DIRECT FROM BROADWAY! “As “the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!” (Associated Press), RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance in this multi-media concert, that’s as infectious as it is transporting. From the early hits to later classics (I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hard Day’s Night, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Let It Be, Come Together, Hey Jude and more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

VIP SEATING AVAILABLE
Each VIP Seat costs $150.00. It includes:

• 1 Pit Seat
• Post-show meet & greet with Jad and Robert
• Photo op and a limited edition tour souvenir

Purchase a VIP SEAT HERE

Cataclysmic destruction. Surprising survival. In this new live stage performance, the Peabody Award winning radio show and hit podcast turns its gaze to the topic of endings, both blazingly fast and agonizingly slow. With their signature blend of storytelling, science, and music, hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich romp through hundreds of millions of years of history to arrive at the end, again and again. Joined on stage by Brooklyn guitarist and composer Sarah Lipstate, the evening will be a thought- provoking and laughter-inducing dance on the grave of our inevitable demise.

• Legends of Boston Comedy - Saturday, June 22, 8 pm; tickets $28.75 - $48.75, now on sale. Starring Boston comedy superstar Lenny Clarke, "The Godfather of Boston Comedy," Don Gavin, “The Undisputed King of Boston Comedy,” Steve Sweeney and hometown favorite Tony V.
• Nick DiPaolo - Saturday, September 14, 8 pm; tickets $33.25, now on sale.
• The Onion Live! - Saturday, October 18, 8 pm; prices and sale date TBA.
• Juston McKinney - Saturday, November 9, 8 pm; ticket prices and sale date TBA.

Laugh Boston is a partnership of John Tobin and Chet Harding and Norm Laviolette, (co-founders of Improv Asylum). The group will open a stand-alone comedy club, Laugh Boston, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in the Seaport District this spring.

Announcing the new series, Josiah Spaulding, Citi Center President and CEO said “the Citi Shubert Theatre is the perfect space for the series. It is intimate, comfortable, and has a large enough seating capacity at 1500 seats to accommodate these national level performers.” We have been trying to expand our programming at the Shubert; why not comedy?! We just needed the right partners, and we have found that with John, Chet and Norm. We are excited about Laugh Boston’s vision to presenting comedy in Boston.”

"Boston has always been known as a great town for local and national stand-up comedy. With our Citi Center partnership at the beautiful and historic Shubert Theatre as well as our upcoming 300 seat theater in the Seaport District, Laugh Boston will be able to bring a variety of top comedy talent to the city which will revitalize the comedy scene and return Boston to its rightful place as the best comedy city in the world" stated Chet Harding.

Full details will be announced soon. For more information, visit citicenter.org or call (866) 348-9738.

# # #

Publicity Contact:
Kathy Rochefort, Rochefort and Associates; 617-247-1299
kathy@rochefortassociates.com

About Citi Performing Arts Center:
Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts] is a nonprofit innovator and steward of iconic venues, providing arts, entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences to the greater community. Citi Performing Arts Center is one of the nation’s foremost nonprofit performing arts institutions. As guardian of historic venues—the Wang, Shubert, and Emerson Colonial theatres—Citi Performing Arts Center honors all aspects of the arts. Through numerous community outreach educational efforts, collaborations, and partnerships, Citi Performing Arts Center strives to educate and inspire greater appreciation for creativity as an essential component to the fabric of our society. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

Chet Harding
A co-founder, CEO and Executive Producer of Improv Asylum (as seen on HBO, ABC and profiled in Dewars' national advertising), Chet has years of general business experience as well. Prior to opening Improv Asylum, Chet worked at Leo Burnett Advertising and Polaroid. At Polaroid, he was their Director of North American Advertising and PR for four years, overseeing the company's national advertising, multi-million dollar media buying and planning, and PR. At Leo Burnett, he worked in New Business Development, as well as on the Kellogg's account, including product development for new cereals.

At Polaroid, Chet won a Marketing Excellence Award and worked on several Clio award-winning ads/campaigns. He has also been published in the Harvard Journal of Negotiation.

At Improv Asylum, Chet has combined his corporate and acting/directing backgrounds to establish a nationally- recognized training program that utilizes improvisational techniques to break down conventional corporate thinking and to introduce a new set of skills to drive individual and team success.

Norm Laviolette
As co-founder and President of Improv Asylum, Norm brings corporate as well as military experience toward the continued development and expansion of Improv Asylum's theatrical and business divisions. As an actor, writer and producer, Norm has written and produced several renowned television pilots and feature scripts. He was Executive Producer of the Emmy Nominated Improv Asylum's Vanity Project, as well as Executive Producer of Second City Boston, the hit musical "You're A Good Man, Scott Brown" and the cult classic "All The Single Ladies".

Prior to a career in comedy, Norm worked for a marketing firm out of New York City promoting various Microsoft product launches. He is a former member of the Massachusetts and Vermont Army National Guard and a graduate of the Massachusetts Military Academy's Officer Candidate School. Norm continues to lead Improv Asylum's strategic business and artistic vision locally, nationally and globally.

John Tobin
John Tobin brings both political and entertainment experience to the venture. John was elected District 6 representative to the Boston City Council in 2001, and was re-elected 4 times. He left the City Council and began working at Northeastern University in August 2010 as the first Vice President of City & Community Affairs. In addition, Tobin has worked in the Boston comedy scene since 1992 when he started as a doorman at a local comedy club. He has been a comedy booker for several years and produces comedy events throughout the city.

Today, Tobin owns Theatre District Productions, a live comedy production company that produces and operates shows at Nick’s Comedy Stop in Boston and Cambridge.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: May 29, 2013
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org
Publicity Contact: Kathy Rochefort | Rochefort and Associates | 617-247-1299 |kathy@rochefortassociates.com

VIP BOXES AVAILABLE
LAUGH BOSTON Presents in association with Citi Performing Arts Center Nick Di Paolo at the Citi Shubert Theatre
Purchase a VIP Box with dedicated wait service.
VIP Box Package* - ONLY 8 AVAILABLE
Each VIP Box Package costs $300.00 with no additional charges. It includes:

• 4 (FOUR) Private Box Seats
• Dedicated Bar Wait Service in the box

Get a VIP BOX PACKAGE HERE

"The Winnipeg Press said it best: “Gentle as a starved wolverine and as predictable as a tipsy-hop through a minefield”. Nick DiPaolo’s honest and acerbic comedy has made him a sought after voice on stage, television and radio for years and earned him two Emmy Nominations for writing.

DiPaolo’s career took off after he appeared on “HBO’s Young Comedian Special”. He has since written and performed four standup specials and four CDs. The most recent standup effort being a one hour Showtime special entitled “Raw Nerve”.

He was a regular for the whole two year run of “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” and became a staple on the Comedy Central roasts. Other notable television and film credits include “Louie”, “Lucky Louie”, Artie Lange’s “Beer League” a guest starring role on “The Sopranos” and “The Chris Rock Show”, where he was a writer for two seasons as well. Writing credits also include the 77th Annual Academy Awards and the MTV Music Video Awards.

For years he has been a favorite guest on radio shows including “The Howard Stern Show”, “The Opie and Anthony Show” and “The Dennis Miller Show” to name a few. He also hosted “The Nick DiPaolo Show” in New York City in 2007 and “The Nick and Artie Show” from 2011-2012.

Nick DiPaolo is probably one of the most authentic voices whether on or off stage. He’s referred to as a comic's comic because there are no facades, no act. It’s all Nick DiPaolo, all the time."

Concertgoers can expect an evening of the same high-level of musical excellence that garnered raves from fans and critics alike, and which was described by The Los Angeles Times thusly: "Everyone gathered Friday evening was a believer — and they were treated to something close to rapture." The Chicago Sun-Times raved "This was different. This was live. This was vibrant. This was a cascade of color carried along by Fagen, Becker, eight brilliant supporting musicians and three superb backing vocalists."

Onstage, Donald and Walter will be joined by these same eight brilliant supporting musicians, now appearing as The Bipolar Allstars (featuring Keith Carlock on drums, Freddie Washington on bass, Jim Beard on keyboards, and Jon Herington on guitar), along with The Borderline Brats — three sublime, soulful songbirds. Together, they will treat audiences to selections from The Dan's extraordinary four-decade catalog, rich with infectious tunes, bodacious harmonies, irresistible grooves, and sleek, subversive lyrics — punctuated by blazing solo work and rich ensembles. As always with the adventurous Fagen and Becker, a few surprises may be in store as well.

Visit www.steelydan.com for up-to-the minute tour news and information.

Club Presale will be Monday, April 29 from 10AM - 10PM

Straight No Chaser bring their Under The Influence North American Tour at the Citi Wang Theatre on December 10. The tour celebrates the release of the acclaimed a cappella group’s eagerly awaited new album, Under the Influence.

Under the Influence sees the acclaimed a cappella group reimagining a selection of their all time favorite songs alongside many of the superstar artists and undisputed music icons that made them famous. Produced by Mark Kibble – a founding member of the legendary a cappella group Take 6 and one of Straight No Chaser’s primary influences – the album includes unprecedented collaborations with some of popular music’s best and brightest – including Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Rob Thomas, Seal, and Jason Mraz – as Straight No Chaser put their distinctive and inimitable spin on songs known and loved the world over.

The upcoming tour mark a milestone for Straight No Chaser as they feature the return of founding member Steve Morgan, who rejoins the group after the departure late last year of Ryan Ahlwardt. Fans can meet the newest/oldest member of SNC at Straight No Chaser’s official YouTube channel.

From backstage to the balcony and everywhere in between, BLO’s Open House gives you an all-access pass to experience opera in a casual, exciting way! There is something for everyone, whether you’re an opera veteran or you’re giving it a try for the first time. Come see how much fun opera can be!

For the most up to date schedule of events visit BLO Open House.

Club pre-sale will be Thursday, April 25th from 12Pm to 10PM

Back by popular demand, Diana Ross returns to Boston! Don’t miss the one and only Diana Ross when her "Summer 2013: Greatest Hits Tour" plays the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre in Boston on Friday, August 9 at 8pm.

• 4 (FOUR) Private Box Seats
• Dedicated Bar Wait Service in the box

Get a VIP BOX PACKAGE HERE

Thirty years ago, the Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom ("Don't quit your day job!"), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.

The material is updated constantly. Current examples include songs about Mitt Romney's plea to the GOP ("Help Me Fake It to the Right") and President Obama's class warfare ("If I Tax a Rich Man"). In addition, we offer our own take on such trending topics as Secret Service indiscretions and the EU's money woes and what to do with Greece. No matter who or what is in the headlines, you can bet the Capitol Steps will tackle both sides of the political spectrum and all things equally foolish. What more would you expect from the group that puts the "MOCK" in Democracy?!

