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Tony DeSare Announces Sunday Night Residency at the Carlyle Hotel

Tony DeSare, originator of the Sunday Night Bemelmans series, has announced an extended Sunday night residency at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, in New York City.As a vocalist and pianist, DeSare has reached critical and popular acclaim for his performances throughout the United States and all over the world and was named a rising star male vocalist in "Downtown" magazine's recent Critics’ Poll. He also has three top 10 "Billboard" jazz albums and has been featured on the "CBS Early Show," NPR and "The Today Show."DeSare is also an accomplished, award-winning composer, having written the theme song for the motion picture "My Date with Drew" and the 20th Century Fox film "The Tooth Fairy" along with several broadcast commercials. His compositions include a wide-range of romantic, funny and soulful tunes that can be found on his top-selling recordings as well as on his YouTube page, which has accumulated nearly 1 million total views.He has also made numerous symphony appearances this season, including The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the Dallas Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and The Philly Pops.
By Jaime Prisco

  • Gotham Chamber Opera Presents 'The Tempest Songbook' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Co-Production with Martha Graham Dance Company, Directed by Luca Veggetti

    Gotham Chamber Opera’s final production of the 2014-15 season will be "The Tempest Songbook.""The Tempest Songbook" is comprised of incidental music for "The Tempest" composed in 1695 and attributed to Henry Purcell and Kaija Saariaho's 2004 "Tempest Songbook" for soprano, baritone and period instrument ensemble. This is the show's U.S. and world-stage premiere.The performance will be a co-production with the Martha Graham Dance Co. The Martha Graham Dance Co. has received international acclaim from audiences in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The Gotham Chamber Opera has also received many accolades and has been recognized as a pioneer in creating opera productions in alternative venues."The Tempest Songbook" will explore the themes of William Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" using dance, movement and song. The singers and dancers will express the words and actions of various characters, which will result in a lyrical vision of Shakespeare's iconic play."I am thrilled to be invited to share my vision for 'The Tempest Songbook' with Gotham Chamber Opera," said director and choreographer Luca Veggetti. "Through my association with Kaija Saariaho, I became acquainted with her 'Tempest Songbook' and her suggested pairings with Purcell, which serves as the starting point for the production."
    By Jaime Prisco

  • Lee Joon and Thunder of K-Pop Boy Band MBLAQ Leave Group

    After months of speculation, Lee Joon and Thunder of the popular South Korean boy band MBLAQ have announced that they are officially leaving the group to focus on their individual careers.Lee Joon and Thunder’s legal team released an official statement regarding their departure from the five-member group following the expiration of their contracts with label J. Tune Camp, which was in late November. According to the statement, Lee Joon will be focusing on filming his latest drama "Mr. Baek," while Thunder will focus on his music studies.J. Tune Camp has released a statement regarding the status of MBLAQ. The company is uncertain whether it will continue promoting the group as a trio or if it will add new members to its line-up, but it assured that MBLAQ will continue on. It is not immediately known whether the two will sign a contract with J. Tune Camp and continue to be managed by the agency.Rumors first surfaced of the group's break-up in October, with J. Tune Camp saying that the two will still be negotiating contacts and that nothing had been officially decided. But the two performers's last concert “Curtain Call" Nov. 31 gave way to their departure, with Lee and Thunder hinting that they would end their five-year careers as members of MBLAQ.
    By Jaime Prisco