February 27 – March 1, 2009Sierra is part of a staged reading of “Strange Fruit,” by Joan Ross Sorkin and Chandler Carter, at the Harlem School of the Arts, in association with the New York City Opera. The event was covered and reviewed in The New York Times on March 3, 2009.
Pete bought us some Whatnot Muppets for Christmas – and here’s mine in her very first public appearance. Only…she’s not too happy about how she presents herself. Some attitude there, as well! Enjoy – she’s in the midst of coming to life, so this may not be her final “personality” matrix.
Join me Thursday, February 26th, at 9pm for BIG NIGHT OUT!!! This bi-monthly celebration of music is part open mic, part composer showcase this time! In addition to the regular hosts Jennifer Wren and pianist-musical-genius Bill Zeffiro, I will be guest hosting the evening and singing two featured composer songs. More information for the event can be found at Broadwayworld.com. “Big Night Out featuring Composer Potpourri will play Thursday, February 26th at 9:00pm – in the Reprise Room at Dillon’s (245 W. 54th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenues). Big Night Out will occur at 9:00 PM on select THURSDAYS
ThePete has uploaded and YouTubed and posted Part 1 of his documentation of our gloriously wonderfully exhausting and exuberant experience during Inauguration Day 2009. View his blog entry and website here.
“Divorce: The Musical,” written by Erin Kamler, has had quite a number of events to be happy about this Valentine’s Day weekend. For reference, this is the show I helped workshop for a number of months, from four songs to a complete show until it culminated in a staged reading at the Edgemar for the Performing Arts last year. I feel very proud to have been a direct influence and inspiration on my characters – Erin herself said she created a song and delved deeper into one of the parts because of my work. So, I’m very excited by the
Come see me in the ensemble of “Strange Fruit,” an American Opera by composer Chandler Carter and librettist Joan Ross Sorkin. Ticket information can be found at the Harlem School of the Arts website here. Performances are Friday, February 27th, 8 pm and Sunday, March 1st, 2 pm at the HSA’s Gathering Space at 645 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York. Price is $15. To reserve tickets, call: 212 926 4100 x325 “Strange Fruit,” is based on the controversial book of the same name by Lillian Smith, which was in turn inspired by the famous Billie Holiday song (wikipedia article here).
Monday night, I had the ultimate pleasure to witness the opening night of “Book of Crazy: Kevin & Johanna Present The DSM-IV in Song”. Before you read any more, know that it’s also performing (Friday the) 13th and the 16th both at 7pm at the Duplex at 61 Christopher Street. I’m actually going again the 13th – my husband will be videotaping it, and I’m happy to see the show for a second time! I cannot tell you how brilliant the concept of this show is. I heard about snippets over the last few weeks, but it wasn’t until I
*UPDATE 2/14/2009: Clips of this very night can be seen at Daniel Maté’s YouTube page: www.youtube.com/user/danielmatemusic Thank you * As previously blogged, I went to see the composer showcase of Daniel Maté on Friday. This time, the venue was at the Laurie Beechman Theater. I don’t particularly like the Beech, unless you’re seated in an area where waiters and waitresses aren’t walking in front of you every minute. It’s very distracting; when I saw “What’s the Point?” a few months ago, I sat in the very front row of tables and was undisturbed; this time, I was 1/2 way back
Two new cabaret/revue shows are coming up; both feature the artistic prowess of friends, both have intriguing constructs, and both are shows I’m going to! The first is a composer showcase of the work of Daniel Maté, a Canadian-born maestro. His show, “Marry Me, America,” will feature singers Alexander Gemignani, Jason Tam, Donna Lynne Champlin, Alysha Umphress, Katie Thompson, Brandon J. Ellis, Heath Calvert, Brittney Borgstedt, Auri Marcus and Jordan Price (amongst others) and is music directed by Christopher D. Littlefield. I’ve blogged previously about Daniel Maté’s confrontationally funny writing style. I look forward to seeing another evening of his
February, 2009Sierra is now a proud member of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, or MAC, of New York City. For more information on MAC, visit www.macnyc.com.