*There are no other service charges or fees associated with this offer. This offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount and cannot be applied to previously purchased tickets. All sales are final: No refunds or exchanges. All ticket prices include a $3.75 Facility Fee.

I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE is the brand-new hit stage show adapted from the most beloved program in television history! America’s favorite foursome – Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel – is live on stage and in color for the very first time!

It’s 1952 and you are a member of the studio audience awaiting the filming of two hilarious and oh-so-familiar I LOVE LUCY® episodes. Imagine stepping back in time onto the Desilu Playhouse soundstage where a charming host entertains and enlightens you to the behind-the-scenes filming process, the 1950s hi-fidelity technology and this brand-new thing called “television.” The episodes begin and you witness, firsthand, the side-splitting antics of that crazy redhead in the Ricardo’s New York apartment and thrill to the Cuban sounds of “The Ricky Ricardo Orchestra” at the famed Tropicana Nightclub. In-between scenes? The Crystaltone Singers perform live advertising jingles of the show’s newest sponsors in perfect 50s style harmony. Can you say “Brylcreem?!”

L.A. Examiner’s Ron Irwin says I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE is “an absolutely brilliant and utterly engaging tribute to that iconic television show!” TV Guide’s William Keck calls it “the most entertaining stage production I’ve seen in years – including Broadway!”

The truth is in the title – whether young or old, everybody really does LOVE LUCY!

American Express Cardmembers can purchase tickets starting Sunday, June 9th at 10AM . Preferred Seating available to Gold Card, Platinum Card® and Centurion® members.

To purchase tickets use the American Express button beginning Sunday, June 9th at 10AM.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, inspired by the electrifying true story of the famed recording session that brought together rock ‘n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time.

On December 4, 1956, these four young musicians were gathered together by Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ’n’ Roll” at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions of all time. MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET brings that legendary night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal and celebrations featuring timeless hits including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “That’s All Right,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Matchbox,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hound Dog” and more.

This thrilling musical brings you inside the recording studio with four major talents who came together as a red-hot rock ‘n’ roll band for one unforgettable night. Don’t miss your chance to be a fly on the wall of fame... at MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET!

For more information, visit: Milliondollarquartetlive.com

Preferred Seating available to American Express Gold Card, Platinum Card® and Centurion® members.

To purchase Preferred Seating tickets use the American Express button.

Ralphie Parker wants only one thing for Christmas: an official Red Ryder® Carbine-Actions 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle. A Christmas Story, The Musical is the hilarious account of Ralphie’s desperate quest to ensure that this most perfect of gifts ends up under his tree this Christmas. Honored with 3 2013 Tony Award® nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, A Christmas Story is directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. This new musical based on the classic 1983 movie, which itself was based on stories by legendary radio humorist Jean Shepherd, features funny and heartfelt songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and a faithful yet inventive book by Joseph Robinette.

The New York Times says, “I WAS DAZZLED” and the Associated Press calls it, “A CHARMING TRIUMPH INFUSED WITH UTTER JOY.”A Christmas Story captures holiday wonder with such deliciously wicked wit that it is sure to delight children and grown-ups alike!

“A TRUE GIFT!” – New York Magazine

“THE BEST DARN MUSICAL I’VE SEEN IN YEARS!” – WOR Radio

“Run fast and get your tickets.” – WNBC

This tour will feature a more theatrical production with video, additional musicians and a troupe of dancing elephants. (Just kidding about the dancing elephants: they don't dance.....)

In 1972, Ian wrote the music (and the lyrics which were credited at the time to the fictitious character, 8 year-old Gerald Bostock, whose parents lied about his age) and recorded with Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick. The record became a number one Billboard album and enjoyed huge commercial success in most countries of the world. The album featured only one song, lasting nearly 45 minutes. To accommodate the album on LP vinyl and cassette, the seamless track was split on both sides of the record. It reached number one on the US Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Since 1972, the album has never been performed in its entirety although a few minutes of the material have been a regular repertoire staple in both Tull and IA solo shows over the years.

Now, scheduled for performance again in 2013, Ian will bring the original album to the Wang Theatre on Saturday, October 12. It will be performed in its entirety with band, and additional guests.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS SHOW IS ENTIRELY IN FRENCH.

BOSTON (February 4, 2013) – Citi Performing Arts Center invites students and families to participate in a free arts festival including workshops and performances from local artists on Saturday, February 23 from 10 AM – 2 PM at the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library. This community-based festival will include roving entertainment, workshops on poetry, hip hop, theater, library scavenger hunts, performances and creative fun for the whole family. This program is sponsored in part by the Fellowes Athenaeum Fund.

Artists include Citi Center’s Community Artist Fellow Toni Bee, the founder of Up You Mighty Race Company, Akiba Abaka, Jean Appolon of Jean Appolon Expressions, Valerie Stephens who is an award winning actress and musician, and more.

All workshops are free and appropriate for all ages. To RSVP, please call Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education Department at 617-532-1256 or email eintern@citicenter.org. For more on Citi Performing Arts Center’s year-round community outreach and education programs, visit citicenter.org/education.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: February 7, 2013
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Show Length: Approx. 120 minutes – no intermission
Late comers will be seated at the discretion of the Front of House Manager

ArtPlace is a collaboration of 13 leading national and regional foundations and six of the nation’s largest banks. ArtPlace also seeks advice and counsel from close working relationships with various federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council.

The selected applicants represent the best of the 1,225 letters of inquiry from across the country. Inquiries came from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Finalists were chosen for their potential to transform communities through placing art and culture at the heart of portfolios of integrated strategies that drive vibrancy and diversity.

“In this third ArtPlace funding cycle, the proposals just keep getting stronger,” noted Carol Coletta, director of ArtPlace. “It is testimony to the growing interest in creative placemaking across the country, as well as the capability of artists and their community partners to do this work.”

This year’s grant recipients will be announced in May. To date, ArtPlace has distributed $26.9 million to 76 organizations in 46 communities across the country.

Participating foundations include Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, The Surdna Foundation and two anonymous donors. ArtPlace also seeks advice and counsel from close working relationships with various federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council. ArtPlace is also supported by a $12 million loan fund capitalized by six major financial institutions and managed by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Participating institutions are Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Chase, MetLife and Morgan Stanley.

ArtPlace funds in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Certain ArtPlace funders have a deep commitment to their local communities and have provided funding for specific states or communities. Currently, these include: Akron, Charlotte, Detroit, Macon, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Jose, and St. Paul, as well as communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.

For more information please visit ArtPlace.

Preeminent Non-Profit Performing Arts Institution Will Partner With Future Resort Casino to Promote Arts, Entertainment and Cultural Experiences

BOSTON—December 18, 2012--In an historic national partnership between a resort casino venue and a city’s leading non-profit entertainment and cultural arts institution, Suffolk Downs/Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR) and the Citi Performing Arts Center today announced an agreement giving the Citi Center a key role in collaborating on the entertainment and cultural activities at a future resort casino if Suffolk Downs is successful in earning a license to develop a world-class destination.

The agreement calls for Citi Center staff, veterans of Boston’s rich arts and cultural history, to work with Suffolk Downs and Caesars in cross promotion, operations, cooperative booking of acts and shows to help both organizations grow, provide broader entertainment choices, and expand arts education/community programs for local youth and families.

The Massachusetts legislation authorizing resort casino licenses includes language requiring all operators to reach agreements with “not-for-profit or municipally-owned performance venues” in the potential licensee’s region. No other state that allows gaming has a similar provision in its law and today’s announcement may be a first among all the proposed resort sites now being considered in the state.

“Three iconic institutions and brands are coming together to promote economic development for the City of Boston by boosting our arts, cultural and entertainment sector,” said Josiah Spaulding, the President & CEO of the Citi Performing Arts Center. “Our institution has played a valuable role in the community for decades and we are eager to work with Caesars Entertainment on multiple levels to the benefit of our community,” he added. Watch an interview with Joe Spaulding on the partnership.

The Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes the Wang, Shubert and Emerson Colonial theaters, has a longstanding commitment to community involvement and youth programs and Spaulding said the partnership will help broaden their reach and impact to local youth, families, and neighborhoods.

With over 40 million customers, Caesars’ Total Rewards® program is the leading loyalty program in the gaming industry. This partnership gives Citi Center access to this vast resource of consumers while providing Suffolk Downs and Caesars with access to local first-class performing arts and entertainment experiences in the Theatre District to offer their Total Rewards® members.

“As a proud local business for over 77 years, our goal is to collaborate wherever possible to extend the economic benefits of our proposed development to others in our community. Our specific proposal allows for our patrons to enjoy the vast selection of entertainment, attractions and restaurants that the Boston area has to offer outside of our development, enhancing the region’s existing tourism industry,” said Chip Tuttle, COO of Suffolk Downs.

“Caesars is proud to be a part of this innovative and unique partnership with one of the nation’s finest nonprofit performing arts institutions. We are committed to providing world-class entertainment to our loyal customers and the Citi Center certainly embodies this ideal,” said John Payne, President of Enterprise Shared Services at Caesars.

The Suffolk Downs/Caesars proposal would generate 2,500 construction and more than 4,000 resort jobs for local residents. The three theaters managed by the Citi Center make up the largest employer of theatrical labor in the state and the agreement is likely to create additional jobs in that sector.

In addition to this nonprofit arts partnership, the Suffolk Downs resort casino plans would:
• Generate $200 million annually in new state tax revenue;
• Commit $40 million to improve local roads and intersections as part of an aggressive transportation demand management program that relies on public transportation and other alternatives;
• Spend $150 million annually for goods and services among local and regional businesses; and,
• Partner with Boston area hotels, restaurants, and tourism organizations to attract visitors and further boost the local economy.

In addition to its partnership with Citi Center, Suffolk Downs plans to enter into formal discussions with other not-for-profit or publicly owned performance venues in greater Boston to create additional partnerships.

About Citi Performing Arts Center:
Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts] is a nonprofit innovator and steward of iconic venues, providing arts, entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences to the greater community. Citi Performing Arts Center is one of the nation’s foremost nonprofit performing arts institutions. As guardian of historic venues—the Wang, Shubert, and Emerson Colonial theatres—Citi Performing Arts Center honors all aspects of the arts. Through numerous community outreach educational efforts, collaborations, and partnerships, Citi Performing Arts Center strives to educate and inspire greater appreciation for creativity as an essential component to the fabric of our society. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

About Suffolk Downs:
Founded in 1935, Suffolk Downs has been a gaming and entertainment venue in the city of Boston for over 77 years. It is New England’s only remaining active Thoroughbred racetrack. Rich in history, Suffolk Downs has hosted Hall of Fame horses Seabiscuit, Whirlaway and Cigar, and has been the site of performances by world-renowned entertainers, including the Beatles and Aerosmith. For more information, please visit suffolkdowns.com.

