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New York City Christmas, a Popular 2008 Benefit, Gets Album and Reunion Concert; Maroulis, Orfeh Are Special Guests
By Ernio Hernandez
04 Nov 2009
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Raul Esparza
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New York City Christmas, a raucous holiday-themed benefit concert that featured Broadway stars in December 2008, was preserved on a studio album in recent months. The disc is available for online orders from Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.
News of the album and a reunion concert/benefit release party Dec. 14 at Joe's Pub was announced by the record label (Kurt Deutsch, president) and ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), the not-for-profit that produced the earlier benefit. In December 2008, at the now-closed Zipper Theatre, the concert cast boasted Sierra Boggess, Raul Esparza, Chester Gregory II, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard, Lindsay Mendez, Tory Ross, Anya Singleton and Sally Wilfert, among others. Constantine Maroulis and Orfeh are also heard on the disc.
New York City Christmas, the album, "is the product of a very special labor of love in support of ASTEP, a quickly growing international arts education non-profit."
The 2008 event, conceived, produced and music directed by Drama Desk-nominated orchestrator Lynne Shankel (Cry-Baby, Altar Boyz, Vanities, Summer of '42) featured some of Broadway's most sought-after talent. By popular demand, songs from the concert have been recorded as a 12-track holiday album titled "New York City Christmas — a benefit album for ASTEP."
Shankel stated, "I wanted to take the wonderfully creative and generous spirit from last year's concert and try to bottle it! Making an album seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that. To work on a project that was both creatively and philanthropically fulfilling was an amazing experience for everyone involved."
The album featuring fresh, original approaches — pop, soul, R&B, rock and more — to favorite holiday songs boasts an incredible line-up of artists including Tony Award nominee Esparza (Speed the Plow, Company), Sierra Boggess (Ariel in Broadway's The Little Mermaid), Chester Gregory II (Hairspray, Cry-Baby), Andy Karl (Legally Blonde, Altar Boyz, 9 to 5), Tyler Maynard (Altar Boyz; The Little Mermaid), Lindsay Mendez (Grease), Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages), Orfeh (Legally Blonde, Footloose, Saturday Night Fever), Tory Ross (Cry-Baby, 9 to 5), Anya Singleton (All Music Guide's "Editor's Pick" Award winner) and Sally Wilfert (Assassins, Make Me a Song, national tour of …Spelling Bee).
Pre-orders are now being taken at www.sh-k-boom.com; digital downloads will be available on iTunes starting Nov. 17. The CD will be at retail outlets (like Amazon.com) around Dec. 8.
To mark the release of the album, ASTEP and Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records will host the second annual concert presentation of New York City Christmas at Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St., in Manhattan, on Dec. 14 at 9:30 PM.
Sierra Boggess, Chester Gregory II, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard, Lindsay Mendez, Orfeh, Tory Ross, Anya Singleton and Sally Wilfert are currently scheduled to perform. Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima (London's
Ragtime and Off-Broadway's Altar Boyz) will again direct. Also appearing will be musicians Shankel (on piano), Joe Mowatt (drums/percussion), Randy Landau (bass), and Peter Calo and Michael Aarons (guitars).
Tickets for the benefit concert are $50, $25 for standing room.
All proceeds from album sales and tickets to the show go to support ASTEP's mission "to create positive change for young people in need across the globe."
Tickets are now available through the Joe's Pub website at joespub.com.
For more information about the concert e-mail info@asteponline.org. For more information about ASTEP visit www.asteponline.org.
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Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP) "uses the arts as a tool to empower young people with creativity, knowledge, and a strong sense of self-esteem, factors which help them advance their lives and communities." ASTEP "provides artists with opportunities to connect with global youths, allowing them to use their gifts to create meaningful and effective change for young people in need. ASTEP's main goal is to create a community of artists who are actively engaged in using their talents to raise awareness about the plight of the children we serve and to dynamically assist by volunteering at our programs in India, Africa, New York and Florida."
ASTEP's founder is Mary-Mitchell Campbell, the Broadway music director and 2007 Drama Desk Award-winning orchestrator (Company). She's music director of the upcoming Broadway production of The Addams Family.
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Founded 10 years ago by Kurt Deutsch and Sherie Rene Scott, Sh-K-Boom and its imprint Ghostlight Records has become the leading independent force in musical theatre recording. The label is "renowned for its efforts to encourage and support the music of the most innovative new voices on Broadway, to help bridge the gap between pop/rock and musicals, and to preserve the scores of important works."
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