Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga Leads Stellar Cast in First All-Filipino Concert for Philippine Development Foundation, “PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim” at Alice Tully Hall

Lea Salonga

Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga leads stellar cast in first All-Filipino concert to benefit the Philippine Development Foundation (“PhilDev”), PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim,” directed by Victor Lirio, on Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 7:30PM,at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York. Tom Myron will serve as conductor and music director.

PhilDev, a US-based non-profit organization, develops much-needed programs and supports initiatives that accelerate the sustainable social and economic growth in the Philippines through science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In addition, it is the major conduit for Filipino Americans to support education and training, arts and culture, enterprise and livelihood, the environment, healthcare, rural development, governance, persons with special needs, and women’s and children’s issues in the Philippines.

Orville Mendoza

The concert—conceived and co-produced by actor, director, and producer Victor Lirio, artistic director of Diverse City Theater Co. (DCT), and PhilDev Trustee Ronna Reyes Sieh—will be the first New York gala for PhilDev. It also marks the first all-Filipino concert at Lincoln Center presenting top Filipino-American talents who have all made marks on Broadway in leading roles.

Rona Figueroa

The evening’s repertoire will be devoted to the works of internationally celebrated American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and will include songs from some of Sondheim’s iconic musicals such as Anyone Can Whistle, Company, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Saturday Night, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, among others.

Ariel Estrada

In a letter Sondheim wrote to Lirio, he expressed: “I am delighted that you want to devote an evening to my work. Thank you so much for the compliment.”

Tony® Award winner Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Flower Drum Song, Disney’s Mulan and Aladdin) leads an impressive cast of Filipino-American Broadway stars. Joining her are Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables); Alan Ariano (Miss Saigon, The Encounter); Emy Baysic (Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia); T.V. Carpio (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, Across the Universe); Angel Desai (Company, The Tempest); Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables, West Side Story); Rona Figueroa (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Lennon, Nine); Lydia Gaston (The King & I, Miss Saigon); Adam Jacobs (Les Miserables, The Lion King); Jose Llana (The King & I, Spelling Bee, The Flower Drum Song opposite Lea Salonga, Wonderland); Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures, Miss Saigon); Paolo Montalban (Pacific Overtures, The King & I, ABC/Disney’s Cinderella as Prince Charming opposite Brandy); Emily Morales (Lincoln Center’s South Pacific); Jennifer Paz (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Joseph … Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar); Diane Phelan (South Pacific, West Side Story) and company members Aaron Albano, Marie France Arcilla, Ester Barroso, Billy Bustamante, Liz Casasola, Karl Josef Co, Marc dela Cruz, Ariel Estrada, Albert Guerzon, Joanne Javien, Brian Jose, Jaygee Macapugay, Mel Maghuyop, Jake Manabat, Adam Marcelo, JP Moraga, Lora Nicolas, Catherine Ricafort, Enrico Rodriguez, Chris-Ian Sanchez, and Melissa Singson.

Jaygee Macapugay

Victor Lirio, who also produced Salonga’s sold-out and critically-acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert debut in November 2005, commented: “Sondheim’s works are some of the greatest in the musical theater canon and it is a privilege to breathe life into some of his iconic works. I am grateful to him for giving us this tremendous opportunity. We are looking forward to sharing with the New York audiences our expression of his work.”

Alan Ariano

He added: “A vital part of PhilDev’s mandate is to raise the profile of the Filipinos in the global landscape. This is a dream cast. I am grateful to be working with them again in support of PhilDev’s mission. Furthermore, this concert will underscore the contributions Filipino artists have made to America’s rich and diverse theater culture.”

Last year, Lirio produced the first New York Filipino-American theater festival, The Pearl Project, at Theatre Row. He also directed a concert presentation of a musical based on Filipino writer and revolutionary Carlos Bulosan, Long Season, by Chay Yew and Fabian Obispo at PhilDev’s 2010 gala in San Francisco, attended by Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Victor Lirio

Lirio founded Diverse City Theater, a non-profit theater company in New York City, in 2003. He directed the New York Times-acclaimed production of Warren Bodow’s Race Music, award-winning playwright Cassandra Medley’s Noon Day Sun (Time Out New York Critic’s Pick) earning several nominations for the Audelco Awards including Best Dramatic Production of the Year and Best Play. For DCT, he has developed and produced over 18 original plays, in nine critically-acclaimed productions in six seasons, since 2005.