About Caesars:
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is the world's most geographically diversified casino-entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 75 years ago, Caesars has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions and now operates casinos on four continents. The company's resorts operate primarily under the Caesars®, Harrah's® and Horseshoe® brand names. Caesars also owns the World Series of Poker® and the London Clubs International family of casinos. Caesars is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. We are committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognize the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit caesars.com.

PRESS RELEASE
Release Date: December 18, 2012

Contacts:
Sue Dahling Sullivan | Citi Performing Arts Center
(617) 532-1275

Christian Teja | Suffolk Downs
(617)-568-3288

• 4 (FOUR) Private Box Seats
• Dedicated Bar Wait Service in the box

Get a VIP BOX PACKAGE HERE

Catch Boston’s own comedy legend Steve Sweeney on December 31st at 7:30PM in a special New Year’s Eve performance at the Citi Shubert Theatre presented by Laugh Boston. Steve will be joined by Joe Yannetty and Bethany Van Delft as we laugh out 2012.

Steve Sweeney’s accent and idiosyncratic mannerisms are trademarks of his stand-up act, headlining at comedy clubs across the country, including Caroline's Comedy Club in New York City. He’s known for his use of dialects and great insight into the New England political scene. You might even recognize the Charlestown native from one of many small parts in films such as Rodney Dangerfield's Back to School, Judd Apatow's Celtic Pride, and There's Something About Mary with Ben Stiller.

Joining Steve are Joe Yannetty, a seasoned professional, drawing on his travels, his Italian heritage, family situations and Boston blue-collar upbringing to bring family-oriented comedy to audiences around the world and Bethany Van Delft, a founding member/producer of “Colorstruck: Women of Color in Comedy”, New England’s first and only women of color comedy showcase. She is a core member of the touring show “5 Funny Females”.

*There are no other service charges or fees associated with this offer. This offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount and cannot be applied to previously purchased tickets. All sales are final: No refunds or exchanges. All ticket prices include a $3.75 Facility Fee.

Boston, MA (November 20, 2012) – On Wednesday, November 14th, Citi Performing Arts Center turned the spotlight on Joe Spaulding and the past 25 years of accomplishments under his leadership. Looking back on the many memorable performances that have marked Spaulding’s career, 350 guests celebrated the milestone occasion inside the Wang Theatre, with cocktails in the Grand Lobby, dinner and dancing on the renowned stage, and performances throughout. The evening raised $500,000 to benefit Citi Center’s award-winning City Spotlights Summer Leadership Program and the preservation of Citi Center’s historic theatres.

The evening included performances and remarks by the many community partners who have worked alongside Spaulding to revitalize Boston’s historic Theatre District, restore its historic venues, and provide free arts opportunities for Boston’s most underserved. Speakers included Board Chairman Scott Sperling of Wayland, Charley Polachi of Boston (Board Emeriti), and former Board Chairman Bill and his wife Susan Poduska of Weston, and a proclamation from Mayor Thomas M. Menino read by Chris Cook of West Roxbury, Director of the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events. Performers included longtime partner, Express Yourself, the Beverly-based nonprofit which immerses young people from Department of Mental Health facilities in the creative arts, City Spotlights Teen Leaders from Citi Center’s signature arts-intensive work-study program, and Toni Bee, Citi Center’s Artist Fellow and current Cambridge Poet Populist. Guests were also able to record their own messages of congratulations during the cocktail hour, and the messages were later shown onstage.

Over the past 25 years that Spaulding has served as President and CEO, Citi Performing Arts Center has been a driving force behind the extraordinary revival of the Theatre District, balancing a commitment to preserving Citi Center’s historic venues—the Wang, Shubert, and Emerson Colonial Theatres—and inspiring the next generation of creative leaders through award-winning arts education programs. Unwavering in his support for the performing arts, quality entertainment, and community commitment, Joe Spaulding has been a passionate arts advocate for the arts in the City of Boston.

# # #

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: November 20, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (November 16, 2012) – Citi Performing Arts Center invites families to participate in workshops inspired by Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. Between November 17 and December 22, Citi Performing Arts Center will present free events at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) sites and Boston Public Library branches across the city. Led by Citi Center’s Artist Fellow Toni Bee, the activities include readings of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, poetry workshops during which participants will create their own original work, and costume contests. Participants will also have the chance to win tickets to attend Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, running November 23-December 9, at the Citi Wang Theatre.

Workshops are free and appropriate for all ages. No registration is necessary. For more on Citi Performing Arts Center’s year-round community outreach and education programs, visit citicenter.org/education. Dates, times, and locations of events are listed below:

LOCATION DATE AND TIME

• Boston Quincy's Place, Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Saturday, November 24 at 10-11 AM
Saturday, December 1 at 10-11 AM
Saturday, December 8 at 10-11 AM

• West Roxbury BCYF Roche Community Center Monday, December 10 at 3-4 PM

• North End BCYF Nazzaro Center Wednesday, December 12 at 4-5 PM

• East Boston Paris Street Community Center Friday, December 14 at 4-5 PM

• Dorchester Boston Public Library, Lower Mills Saturday, December 15 at 12-1 PM

• Dorchester Boston Public Library, Adams Street Saturday, December 15 at 2-3 PM

• Roxbury BCYF Shelburne Community Center Monday, December 17 at 3-4 PM

• Dorchester BCYF Leahy Holloran Wednesday, December 19 at 3-4 PM

• Chinatown BCYF Quincy Community Center Friday, December 21 at 3-5 PM

• Brighton Boston Public Library, Faneuil Saturday, December 22 at 12-1 PM

• Mattapan Boston Public Library, Mattapan Saturday, December 22 at 4-4:50 PM

Download the free event flyer here.

To access the curriculum guide for Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, click here.

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PRESS RELEASE Release Date: November 16, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (November 8, 2012) – Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to name Toni ―Bee Brooks as its Community Artist Fellow for 2012-13. Working with Citi Center’s Education Department, Bee will develop, deliver, and advocate for arts education programming in the Greater Boston Area, encouraging youth and adults in public schools, libraries, and community centers to express their creative voices. Bee will be hosting upcoming interactive readings of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for youth and families at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston Public Library branches, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families sites. See the full listings of dates and times at citicenter.org/grinch.

The arts teach us how to communicate across the artistic realm, the business world and the borders of our community—empowering future leaders to make positive change in our increasingly global community,‖ said Toni Bee, Community Artist Fellow. ―I am thrilled to be in a position where I can work with these youth and expand their minds through poetry and the performing arts."

As Citi Performing Arts Center’s Community Artist Fellow, Toni Bee inspires youth and adults to connect with their community through creativity. A writer, photographer, and community advocate, Bee says she writes wherever she goes. Discovering poetry at age 15, Toni Bee became a freelance journalist for community newspapers after high school and while in college, created a writing club and held seasonal poetry readings. Writing even sustained her during her stint in a homeless shelter when she was pregnant with her daughter. After moving to Cambridge in 2004, Bee continued publicizing artistic events while publishing in the Cambridge Chronicle, writing and performing poetry at local events, and hosting her own talk show at Cambridge Community Television (CCTV). In 2011, Bee was named the Cambridge Poet Populist, charged with leading workshops, performing at local events, and promoting poetry in the city during her two-year term.

"Throughout her life, Toni has empowered teens and adults to use their creative voices to make an impact in their communities,‖ said Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., President and CEO of Citi Performing Arts Center. ―Citi Performing Arts Center shares the belief that youth who have a creative life become thinkers, doers and leaders in their communities, making Toni the perfect partner."

Since 1988, Citi Performing Arts Center’s award winning education programs have reached 220,000 youth, families, and teachers with free opportunities to experience the arts and learn life skills in a creative environment. Since 2010, it has expanded with key city-wide partnerships including the Boston Public Schools, Boston Public Library, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families. Of particular note is its signature City Spotlights Leadership Program which provides local area teens with meaningful summer employment in the arts and life and job skills training. Learn more at citicenter.org/education

BOSTON (October 24, 2012) – The Emerson Colonial Theatre will reopen on October 25, 2012, for the first performance under Citi Performing Arts Center’s management and since the historic theatre went dark in July 2011. The newly-renamed Citi Emerson Colonial Theatre’s first show of what Emerson College President Lee Pelton calls “the next chapter of this historic theater’s history,” will be a special performance by James Taylor in support of United States Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren. Other upcoming performances include Memphis (December 11-23), Jersey Boys (January 30-March 3, 2013), and the pre-Broadway run ofTuck Everlasting (May 26-June 15, 2013). Information about upcoming events can be found at citicenter.org/events.

In September 2011, Citi Performing Arts Center and Emerson College announced they had reached a three-year lease agreement, under which Citi Center would take responsibility for operating the 112-year-old theatre and work with booking partner, Broadway Across America, to program the venue with touring Broadway productions. Located on Boylston Street across from the Boston Common, the Citi Emerson Colonial Theatre is Boston’s longest continuously operating theatre, a record that remains untarnished thanks to the new agreement which went into effect on July 1, 2012. Famous for hosting pre-Broadway tryouts of legendary musicals like Anything Goes, La Cage aux Folles, Oklahoma!, and Porgy and Bess, the theatre’s historic facilities underwent substantial repair and maintenance efforts over the course of the summer in preparation for the return of patrons.

Upon the September 2011 announcement of the plan to reopen the theatre, Citi Center President and CEO, Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr. said: “Citi Performing Arts Center is recognized nationally as a nonprofit expert in maintaining and running beautiful historic theatres, so this partnership made perfect sense for us.” Citi Center also manages two other historic venues in Boston’s Theatre District—the Wang and Shubert Theatres.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino also noted: “This partnership between Citi Performing Arts Center, Emerson College, and Broadway Across America speaks to the strength and importance of collaboration. I am so excited to be able to once again attend a performance in this beautiful and historic venue.”

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PRESS RELEASE Release Date: October 24, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Wednesday Evening, October 24 at the Citi Emerson Colonial Theatre

Doors at 5:30PM Program 7:00PM - 9:00PM

On Sale Now

To purchase tickets please visit:

ELIZABETHWARREN.COM/JAMESTAYLOR

or for more information please contact Judy at 617.591.2850

or email JTRSVP@elizabethwarren.com

PAID FOR BY ELIZABETH FOR MA

Contributions or gifts to Elizabeth for MA are not tax deductible.

Bonamassa’s new album is receiving rave reviews: All Music Guide said, “the arrangements and guitars mesh together like whiskey and soda” and MSN.com calls it “nothing less than astounding.” American Songwriter ranks Bonamassa “among our greatest living guitar players.” Across the pond, UK’s Guitar & Bass says its “one of his best,” The Sun calls Bonamassa’s playing “jawdropping,” and Guitarist said “his guitar, voice and songs are simply better than ever.”

