, Harmony, in 2009, which was met with critical and commercial success. In September 2010, The Priests had the honor of sharing a stage with the Pope before a crowd of 80,000 people in Hyde Park, England while millions watched on television. Later that year, they released a traditional Christmas album, Noël, which reached #3 on the US Top Classical Album charts.
The Priests have graced the pages of Time Magazine and every newspaper in the land, sharing sofa space with Regis and Kelly, featured on CBS News Sunday Morning, and more upright chairs with Sir Trevor McDonald in the U.K. “They sing like angels: their powerful voices blend effortlessly to create harmonies rich with emotion. “ - William Lee Adams,Time Magazine

They have sung all across the world, and to audiences that included the British Royal Family and the Irish President, and, more recently, been nominated for two Classical Brit Awards. The Priests also shared a stage with the Pope before a crowd of 80,000 people in Hyde Park, England in September 2010 and millions watched on television at home.

“We enjoy singing enormously, and we would very much like to continue doing this forever. I certainly know that Martin, David and I will continue to sing, whatever comes, because it gives us such pleasure to do so. Our fervent hope is that it continues to bring pleasure to everybody else," said Eugene.

Tickets ($29.00-$49.00) for the Sunday, April 29, 2012 performance of The Priests 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 group tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

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