Joan Almedilla

Music director Tom Myron is an American composer, arranger, and conductor who is active in the fields of live concert performance and independent film. Tom’s work is heard regularly at Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center where he has written charts for singers Marilyn Horne, Kate Pierson, Rosanne Cash, Andrea McArdle, Phyllis Newman, Kelli O’Hara, Christiane Noll, among others; composer/pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi; cellist/composer David Darling; and popular ensembles such as the New York Pops, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and the band Le Vent du Nord. His film scores include Wilderness & Spirit, A Mountain Called Katahdin, and Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul.

Jose Llana

Tickets can be purchased at the Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center box office located at 70 Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City, online at www.lincolncenter.org, or by calling CenterCharge at 212-721-6500. Ticket prices are $100, $150, $250, and $500. Limited patron/VIP subscriber seats of $1,000 are available which includes a pre-concert VIP reception by contacting Rene Encarnacion at rene@phildev.org or 650-288-3937. 100% of net proceeds will benefit Philippine Development Foundation.

Adam Jacobs

ABOUT PHILDEV:
Formerly known as Ayala Foundation USA, PhilDev is a public charity registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization. It focuses on building an ecosystem of science and technology-based entrepreneurship and innovation for social and economic development in the Philippines. As part of its commitment to diaspora philanthropy, PhilDev also generates resources from U.S.-based donors for non-profit organizations in the Philippines.
For more information about PhilDev, visit www.phildev.org.

Other articles by Lia Chang
Portraits of New York Chinatown After 9/11 Featured in “Post 9/11”: Commemorative Display at Library of Congress Asian Reading Room, 8/30-9/15
Up Close and Personal with Rick Shiomi, Award-winning Playwright & Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts
Goodman Theatre World Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Broadway Bound “Chinglish” Scores 5 Jeff Award Nods
Mu Performing Arts 2011-2012 20th Anniversary Season: Four Destinies, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, Into the Woods, & Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert
Photos: Christine Toy Johnson, Angela Lin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Jake Manabat, David Shih in Jen Silverman’s Crane Story at The Cherry Lane
The Playwrights Realm Presents Jen Silverman’s CRANE STORY at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 9/6-10/1
The Play Company Presents the Off-Broadway Run of Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s INVASION! at The Flea featuring Francis Benhamou, Andrew Guilarte, Bobby Moreno, Nick Choksi, 9/6-10/1
Henry Chang, Paula Bomer, Juliann Garey & Alex Shakar during Lit Crawl at Scratcher on 9/10
Extended through 8/23- “In Rehearsal” Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Featuring Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, Thom Sesma as Scar in The Lion King Las Vegas
Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Features Photos of Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation as Scar in Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas, Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s Bakwas Bumbug! on View Through August 2
OCA Awards Gala Photos: David Henry Hwang, Tamlyn Tomita, BD Wong, Dr. Bobby Fong & Tammy Duckworth
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: Rick Shiomi Checks out Performing Arts Playwrights Series in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection of Library of Congress; Attends “Asian American Plays for a New Generation” Book Signing in NY on 7/29
broadwayworld.com: Chinglish in Rehearsal
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
H I R O S H I M A in Benefit Concert for Japan on 9/21 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in NY
Photo Preview of BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society, May 24-26, 2010
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.
As a photographer and videographer, Chang has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Chang was featured as Joy in the Signature Theater Company’s revival of Sam Shepard’s 1965 Obie award winning play, Chicago directed by Joseph Chaikin at the Public Theater. She has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. Chang currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”.

Chang’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post.
Selections of Chang’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection. Photographs by Lia Chang are in the permanent collections of the Angel Island Immigration Station, Asian American Federation of New York (AAFNY), the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) in San Francisco, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Art Collection and the New York Historical Society.
A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Chang is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center through July 25 by Lia Chang

Photo by Lia Chang

One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is Lincoln Center’s annual dance event, “Mid Summer Night’s Swing.”
Lincoln Center’s 21st Anniversary season of Midsummer Night Swing is in full swing in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, W. 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues through July 25.

“The series offers an array of dance music genres including salsa, swing, rockabilly, r&b, tango and rock ‘n’ roll,” says Bill Bragin, Lincoln Center’s Director of Public Programming.

Midsummer Night Swing’s evenings of dance are ticketed events, beginning at 6:30 pm with a dance lesson for all levels, which is included in the price of admission. Live music and dancing is at 7:30pm until 10pm.