Also recently released is the DVD/Blu-ray Joe Bonamassa: Beacon Theatre – Live from New York, which showcases the stunning and sold-out two-night performance at New York City’s legendary Beacon Theatre last November and features special guest Paul Rodgers, John Hiatt and Beth Hart. The two-DVD set includes a bonus disc of special features with two extra songs, behind-the-scenes footage and a photo gallery.

Besides his own solo work, Bonamassa has kept himself busy with multiple side projects. He formed hard rock band Black Country Communion (BCC) with Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol); releasing two albums – 2010’s self-titled debut and 2011’s sophomore album 2 – and a live two-disc DVD Live Over Europe during the span of twelve months. Just named “Best New Band of the Last 10 Years” by VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show, the group recorded a third studio album, Afterglow, set for release on October 30, 2012. Bonamassa also recently collaborated with one of music’s most powerful female voices – singer-songwriter Beth Hart. Hart and Bonamassa come together on the new covers album Don’t Explain, featuring scorching versions of 10 classic songs first made famous by artists including Billie Holiday, Etta James, Tom Waits, Ray Charles, Delaney & Bonnie, Bill Withers and Aretha Franklin.

Bonamassa tours the world regularly and his ability to connect with live audiences is epic. He generally has no opening act and he never leaves the stage until the last encore two hours later. During his 2011 tour, Bonamassa wowed crowds across the U.S. playing some of the largest tour markets and venues yet, with sold-out shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle and two sold-out shows at Beacon Theatre. After a show at the Grove of Anaheim, The Orange County Register’s Ben Wener raved, “I haven’t seen anything so dazzling since Steve Ray Vaughan at the Wiltern in ’86.”

A child prodigy, Bonamassa opened shows at age 12 for blues legend B.B. King, who said after first seeing him play, “This kid's potential is unbelievable…He's one of a kind.” Bonamassa’s recording career began in the early ’90s with Bloodline, a rock-blues group also featuring Robby Krieger’s son Waylon and Miles Davis’ son Erin. His solo debut was in 2000 with the Tom Dowd-produced A New Day Yesterday.

Get the free download of the single “Driving Towards The Daylight” HERE. Watch the official music video for the title track “Driving Towards The Daylight”.

BOSTON (September 13, 2012) – On September 12, 2012, the Boston Business Journal highlighted Citi Performing Arts Center’s City Spotlights Leadership Program as a Spotlight Charity at its annual Corporate Citizenship Summit. The event honored 71 of Massachusetts’ top companies for charitable giving, and benefited the nonprofit organization’s education program, as well as Life is Good Playmakers.

In Summer 2012, 28 teens representing 15 neighborhoods and 20 different Boston-area schools—most of whom had no formal arts training and little-to-no arts opportunities in their classrooms—participated in the City Spotlights Leadership Program. For five weeks in July and August, the teen leaders were given the chance to develop leadership and 21st century skills, while also receiving intensive dance, theater, and music training from professional artists and community leaders. The program culminated in 95 original performances, reaching 15,886 people across the city. The teen leaders also conducted workshops for Boston youth, and showcased their work in a capstone performance in the Citi Wang Theatre’s Grand Lobby.

At the Boston Business Journal event, Citi Center President and CEO, Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., introduced the City Spotlights Leadership Program to the 700+ attendees and showed a short video of the 28 teen participants of the program performing their original song, “No More.” The video can be viewed at citicenter.org/gallery.

“Citi Performing Arts Center is so proud of the talented youth in the City Spotlights Leadership Program who have used their creativity to inspire our community,” said Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., Citi Center’s President and CEO, “And we thank Boston’s civic-minded corporations who share the belief that business and creativity work well together.”

Aligned with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s youth job creation initiative, the City Spotlights Leadership Program is free-of-charge and enables teens to earn a small stipend while learning leadership, professional, and performance skills, exploring community change, receiving instruction and mentorship by professional artists and community leaders, delivering peer-to-peer programs in local community centers, and performing through an innovative street theatre tour. Corporate donations from the Boston Business Journal event will help underwrite the cost of the Summer 2013 session.

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PRESS RELEASE Release Date: September 13, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Most recently, Jackie has tried her hand at both acting and modeling. She will make her acting debut in a Robert Redford-directed film “The Company You Keep” coming out later this year. And she was tapped to star in the Fall 2012 GUESS Kids clothing campaign, which will be unveiled late summer 2012.

Jackie's third album, "Songs from the Silver Screen" will hit stores on October 2. See her perform songs off her new album at the Citi Wang Theatre on February 1 at 7:30 PM.

There’s never been a better time to experience CHICAGO, Broadway’s razzle-dazzle smash. A sensational tale of sin, corruption and all that jazz, CHICAGO has everything you could want in a musical: knockout dancing, an edge-of-your-seat story and one showstopper after another.

With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.

American Express Cardmembers can purchase tickets starting Thursday, August 23rd at 10AM. Preferred Seating available to Gold Card, Platinum Card® and Centurion® members.

To purchase tickets use the American Express button beginning Thursday, August 23rd at 10AM.

So You Think You Can Dance’s ninth-season Top 10 finalists will be hitting the road this fall making their way across North America as part of the 2012 live tour, sponsored by Just Dance 4, the world¹s No. 1 dance game franchise. The season 9 tour line-up, which will hit the Wang Theatre on November 16th, will include the following top 10 finalists: Audrey, Chehon, Cole, Cyrus, Eliana, George, Lindsay, Tiffany, Will and Witney.

Refunds and returns can be made at the point of purchase.

Please note: If you ordered directly through the Citi Performing Arts Center box office with a credit card - either in person, over the phone, or via the internet – your order has been refunded. Cash refunds must be made in person at the box office.

If you have additional questions please contact Citi Performing Arts Center at 866-348-9738 or visit the Citi Performing Arts Center box office.

Please visit his website for additional information - JohnLegend.com

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical features the hit songs "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas” (written by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss) from the original animated series. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the Holiday loving Whos.

Citi Performing Arts Center Education Department is hosting a family friendly series of free interactive readings of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For dates, times and information, click here.

To access the curriculum guide for Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, click here.

Show run time is 84 minutes

Russell Brand shot to fame in the U.S. in 2008 when he was seen as rocker 'Aldous Snow' in the Judd Apatow-produced comedy FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Since then, the British star has become an international comedic success.

Recently Brand can currently be seen in FX Network’s “Brand X.” Russell’s six episode, half-hour, unscripted late night series, which he is also producing. The show is taped in front of a live studio audience and features Brand’s take on current events, pop culture and politics. The show was just picked up for a second season.

Brand has appeared in Warner Bros. ROCK OF AGES, ARTHUR, Universal’s HOP, GET HIM TO THE GREEK, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, Disney’s BEDTIME STORIES and Miramax’s THE TEMPEST.

Also an acclaimed author, Brand has written two books, “My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up,” which was on The New York Times best-seller list for five weeks in a row, and the follow up, “Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal.”

Brand hosted the 2012 MTV Movie Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards in 2008; he hosted the MTV VMA’s again in 2009 and garnered the biggest VMA audience since 2004, with nearly nine million viewers.

Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, Brand rose to fame in the UK in 2003 for his “Big Brother” spin-off, “Big Brother’s Big Mouth.” He launched his first nationwide tour, Shame, in 2006; the show was released on DVD as Russell Brand: Live. Brand launched his second nationwide tour in 2007, Russell Brand: Only Joking; released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin’ Life. He brought his stand-up comedy tour to the United States in 2009 with his tour, Russell Brand: Scandalous.

Mexico’s national dance company, Ballet Folklórico de México, is a visual feast of Mexican regional folk dances in whirling colors. Founded in 1952 by dancer-choreographer Amalia Hernández, the company of 48 dancers, musicians and singers incorporates a wide range of rituals, from Mayan and Aztec to modern traditions, all with spectacular theatrical flair.

$20 Student Rush tickets are available day of the show starting 1 hour prior to curtain at the box office. Limit of 2 tickets per valid student ID; CASH ONLY.

New BLO production

Sung in Italian with projected English translation

Puccini fuses soaring musical lyricism with deep psychological and emotional depth in one of the most devastating love stories ever told on the opera stage.

A young geisha turns her back on everything she has known and experienced and, in her marriage to an American naval officer, attempts to recreate herself. In the ensuing clash of cultures, the results are ultimately tragic. Her psychological journey is evoked through music of compelling lyric strength and devastating pathos that reveal her obsessions, her fragility and her endless capacity for love.

Soprano Yunah Lee makes her BLO debut in her signature role as Cio-Cio San, and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor debuts as Suzuki.

Morrissey has just announced a sizeable fall North American tour, that kicks off in Boston at the Wang Theatre on October 5th. All tour dates are with Kristeen Young.

Morrissey will perform greatest hits from his legendary catalog as well as new unreleased songs. This is the first time Morrissey will be performing in Boston in over three years.

Morrissey is recognized as one of the most prominent artists of his generation and has been an idol for people around the world. Pitchfork has called him "one of the most singular figures in Western popular culture from the last twenty years." Morrissey’s influence can be seen and felt throughout the music of countless artists who have noted him as their inspiration.

“Morrissey isn't just any singer: he has become one of the defining rock stars of the past few decades by virtue of his grand voice, his grander songs, and his charming habit of playing with melodrama." The New York Times

New BLO production

Sung in English

Mozart—master of the ambiguities of love—explores the battle between passion and reason through the lens of a playful and, at times, deeply serious farce.

Set on a sunny Neapolitan beach under the looming threat of Mount Vesuvius, two young men gamble that their fiancées will remain faithful, even under the utmost pressure. Così Fan Tutte is light, airy, ravishing and yet, in the end, moving and serious; proof that love is, indeed, a dangerous game.

British baritone Thomas Allen makes his BLO debut as the production’s stage director as well as onstage in his signature role, Don Alfonso. Allen is an established star of the world’s greatest opera houses, recently celebrating his 40th anniversary with the Royal Opera House,Covent Garden.

Caroline Worra and Sandra Piques Eddy return as the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella.

TAPFS is known for pushing the boundaries and taking the concert experience to a new level but the 2012 show sets the bar even higher; set the controls for the heart of the sun…. Also confirmed is Pink Floyd veteran Lorelei McBroom will be appearing on this tour. Lorelei’s credentials are staggering; she toured with Pink Floyd on the “Momentary Lapse of Reason” and “Delicate Sound of Thunder” tours, appeared in the videos for “The Dogs of War”, “On The Turning Away” and the “Pink Floyd Live In Venice” TV broadcast. She also performed “The Great Gig In The Sky” with Pink Floyd; a song she will now perform with TAPFS.

Emerging back in 1988, the original and credible Floyd act TAPFS has been getting bigger and better ever since. The band were described by Floyd drummer Nick Mason on BBC 5 Live as “Very good, probably better than we are,” and even engaged by David Gilmour to perform at his 50th birthday celebration! The Mirror hailed the act quite simply as, “The kings of the genre”.

Backed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and concert choir, "The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses” brings the world's most popular video game series to life on the big screen with dynamic and compelling music and video! Enjoy original music spanning 25 years of adventure from the celebrated Zelda franchise, uniting music and visuals in a way never before realized.

"The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses" is the first ever video game themed concert to feature a complete 4 movement symphony, showcasing the work of Nintendo composer and sound director Koji Kondo.

Witness 25 years of video game history unfolding complete with gorgeous and cinematic video presentation, synced to picture with the game’s sensational, thematic and action-packed music played live by a full symphony orchestra.

The Legend of Zelda™ is among the most famous media franchises of all time. Over 62 million copies of the game have been sold since its introduction in 1986, grossing more than Avatar and Titanic combined.

Beyond the fifteen Zelda video games, Zelda’s popularity has spawned a book series, comic book, Saturday morning cartoon, and even its own breakfast cereal. The most recent game, Skyward Sword, set a new record for the franchise, selling over 550,000 copies in a week and becoming Zelda's fastest-selling title. Nintendo’s fan club and mailing list continue to add over a million new members every year throughout the world.

For 40 years, audiences of all ages have been delighted by the incredible humor, versatility and pure imagination of Mummenschanz. The celebrated Swiss performance troupe has captivated the world with its groundbreaking non-verbal theatre of movement and transformation.

Student Rush
$20 CASH ONLY (2 tickets max per ID). Available for all evening performances starting 90 minutes prior to curtain.

The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company was created in 1968 to realize the artistic vision of Lar Lubovitch, one of this country's foremost choreographers. Over the past 41 years, the company has gained a reputation as one of the world's top-ranked modern dance companies, performing in virtually every state of the US, as well more than 30 other countries. Lar Lubovitch has been cited by The New York Times as "one of the ten best choreographers in the world," and the company has been called a "national treasure" by Variety.

The Program includes:

North Star (1978)
Choreography: Lar Lubovitch
Music: Philip Glass, “North Star”

Little Rhapsodies (2007)
Choreography: Lar Lubovitch
Music: Robert Schumann, “Symphonic Etudes,” Opus 13

Crisis Variations (2011)
Choreography: Lar Lubovitch
Music: Yevgeniy Sharlat (“Crisis Variations” is a suite for five players based
on Franz Liszt’s “Transcendental Etudes” for piano)

The Legend of Ten (2010)
Choreography: Lar Lubovitch
Music: Johannes Brahms, “Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor,
Opus 34,” Movements I & IV

The Celebrity Series of Boston Dance Series is sponsored by The Little Family Foundation and the John S. and Cynthia Reed Foundation. Media Partner is WGBH

The “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows Cohen’s triumphant 2008-2010 world tour – his first in 15 years -- which was met with overwhelming praise. The New York Times reported that “Mr. Cohen sang these words with a kind of gracious generosity…awash in wild applause,” while The San Jose Mercury News reported “The show underscored what his fans already know: Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of popular music.” The Victoria Times Colonist reported that Cohen received “an automatic standing ovation at what was clearly the Church of Leonard.” The Vancouver Sun called the show “nothing short of a religious experience” and the Toronto Sun declared Leonard Cohen “Charming, funny, poignant, smart, sharp, sexy… he is still a ladykiller.”

In his sixth decade of producing critically acclaimed music, Leonard Cohen is arguably one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Old Ideas, released on January 31, 2012 by Columbia Records, has earned worldwide accolades for its highly acclaimed collection of new songs. USA Today raves that "Old Ideas is the work of a master craftsman," while Rolling Stone gave the album 4 ½ stars. TIME Magazine states, “Listeners have been relying on Cohen's heartbroken yet grinning, world-weary yet hopeful voice to get through that night for decades, and this album should continue that for a whole new batch of souls." Newsday hails Old Ideas as "GRADE A... Stunningly simple, incredibly deep and destined to be a classic." The Telegraph (UK) reports that “Old Ideas is an unexpected and precious gift of new gems from an old master," and The Irish Times exclaimed that “The more you play it the better it gets." The Times (South Africa) commended it as "an album of poetic and pared-down musical genius,” and the Montreal Gazette simply states that “Lyrically, Cohen is at the top of his game."

Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician and poet whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions. Citing W.B Yeats, Irving Layton and Walt Whitman as literary influences, Cohen first shot to the forefront of the music industry in the 60’s and has remained an inspirational talent and contributor to the industry since he first emerged. His albums Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), I'm Your Man (1990) and Dear Heather (2004) are rightly considered classics along with the beautiful singles "Hallelujah" and "Suzanne." He has sold over 20 million albums, worldwide and published 12 books. With a career spanning five decades, Leonard Cohen has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (2008), and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame (2010), and is a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (2010).

BOSTON (April 24, 2012) – Citi Performing Arts Center seeks youth ages 14-19, for its summer City Spotlights Leadership Program. Participants develop leadership, professional, and performance skills through a 5-week exploration of hip hop. The program takes place at Citi Performing Arts Center, July 9 through August 10. Participants receive a stipend for their work. The program culminates in a youth-created performance tour throughout Boston.

Applicants may schedule an interview by contacting Rachel Rhoades at ed1@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221. Interviews will take place weekdays beginning April 18th. Previous performing arts experience is not necessary. Applicants are asked to memorize and present a 2-minute monologue from a scripted play or published poem, sing 16 bars of a song, and bring a resume if possible.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT City Spotlights Leadership Program
WHEN July 9 – August 10, Monday thru Friday full-time
WHERE Citi Performing Arts Center, 270 Tremont Street, Boston
WHO Youth ages 14-19
Previous performing arts experience not required
Stipends available.
HOW TO APPLY Contact Rachel Rhoades at ed1@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221 to schedule an interview.
ABOUT The City Spotlights Leadership Program is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s education programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any teen with an interest in developing their creative voice. More information available at citicenter.org/education.

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ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: April 24, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (April 11, 2012) – Citi Performing Arts Center invites youth ages 11-19, to participate in the weeklong City Spotlights Spoken Word Project at the Dudley Branch Library during upcoming April school vacation week. In this FREE program, participants will develop spoken word, storytelling, and performing arts skills while exploring hip hop culture. The program takes place at the Dudley Branch Library in Roxbury from April 17-20, 3-5pm. Participants must be able to attend all sessions. At the end of the program, participants will present their original work during a poetry slam event held at the Dudley Branch Library.

Register online at citicenter.org/education or contact Che Madyun at cmadyun@citicenter.org or 617-532-1256. Previous performing arts experience is NOT necessary. The City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is generously supported by the Fellowes Athenaeum Fund of the Boston Public Library.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project
WHEN April 17 - April 20
3 - 5pm
WHERE Dudley Library Branch, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA
WHO Youth ages 11-19
Previous performing arts experience not required.
HOW TO REGISTER Online at citicenter.org/education Contact Che Madyun at cmadyun@citicenter.org or 617-532-1256 with any questions.
ABOUT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any youth with an interest in developing his/her creative voice and are FREE to all participants.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: April 11, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Surpassing sales of one million units combined, the musical phenomenon that is Celtic Thunder have just been hailed as BILLBOARD’s Top World Music Artist, along with Top World Music Imprint and Top World Album of 2011 for their album, Heritage.

Celtic Thunder begins 2012 with a new CD and DVD concert special, VOYAGE. VOYAGE the concert special began broadcasting across the U.S. on Public Television stations this past March(check local listings).

VOYAGE continues to pay homage to the musical culture of Ireland, while exploring the musical journey each soloist has undertaken since the beginning of Celtic Thunder four years ago. Former members Damian McGinty and Paul Byrom have moved on - McGinty’s star continues to rise after securing a reoccurring role on FOX’s hit show GLEE (a result of winning last year’s “The GLEE Project”), while Paul Byrom launches his own solo career as well. Keith Harkin is also working on a solo project while maintaining his integral role in Celtic Thunder. He is the first artist signed to the newly helmed David Foster Verve Music Group, and is readying his forthcoming solo debut wildly anticipated by “Thunder Heads” everywhere. The rest of the ensemble including Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, Neil Byrne, George Donaldson and Emmet Cahill welcome 13-year-old Daniel Furlong to the fold as a guest artist on this recording. The group performances highlight the diversity of Irish music and song; from the powerful rendition of “Dulaman” to the love song “Maid of Culmore,” the collection also features a rousing performance of “Galway Girl” and beloved Irish party song “My Irish Molly-O.” To view highlights of VOYAGE click here

In addition to their impressive sales statics, their official YouTube channel, “Thunder Tube” has received over twenty five million views since its inception in 2008. Celtic Thunder’s successful resume includes performing for President Obama at The White House’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in 2009, opening New York City’s famed St. Patrick’s Day Parade two consecutive years in a row (2008 & 2009), and most notably six hit Public Television specials and numerous sold out concerts all across America.

Like Apple’s 1999 record, When the Pawn…, the new album’s title is a poem:

THE IDLER WHEEL IS WISER
THAN THE DRIVER OF THE SCREW
AND WHIPPING CORDS WILL SERVE YOU MORE
THAN ROPES WILL EVER DO.

“Whet your appetite for a new Fiona LP (yes!) with this tasty, arresting new ballad, which she busted out during a SXSW show,” said Rolling Stone, placing the first single “Every Single Night” on the “RS Playlist” while The New York Times marveled at how it “seesawed between lullaby and vehement chantey.”

Listen to "Every Single Night"

“Every Single Night” was one of three new songs Apple introduced on her recent sold-out spring tour – her first outing in five years. New York Magazine’s Vulture.com hailed her performances as “mind-blowing” while the Village Voice called her “a lightning-rod presence” and the Philadelphia Inquirer observed: “the word performance doesn’t seem apt. There’s nothing pat about what she does.”

"Fiona Apple has control. That’s clear from the moment she took the stage,” said The New York Times. “She has always been part blues woman, part dark cabaret singer, part illicit rock confessor. Her songs limn the erotics of danger and also the pains of disappointment, drawing equal strength from both.”

You can check out Apple performing “Every Single Night” and “Anything We Want,” another track from her upcoming album, at: fiona-apple.com

Apple made her debut at age 19 with 1996’s Tidal, which is certified triple Platinum. Rolling Stone named her Artist of the Year in 1997 and in 1998 she won a GRAMMY for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for one of the album’s singles, “Criminal.” When the Pawn…followed in 1999, and was hailed by Entertainment Weekly as “the work of an original.” Extraordinary Machine debuted in the Top 10 of The Billboard 200 and appeared on numerous critics’ best-of-2005 lists.