Multi-evening Swing Passes are priced at $80 for six nights, and $145 for the full season. Tickets for individual evening events are $15, and the Kid’s Day! event is $5, with children under 5 free.

Pick up your tickets at The Swing box office, located in the lobby of Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway and 65th St. Tickets for individual events and passes can be purchased in advance or on the night of the event at a box office in Damrosch Park. All major credit cards will be accepted. Tickets and passes can also be purchased through CenterCharge, 212-721-6500, or by logging on to http://www.MidsummerNightSwing.org.

The schedule for Midsummer Night Swing:
Thursday, July 16
Ponderosa Stomp: The Get Down – Soul/R&B Soul, R&B, Funk
Featuring William Bell, Harvey Scales, and The Bobbettes with The Bo-KeysNew Orleans’ renowned music revue, the Ponderosa Stomp, decamps to New York for several nights of great live music. The first night will showcase Stax/Volt recording artist and songwriter William Bell, whose strong yet smooth voice sang “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” among other R&B classics. Harvey (“Disco Lady”) Scales, also on the bill, has been active since the 60s. He credits James Brown’s funk as being a major influence on his music. The third headliner will be The Bobbettes, the first all-female R&B group to have a major pop hit record with “Mr. Lee.” All three acts will perform with those champions of the Memphis soul sound, The Bo-Keys.
Lesson: Dave Maxx & MAK 3 Dance Club featuring Chicago’s DJ Lady C
DJ: Meredith Ochs – Sirius XM

Friday, July 17
Ponderosa Stomp: The Best Dance in Town – Rockabilly
Featuring Joe Clay, Carl Mann, and The Collins Kids with Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics
Night two of Ponderosa Stomp will celebrate with a night of rockabilly starting with singer Joe Clay. Clay, a contemporary of Elvis Presley’s who mined the same rock, R&B, and blues roots, had some early hits before being rediscovered in the 1980s by British audiences. Carl Mann, singer and pianist, is an alum of Sun Records (as was Presley) who recorded a rockabilly version of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa”, among other songs, that have fanatic fans to this day. The Collins Kids were juvenile rockabilly stars in the 1950s, singing hits aimed at a young audience. Larry Collins was a lightning-fingered double-neck guitar whiz from the age of 10, and the brother and sister (Lorrie) still perform together. All three acts will perform with Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics, one of America’s foremost purveyors of roots music. These two nights of Ponderosa Stomp will be followed by a third, July 19th, when Lincoln Center Festival presents a Tribute to Wardell Quezergue, the composer/arranger responsible for shaping southern music and the soulful sounds of the Mississippi delta and New Orleans into giant hits.
Lesson: John Knapp & Meredith Snead – Shall We Dance?
DJ: Todd-O-Phonic Todd, WFMU

Saturday, July 18
New Swing Sextet
Salsa, Boogaloo
A New York-based salsa band that was wildly popular in the 1960s and 70s, New Swing Sextet has reformed and is playing concerts dates all over the world as well as making recordings of classic pop songs given a salsa treatment, including “My Favorite Things” and “Che Che.”
Lesson: Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin – http://www.DanceTimesSquare.com
DJ: DJ Nelson Torres

Tuesday, July 21
Catherine Russell and Cat & the Hounds Swing Band Small Band Swing, Blues
Catherine Russell is a genuine jazz and blues singer with a voice that is dusky, feminine and soulful. The daughter of Louis Armstrong’s longtime musical director, Luis Russell, and outstanding bassist and vocalist Carline Ray, Russell has performed with such noted artists as Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan and David Bowie. Her first two CDs – Cat and Sentimental Streak – won accolades from sources as diverse as The Wall Street Journal and France’s Prix du Jazz Vocal 2008. Her talent can stand comparison to her prodigiously gifted forebears.
Lesson: Joe Palmer – joepalmerdance.com
DJ: Dave ‘Shorty Dave’ Jacoby

Wednesday, July 22
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Swing
Swing, Jump Blues
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is the band most responsible for reviving swing dancing in the 1990s, and they are also known for playing on the hit TV show, “Dancing With the Stars” and in the movie “Swingers.” Their horns moan, the rhythm section slips and slides, the vocals scream and croon – guaranteeing that everybody is up jitterbugging and skip jiving with the best of them. This evening’s show will include a tribute to the consummate entertainer, Cab Calloway.
Lesson: Erik Novoa – SwingShoes.net
DJ: Juke Joint Johnny