A celebrated legacy of over four decades has produced 20 Grammy® Awards nominations with 8 wins. Earth, Wind & Fire’s music continues to be among the most plays songs in the world. The group’s new single, “Guiding Lights” (Sony/Legacy) is currently Top 30 on the Billboard Urban Adult Chart.

The signature sound of Earth, Wind & Fire is not easily categorized and since the group’s inception they have been profoundly influential to a powerhouse of music artists ranging from Prince to Beyoncé and generations of millions fans around the world. Earth, Wind & Fire as performed live to sold-audiences on every continent and is led by founding members, Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson.

Websites: earthwindandfire.com and efwfanclub.com.

This ensemble has taken this tour across the country performing classic rock, R&B and Motown hits from the 60s and 70s. The musicians take turns on lead vocals and even perform some of their own hits. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Fagen says that the idea behind the group “…was to play music that we all liked when we were kids — music that made us want to become musicians in the first place.”

Donald Fagen is the co-leader/founder and keyboardist for Steely Dan. Some of his hits include “Do It Again,” “Reeling in the Years,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Dirty Work,” “Bodhisattva,” “My Old School,” “Night By Night,” “Pretzel Logic,” “Black Friday,” “Bad Sneakers,” and “Third World Man.”

Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy winning artist and songwriter who is known for his work with various charitable causes, as well as his days with The Doobie Brothers. Some hits include “What a Fool Believes,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” and his Grammy-award winning rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Boz Scaggs is a Grammy Award winning guitarist who you may recognize from his contributions to the Steve Miller Band. His hits include “Look What You’ve Done to Me,” “Lowdown,” “Isn’t It Time,” “Hard Times,” “Jojo,” and more!

Don’t miss these three musicians as they take you on a music revue of some of classic hits of the 60s and 70s this summer!

CSN will be donating $1 from each ticket sold on the U.S. Summer Tour to charity. In addition, special benefit seats will be available for purchase through The Guacamole Fund (www.guacfund.org). VIP packages are also available at www.crosbystillsnash.com.

The players accompanying Crosby, Stills & Nash on their 2012 tour are: Todd Caldwell (organ), Shane Fontayne (guitar), Steve DiStanislao (drums), Kevin McCormick (bass), and James Raymond (keyboards).

More than four decades since CSN first harmonized in Laurel Canyon, and played their first-ever concert as a trio at the legendary Woodstock festival, its members continue a creative partnership that is one of the most influential and enduring in music. David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash have each been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two times—once with Crosby, Stills & Nash, and a second time with The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies, respectively. They have also been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, with the honor recognizing both CSN as a group, and each member as individual solo artists.

CSN’s music first became a cornerstone of rock ‘n roll with the self-titled 1969 debut LP, one of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Ever since—through changing times, various configurations, and acclaimed solo careers—Crosby, Stills & Nash have continued to tour and record as “three together.”

Visit their site at www.crosbystillsnash.com.

*You will be contacted via e-mail a few days prior to the actual show date with additional details concerning your VIP package. Information will be sent to the e-mail address provided at the time of purchase.
All packages are Non-Refundable and Non-Transferable; No Refunds will be given under any circumstances except in the case of cancellation. No Name Changes will be permitted under any circumstances. VIP merchandise will be shipped directly to each package purchaser at the address provided at the time of purchase; delivery may occur after event date. Please allow a minimum of 30 days after the event to receive your package. Merchandise is not needed for entry into the show; the VIP laminate does not gain or authorize access into the venue or any backstage areas. It is for commemorative purposes only.

Garnering huge critical acclaim, Menzel reached superstardom on Broadway with her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba, the misunderstood green girl, in the blockbuster Wicked and in her Tony-nominated role as Maureen in the revolutionary Rent. This season, Menzel reprised her role on “Glee,” FOX’s smash hit television series, as Shelby Corcoran, Rachel’s biological mother.

“I am so thrilled to be going back on tour this summer. I am eager to reconnect with my audience, perform my favorite songs and explore some exciting new material,” said Menzel.

Amazing audiences with her captivating performances, Menzel has a diverse career on the stage, in film, television, and in music. On March 6th, she released a CD and DVD entitled IDINA MENZEL LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY, a special journey through a diverse repertoire of classic pop and musical theater favorites, including a fresh spin on contemporary songs, led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch, filmed at The Royal Conservatory’s beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada. IDINA MENZEL LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY premiered on PBS stations in March.

Menzel also premiered Wicked in London’s West End to rave reviews and received a Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Menzel’s talents garnered a Drama Desk Award nomination, as well as a Drama League Award nomination for her role in See What I Wanna See directed by Ted Sperling at The Public Theater. Menzel also appeared in ABC’s television series “Private Practice.”

Menzel’s film credits include Disney’s romantic fable, Enchanted where she appeared opposite Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams; Rent, in which she reprised her role as Maureen; and a co-starring role in Robert Towne’s Ask the Dust, opposite Selma Hayek and Colin Farrell.

After a five-year hiatus, The Shins, an American indie rock band founded and fronted by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, James Mercer, are back with a new lineup and one of the year’s most anticipated new albums, “Port of Morrow,” released in the U.S. on March 20. The band released their first track from the new album "Simple Song" earlier this year.

The band’s fourth album, “Port of Morrow,” comes five years after The Shins’ Grammy-nominated album “Wincing the Night Away” entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2. The Wang Theatre show will feature James Mercer leading a Shins lineup of Yuuki Matthews (bass), Jessica Dobson (guitar), Richard Swift (keyboards) and Joe Plummer (drums).

TURN UP THAT DIAL... From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS is about a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves – filled with laughter, soaring emotion, and roof-raising rock ‘n’ roll.

Winner of four 2010 Tony® Awards including Best Musical, MEMPHIS features a Tony®-winning book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) and a Tony®-winning original score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan. Directing is Tony®nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu), and choreography is by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys). Get ready to experience Broadway’s most exciting new destination... MEMPHIS!

Part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston Series

Season Tickets are now on sale for the 2012/2013 Series including:

To order Season Tickets visit the Broadway In Boston website or call 866-523-7469.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Sunday, September 16th at 10AM. Tickets will be available online, by phone or at the Citi Center Box Office.

A co-production of NPR & Chicago Public Radio, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! takes a fast-paced, irreverent look at the news of the world, and the weird. It’s a modern, hilarious twist on the old-time radio quiz show, with featured games including the always popular “Not-My-Job,” which invites local and national personalities to answer questions that are out – way out – of their area of expertise.

It's a rare trip to Boston for this oddly informative quiz show. Don't Wait Wait to buy tickets – shows sell out fast!

With a new show designed by Creative Director Brian Burke (Artistic Director of 'La Reve' and Celine Dion's 5 year run of 'A New Day' at Caesars Palace, both in Las Vegas), and performed with the Il Divo band and famed Boston orchestra, the 2012 tour promises to incorporate a stunning visual and musical mix of fan favourites as well as premiering songs from their new album Wicked Game.

Wicked Game, the group's fifth studio album, includes the title track (a dramatic reworking of the Chris Isaak classic), an emotionally beautiful rendering of Roy Orbison's 'Crying,' a heavenly song inspired by Samuel Barber's 'Adagio for Strings' called 'Dove L'Amore' and a stunning version of the unforgettable ‘Time To Say Goodbye’.

Recently named Artist of the Decade at the Classic BRITS, Il Divo are the most successful international musical break-out story of the millennium, selling more than 25 million albums and pioneering the classical crossover genre. Their ground-breaking success has brought an entirely new sound to vocal music and the group has more than 150 gold and platinum awards in 33 countries. Their first four albums, Il Divo, Ancora, Siempre and The Promise have achieved 50 #1 album chart positions internationally. Il Divo is Carlos Marin, Sebastien Izambard, David Miller and Urs Buhler.

LIVE ON STAGE!
TWO-TIME TONY AWARD WINNER CHITA RIVERA
PERFORMING SONGS FROM HER LEGENDARY BROADWAY CAREER IN
CHITA RIVERA: MY BROADWAY

The Boston Youth Moves’ Producers’ Circle invites you to the 2012 Swellegance Gala Benefit will feature two-time Tony Award winner CHITA RIVERA performing songs from her legendary Broadway career in her own concert CHITA RIVERA: MY BROADWAY at the Citi Shubert Theatre on Friday May 4th at 8pm. All proceeds will go to Boston Youth Moves.

Ms. Rivera will be accompanied by a 6-piece orchestra, led by musical director Michael Croiter, and will perform selections from her most celebrated musicals, including numbers from West Side Story (“America”), Sweet Charity (“Where Am I Going?” and “Big Spender”), Chicago (“All That Jazz” and “Nowadays”), Kiss of the Spider Woman,, Bye, Bye, Birdie and The Rink, and featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Charles Strouse, Stephen Sondheim and Cy Coleman among others.

According to Boston Youth Moves Co-Director Jeanette Neill, "We are honored for the opportunity to share this living legend, Chita Rivera, with Boston. Chita's generosity and commitment to fostering the next generation of young artists has lead to this extraordinary ONE NIGHT ONLY performance to benefit Boston Youth Moves and we couldn't be more thrilled!"

Now in it’s 12th year, Swellegance is the embodiment of fun and sophistication. It’s an evening of smart cocktails, swell people and sophisticated entertainment that has rapidly become one of the major events in the city of Boston. Boston Youth Moves (BYM) is a non-profit, after-school arts education program whose mission is to encourage young people, through training in the art of dance, to explore their limitless potential for artistic expression and realize personal success. Begun in 1990 by Jim Viera and Jeannette Neill, BYM offers superlative dance training to teens in the Boston and greater Boston area and provides subsidized tuition for its students and offers scholarships and financial aid to students in need.

CHITA RIVERA is an accomplished and versatile actress, singer and dancer who has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and received seven additional Tony nominations. She starred in the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer’s Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele. She recreated her starring role in The Visit, the new Kander/Ebb/McNally musical at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (originally done at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago in 2001). She also starred in the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. She trained as a ballerina (from age 11) before receiving a scholarship to the American School of Ballet from legendary George Balanchine. Chita’s first appearance (age 17) was in the chorus of Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story (1957) brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry’s Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes. Chita was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on August 12, 2009. She received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, DC in December, 2002 and is the first Hispanic ever chosen to receive this award. Chita has recorded and released a new CD entitled And Now I Swing (Yellow Sound Label) and is on a nationwide concert tour of Chita Rivera: My Broadway. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.

“Chita Rivera has a gleam in her eye, a smirk on her lips and a bounce in her step…you leave this show walking on air!” – The New York Times

“Chita Rivera is more than a musical theatre star. She’s a force of nature.” – Associated Press

“Chita Rivera is irresistible!” – Newsweek

“Shimmering show-biz perfection.” – Los Angeles Times
“Ever-riveting! Chita Rivera has the rare presence of a thoroughbred star!” – USA Today

“Chita Rivera is a wonder to behold.” – Wall Street Journal

BOSTON (January 23, 2012) – Citi Performing Arts Center invites youth ages 11-19, to participate in the weeklong City Spotlights Spoken Word Project at the Dudley Branch Library during upcoming school vacation week. In this FREE program, participants will develop spoken word, storytelling, and performing arts skills while exploring hip hop culture. The program takes place at the Dudley Branch Library in Roxbury from February 21-24, 3-5pm. Participants must be able to attend all sessions. At the end of the program, participants will present their original work during a poetry slam event held at the Dudley Branch Library.

Register online at citicenter.org/education or contact Ramona Lisa Alexander at ralexander@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221. Previous performing arts experience is not necessary. The City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is generously supported by the Fellowes Athenaeum Fund of the Boston Public Library.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project
WHEN February 21 - February 24
3 - 5pm
WHERE Dudley Library Branch, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA
WHO Youth ages 11-19
Previous performing arts experience not required.
HOW TO REGISTER Online at citicenter.org/education Contact Siobhan Brown at sbrown@citicenter.org or 617-532-1250 with any questions.
ABOUT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any youth with an interest in developing his/her creative voice and are FREE to all participants.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: January 23, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (January 4, 2012) – Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to announce that during December’s 53-performance run of Radio City Christmas Spectacular, nearly 750 youth and families attended the show free of charge thanks to support from Macy’s, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and Citi Center’s SpectrumBoston Ticket Access Fund.

On December 11, 2011, 50 teen participants from Citi Center’s arts education programs attended the holiday show with their families through generous funding from Macy’s. On December 21, 2011, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation celebrated its partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center by hosting over 100 youth from other partner organizations including Berklee College of Music, Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, Children’s Hospital Boston, Horizon’s for Homeless Children, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Mass Mentoring Partnership, and the Perkins School for the Blind. Attendees had the opportunity to attend a pre-show reception, meet the Rockettes, and take a behind the scenes tour of the production. Boston Celtics co-owner, Stephen Pagliuca, attended the event to present Citi Performing Arts Center with a check to expand its arts education programs for Boston youth and families.

In addition to the Macy’s and Shamrock Foundation events, Citi Center’s SpectrumBoston Ticket Access Fund distributed 600 tickets to community partners including Boston Centers for Youth and Families, the Boston Public Library, and Boston Public Schools teachers, students, principals, and arts specialists. The SpectrumBoston Ticket Access Fund annually distributes over 2,500 tickets and related classroom resources to schools and communities that would not otherwise have the opportunity or the funding to attend live performances. To become a Community Partner and join the Ticket Access Roster, please call 617-532-1256. To support the SpectrumBoston Access Fund, which please call 617-532-1289.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: January 4, 2012
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Legendary rocker Lenny Kravitz is pleased to announce dates for his first American tour in five years. Set to kick off on January 27th right here in Boston, the nearly 20-city tour is happening in conjunction with the artist’s ninth studio album Black and White America.

Raphael Saadiq is set to join Lenny Kravitz as his special guest, making for what is sure to be a night of unforgettable music.

Regarded as one of the preeminent rock musicians of our time, Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race and class into a 20-year musical career, one which revels in the rich influences of '60s and '70s soul, rock and funk. Lenny Kravitz is a four time GRAMMY Award winner and has sold over 35 million albums worldwide. The artist’s multiple talents as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist have resonated through eight studio albums into a timeless catalog. This fall Lenny Kravitz released his 9th studio album, Black and White America to critical acclaim. Marking his first release of new material in three years, Black and White America is a rich rock and funk-infused collection filled with Lenny’s signature guitar riffs, compelling melodies and the undeniable anthemic lyricism that has been his trademark over the course of his 20-year career. For more information please go to lennykravitz.com.

New and old fans of the Grateful Dead alike will be entranced as Phil & Bob take the musical journey “furthur”, exploring some of the Grateful Dead’s most beloved songs in a tour that promises to keep the feet stomping and the bodies shaking.

BOSTON (December 1, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center invites youth ages 11-19, to join the winter session of the City Spotlights Spoken Word Project at the Dudley Branch Library. In this FREE program, participants will develop spoken word, storytelling, and performing arts skills while exploring hip hop culture. The program takes place every Wednesday at the Dudley Branch Library in Roxbury from January 11 to February 15, 4-5:30pm. Participants must be able to attend all sessions. At the end of six weeks, participants present their original work during a poetry slam event held at the Dudley Branch Library. The fall session of the program recently completed in November with a showcase for family and friends.

Register online at citicenter.org/education. Previous performing arts experience is not necessary. Contact Siobhan Brown at sbrown@citicenter.org or 617-532-1250 with any questions. The City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is generously supported by the Fellowes Athenaeum Fund of the Boston Public Library.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project
WHEN January 11 - February 15
Wednesdays, 4 - 5:30pm
WHERE Dudley Library Branch, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA
WHO Youth ages 11-19
Previous performing arts experience not required.
HOW TO REGISTER Online at citicenter.org/education Contact Siobhan Brown at sbrown@citicenter.org or 617-532-1250 with any questions.
ABOUT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any youth with an interest in developing his/her creative voice and are FREE to all participants.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: December 1, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (November 17, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center has been inducted into the international Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy, in recognition of its use of the Kaplan-Norton Balanced Scorecard to achieve exemplary performance results. The induction ceremony took place on Wednesday, November 9th in San Diego, California at the Palladium 2011 Americas Summit.

As the first non-profit arts organization to be inducted in the Hall of Fame’s history, Citi Center joins a distinguished group of organizations from across the globe and both the public and private sectors including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cisco Systems, Inc., the FBI, and the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico. As the leading strategic performance management tool, the Kaplan-Norton Balanced Scorecard is widely utilized among Fortune 500 companies but rarely applied in the non-profit sector and never in the arts. Created by Palladium Group co-founders Drs. Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, the Balanced Scorecard links strategy to operations to drive business outcomes.

“The Balanced Scorecard has been a critical factor in Citi Performing Arts Center’s dramatic five-year transformation—identifying priorities, focusing resources, improving execution, and driving results,” said Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., President and CEO. “Citi Performing Arts Center considers itself an innovative model for non-profit arts organization and is proud to be recognized as the first in this esteemed international group.”

Using the Balanced Scorecard framework, Citi Center implemented a new vision and strategy in 2006—launching an innovative hybrid business model to balance its non-profit mission and operations, creating a community-based arts education program with depth, breadth, and impact, and investing in its cultural facilities and infrastructure to ensure sustainability. In the past five years, this strategy has driven breakthrough results, measured and reported through ClearPoint Strategy. Results include increasing both earned and contributed income, realigning board, staff, and volunteers, and launching a comprehensive evaluation strategy for education program impact.

Today, Citi Performing Arts Center’s Balanced Scorecard-driven turnaround has been cited as a best practice model, garnering media attention and leveraging support from the cultural and business communities. Citi Center gained recent national recognition from GuideStar and BridgeStar for its governance reform initiative, funding from The Kresge Foundation and Massachusetts Cultural Council for historic building reserves, and statewide awards from Arts/Learning for its high-impact arts education programs.

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts Center
Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

About Palladium Group, Inc.
Palladium Group is the global leader in helping organizations solve their most pressing strategy execution challenges. We provide our clients with an integrated set of services—strategy and technology consulting, education, training, and certification—that deliver tangible results and enduring internal capabilities. The benefits of our approach are demonstrated through the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy® which recognizes organizations that have achieved premium returns through outstanding execution. Visit ThePalladiumGroup.com.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: November 17, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

The album, Stronger, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and #2 on the Digital Albums Chart. All 5 of Kelly’s albums have debuted in the Top 3. The first single, “Mr. Know It All” has reached #4 on the iTunes Singles Chart and marks Kelly’s 9th Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Kelly recently won a Country Music Association award for Musical Event of the Year with Jason Aldean, for their hit single “Don’t You Wanna Stay.”

Entertainment Weekly calls Stronger, “a breakup album for the ages” while Billboard states, “she’s in her strongest form yet on fifth album Stronger.” The New York Times claims, “Ms. Clarkson is turning into the Mary J. Blige of pop,” while USA Today says “vocally, Clarkson has never sounded better.” Rolling Stone states Kelly has, “one of music’s most remarkable voices.”

Since bursting onto the music scene 10 years ago, Kelly Clarkson has released 5 studio albums (Thankful, Breakaway, My December, All I Ever Wanted, Stronger), sold over 20 million albums worldwide, 10 million albums in the US and has had 9 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. She is the recipient of 2 Grammy Awards, 2 American Music Awards, 2 MTV Awards, 1 Country Music Award and 11 Billboard Awards.

Visit Kelly's website.

“Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to accept The Kresge Foundation’s grant which will enable urgent facilities improvements,” said Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., President and CEO. “For nearly a century, our landmark theatres have served as cultural icons in Boston. The Kresge Foundation’s support will ensure that they remain accessible and valued community assets for many years to come.”

In addition to facilities improvements, the Kresge Foundation grant will enable Citi Center to establish a Building Reserves Fund to ensure that the organization is well-capitalized into the future. The fund will help the organization guarantee continuity in the provision of programs and services, take advantage of opportunities to innovate, and provide for the inevitable need to reinvest in our facilities years from now.

“The Kresge Foundation believes that well-capitalized arts and cultural organizations are better able to execute their missions and provide effective and relevant programming,” said Alice L. Carle, Program Director for Arts and Culture. ”By supporting Citi Performing Arts Center, The Kresge Foundation seeks to contribute to the vitality of the Boston community."

Citi Performing Arts Center’s historic venues have long anchored Boston's downtown Theater District, attracting New England audiences with outstanding arts and entertainment and stimulating $56 million to the local economy. Two decades ago, the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, today known as Citi Performing Arts Center, completed a 10 year, $9.8M restoration campaign. The Kresge Foundation played a significant role in this initiative, awarding the Center $750,000 to restore the Wang Theatre to its original 1925 glory. Since then 12.2 million visitors from around the world have attended world-class performances in Citi Center’s theatres, and Citi Center’s education program has reached 200,000 children in all Boston neighborhoods.

In the past year, Citi Performing Arts Center has been recognized by local and international press for the essential role it plays in the city’s cultural community. Leading music industry magazine, Billboard ranked the Citi Wang Theatre #7 in the Top 10 Grossing Venues around the globe with capacities of 5,000 or less in its 2011 mid-year charts.