Thursday, July 23
La Excelencia Salsa Dura
New York’s new La Excelencia plays sizzling salsa dura, as raw and tough as the city it calls home. The voices are loud, the percussion louder, the horns loudest of all. Their lyrics are about the struggle of life in the city. La Excelencia is, according to Latin Beat magazine, “the real thing”, music to be celebrated, listened to, danced to.
Lesson: Stepping Out Studios
DJ: DJ Andreas

Friday, July 24
La Sonora Dinamita Cumbia
A Columbian group now based in Mexico, La Sonora Dinamita is one of the first cumbia groups to reach international success (in the early1960s) and it is now one of the most important bands in the genre under the leadership of Fruko, of Columbian salsa powerhouse Fruko y sus Tesos. The band plays cumbia, an African-rooted style from the Atlantic coast of Colombia, and it is the most popular dance style throughout Central America and Mexico. The tempo is moderate and the steps are easy, but the sizzle is there. Baile!
Lesson: Lucy Cruz
DJ: Monk-One (Wax Poetics, NYC Trust)

Saturday, July 25
Harlem Renaissance Orchestra with special guest Houston Person Lindy Hop, Big Band Swing, Jump Blues
The evening includes a special tribute to the late band leader, saxophone great and former Midsummer Night Swing headliner Illinois Jacquet.

Jump to the big-band sound of the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, a group that was formed more than twenty years ago to revive the great sounds from the big band era. The band recognizes the masters of the big band sound: Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton and many others, and plays their music like it was yesterday. The band’s special guest is the soulful sax player Houston Person, known for his distinctive sassy sound and for his years performing with the great Etta Jones.
Lesson: Margaret Batiuchok, NY Swing Dance Hall of Fame, Harvest Moon Ball Champion
DJ: Larry Kang

Special Event for Midsummer Night Swing 2009:
Saturday, July 18 from 3:30 to 5:00pm
Kids’ Day! with Rodney Lopez and American Ballroom Theater
($5 per person, children and adults; children under five are free)
Ballroom, Tango, Swing for kids
Kids can get in on the act with a special afternoon session (ideal for the entire family) with Rodney Lopez from American Ballroom Theater, featured in the documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom.” He’ll get youngsters off on the right foot, teaching them the basics of ballroom, tango and swing.
Programs and artists subject to change.
Twitter users can sign up to follow Midsummer Night Swing @lc_swing for ongoing news and updates.
Midsummer Night Swing is made possible in part by grants from Daisy and Paul Soros and Charina Endowment Fund.
Sponsored by American Ballroom Company and Bloomberg.
Additional support for Midsummer Night Swing 2009 is provided by Amtrak, Nanoosh, Great Performers Circle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of Lincoln Center.
Operation of Lincoln Center’s public plazas is supported in part with public funds provided by the City of New York.
Movado is an Official Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc.
WNBC/WNJU are Official Broadcast Partners of Lincoln Center, Inc.

For information and program updates for Midsummer Night Swing visit MidsummerNightSwing.org or call 212-875-5766.
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Melba Joyce and her Big Band at Mid Summer Night’s Swing on July 14 by Lia Chang

Melba Joyce

One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is Lincoln Center’s annual dance event, “Mid Summer Night’s Swing.” Melba Joyce and her Big Band will play two sets of dance music, at 7:30pm and 9pm, on Tuesday, July 14 at Damrosch Park, (62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues).

The big band era had only a few female band leaders – Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday were two – but now veteran jazz songbird Melba Joyce joins their ranks. Joyce, who has sung with The Count Basie Orchestra and The Lionel Hampton Orchestra as well as made numerous recordings, has assembled a constellation of New York jazz all stars to perform this summer.

The band features Helen Sung on piano, Wally Gator on Drums, Melissa Slocum on bass, Michael Slocum on bass and trumpets, Michael Howell, guitar, Tanya Darby, Freddie Hendrix, Shawn Edmonds and Valery Pomomarve on trumpet, Don Braden and Anat Cohen on tenor sax, Cleve Guyton and Leticia Benjamin on alto sax, Lauren Savian on baritone sax, Debra Weisz, Benny Powell and Clarence Banks on trombone and Barry Cooper on bass trombone.

The group will swing the standards, the no-so standards, old tunes, new tunes some Latin on the side.

“I am dedicating this evening to the memory of my father, Melvin Moore, who was a big band singer in the 40′s and 50′ celebrated in The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. He sang and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Neil Hefti, Lucky Millinder and Ernie Fields to name a few,” shared Miss Joyce.

www.melbajoyce.com
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