Today Citi Performing Arts Center faces the critical task of preserving the theatres’ spectacular architecture and adapting them for the 21st century. The Kresge Foundation’s Challenge Grant will support Citi Performing Arts Center’s ongoing investment in their upkeep, technical capacity, and restoration. In the coming months, Citi Center will be working to leverage public support to satisfy the grant’s matching requirement.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: October 21, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (October 5, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center invites youth ages 11-19, to join its fall City Spotlights Spoken Word Project at the Dudley Library Branch. In this FREE program, participants develop spoken word, storytelling, and performing arts skills while exploring hip hop culture. The program takes place at the Dudley Branch Library in Roxbury from October 12 to November 16, from 4-5:30pm every Wednesday. Participants must be able to attend all sessions. At the end of six weeks, participants present their original work during a poetry slam event held at the Dudley Branch Library.

Register online at citicenter.org/education. Previous performing arts experience is not necessary. Contact Siobhan Brown at sbrown@citicenter.org or 617-532-1250 with any questions. The City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is generously supported by the Fellowes Athenaeum Fund of the Boston Public Library.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project
WHEN October 12 - November 16
Wednesdays, 4 - 5:30pm
WHERE Dudley Library Branch, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA
WHO Youth ages 11-19
Previous performing arts experience not required.
HOW TO REGISTER Online at citicenter.org/education Contact Siobhan Brown at sbrown@citicenter.org or 617-532-1250 with any questions.
ABOUT City Spotlights Spoken Word Project is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any youth with an interest in developing his/her creative voice and are FREE to all participants.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: October 5, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

No Peace for the Restless as DJ Ms. Thang spins the night away in The Addams Family honor Dance the night away onstage at the legendary Wang Theatre with ghosts of performers past! The evening includes a lively night of specialty cocktails, toxically cruel treats and dancing on graves. Dress to impress in creepy couture.

Proceeds from the evening benefit our award-winning arts education programs, the preservation of our historic theatres, and reserves for mission sustainability.

Want to attend our 85th Anniversary Gala Dinner before The Graveyard Shift? Learn more here.

The Addams Family – A New Musical Comedy runs from February 7-19, 2012 at the Citi Shubert Theatre.

Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre welcomes LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. Winner of three Tony Awards® including the award for BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL, this hilarious new production was the biggest hit of the 2010 Broadway season, leaving audiences in stitches night after night!

Starring George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber, LA CAGE tells the story of Georges (George Hamilton), the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez, and his partner Albin (Christopher Sieber), who moonlights as the glamorous chanteuse Zaza. When Georges' son brings his fiancée's conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair, the bonds of family are put to the test as the feather boas fly! LA CAGE is a tuneful and touching tale of one family's struggle to stay together... stay fabulous... and above all else, stay true to themselves!

With a glorious score of hummable melodies and a dynamite cast featuring the "notorious and dangerous Cagelles," LA CAGE is an indisputable musical comedy classic... and this extraordinary new version shows you why!

Part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston Series

Visit the Group Sales page for information on purchasing 10+ tickets.

In support of his forthcoming box set collection Sting: 25 Years, slated for release on September 27, the tour features Sting backed by a 5-piece band in an intimate theatre setting.

Back to Bass finds Sting performing songs spanning his dynamic and enduring solo career, from his 1985 debut The Dream Of The Blue Turtles to his latest release, Live in Berlin, plus a selection of The Police’s greatest hits. Highlights include the Grammy® winners “Brand New Day” and “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You” plus fan-favorites “Englishman In New York,” “Desert Rose” and “Roxanne.” Sting will be joined by a band including his longtime guitarist Dominic Miller, Rufus Miller (guitarist), Vinnie Colaiuta (drummer), Peter Tickell (electric fiddle), and Jo Lawry(vocalist).

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sting's solo career, the definitive box set Sting: 25 Years, will be released on September 27, 2011. This collection captures for the first time both the highlights and rarities of Sting’s enduring solo career and contains three CDs, all re-mastered exclusively for this set and personally curated by Sting, as well as a previously unreleased live DVD, Rough, Raw & Unreleased, filmed at New York City’s Irving Plaza. The discs are housed in a hardcover book featuring rare photos, complete lyrics, and newly written commentary by Sting. In addition, Sting: The Best of 25 Years (single disc) will be released on October 18, 2011.

For more information please visit: sting.com

The Australian Pink Floyd Show is unquestionably one of the world's top classic rock tribute acts today. Floyd drummer Nick Mason has praised TAPFS as, “very good, probably better than we are,” while the group was even engaged by Floyd guitarist David Gilmour to perform at his 50th birthday celebration!

The upcoming tour will be TAPFS's most ambitious and spectacular ever as they debut a new quadraphonic sound system and state-of-the-art 3D stereographic technology. Don't miss the awe-inspiring Floyd-ian style laser and light show and host of over-sized inflatables - including a gigantic pink kangaroo!

Comprised of band members Steve Mac (vocals/guitar), Colin Wilson (bass and vocals), Jason Sawford (keyboards), David Domminney Fowler (guitar/vocals), Alex McNamara (vocals), Mike Kidson (saxophone), Paul Bonney (drums), Bianca Glynn (vocals), Emily Lynn (vocals), and Lara Smiles (vocals), TAPFS was originally formed in 1988. Over the years, the group has played to wildly enthusiastic audiences worldwide, paying tribute to the group that issued such all-time classic albums as "Dark Side of the Moon," "Wish You Were Here," and "The Wall," as well as the rock radio standards "Money," "Wish You Were Here," "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and "Comfortably Numb."

The Australian Pink Floyd Show continues to rack up accolades, including being described as "setting the gold standard" and being praised as "The best tribute band in the world" (Sunday Times) and "The living embodiment of a Floyd show. If you love the Floyd, you’ll love this" (Liverpool Echo).

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, the debut album, is available November 8 on Sour Mash Records. Pre-order yours now at noelgallagher.com. The first single "The Death of You and Me" is available now.

BOSTON (August 23, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center seeks youth ages 14-19, for its fall City Spotlights Leadership Program. Participants develop leadership, professional skills, and performance training in music and spoken word through an 8-week program – this fall’s session will be an exploration of hip hop culture. The program takes place at Citi Performing Arts Center from September 27th through November 18th, afterschool every Tuesday and Thursday. Participants receive a stipend for their work and must be able to attend all sessions. The program culminates in a performance tour throughout Boston. Read more about this past summer’s session here: citicenter.org/about/blogs/.

Applicants may schedule an interview by contacting Ramona Alexander at ralexander@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221. Interviews will take place weekdays from 3-5pm, beginning August 29th. Previous performing arts experience is not necessary. Applicants are asked to memorize and present a 2-minute monologue from a scripted play or published poem, sing 16 bars of a song, and bring a resume if possible.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT: City Spotlights Leadership Program
WHEN: September 27 – November 18
Tuesday and Thursdays, afterschool
WHERE: Citi Performing Arts Center, 270 Tremont Street, Boston
WHO: Youth ages 14-19
Previous performing arts experience not required
Stipends available
HOW TO APPLY Contact Ramona Lisa Alexander at ralexander@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221

ABOUT: The City Spotlights Leadership Program is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education Programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any teen with an interest in developing their creative voice. More information available at citicenter.org/education.

# # #

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: August 18, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

BOSTON (August 18, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center announces that its landmark historic Wang Theatre has received international and local recognition as a top performing arts venue. Leading music business magazine, Billboard ranked the Citi Wang Theatre #7 in the Top 10 Grossing Venues around the globe with capacities of 5,000 or less in its 2011 mid-year charts. This honor acknowledges the Citi Wang Theatre‘s excellence in providing New England audiences with access to world-class arts and entertainment.

At the local level, the Improper Bostonian, metro Boston‘s guide to culture and entertainment, crowned the Citi Wang Theatre as Boston’s Best Venue, and for the second year, Citi Center was named to Boston.com’s A-List as Best Performing Arts Venue, thanks to hundreds of Boston.com voters. Together these honors recognize the essential role the historic theatre plays in the city‘s cultural life.

"As an iconic Boston landmark and nonprofit community arts center, Citi Performing Arts Center’s Wang Theatre has long been considered the ‘People’s Palace’” said Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., President and CEO. “Today our historic theatre is attracting more diverse audiences than ever thanks to our programming partner Madison Square Garden Entertainment and the wide-range of performances offered on our stages—including sold-out performances of legendary artists like Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, and Paul Simon, to popular family fare including Cirque Eloize and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. We thank MSG Entertainment for their commitment as our booking partner in making the Wang Theatre the world-class destination it is today."

Celebrated for its beauty and architectural significance to the City of Boston, the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since opening to audiences in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theatre, it has developed from a movie “cathedral” and home to vaudeville musicals and big bands to today’s role as an impressive venue, hosting outstanding, diverse, culturally relevant performing arts and entertainment. In the 1980s, the then-called Music Hall fell into disrepair, yet through the generosity of Dr. An and Lorraine Wang, the theatre was restored to its former glory and renamed in their honor. Through innovative partnerships with Madison Square Garden Entertainment and Citibank, the 3,600 seat Citi Wang Theatre welcomes hundreds of thousands of people throughout the year. Today, with one of the five largest stages in the country, it offers popular music, theatre, Broadway, dance and family programming to New England audiences of all ages and cultures.

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts Center
Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

The result: Macbeth- bold, terrifying, hypnotic, gripping.

Music Director David Angus will lead BLO’s esteemed orchestra and chorus while David Schweizer returns to BLO after last season’s highly successful The Emperor of Atlantis. American soprano Carter Scott, fresh from The Lyric Opera of Chicago, debuts as Lady Macbeth. The cast features Metropolitan Opera baritone Daniel Sutin, making his BLO debut as Macbeth, bass-baritone Darren K. Stokes as Banquo (Carmen, 2009; Midsummer, 2011), and celebrated Met tenor Richard Crawley as Macduff. With David Cushing, John Irvin and Michelle Trainor.

Sung in Italian

New Production

Half-Off Student Tickets for the Opera may be purchased in advance at the Citi Performing Arts Center Box Office. 2 tickets per valid student ID.

The Inspector, John Musto’s witty comic gem boasts a melodic score and features a large and talented cast of established and versatile American dramatic singers. Basing the work loosely on Gogol’s 19th century farce, The Government Inspector, Musto once again teams up with librettist Mark Campbell to create a swaggeringly funny tale of bribery, fraud, corruption (and a little discreet pimping) in 1930s Sicily.

Jake Gardner, BLO’s Music Master in 2010’s Ariadne auf Naxos, stars as Mayor Fazzobaldi and joins internationally renowned Metropolitan Opera star and Grammy nominee Victoria Livengood as Sarelda. Boston-based soprano Meredith Hansen and tenor Neal Ferreira sing the young lovers Beatrice and Tancredi in a cast conducted by David Agnus. With Julius Ahn, Dorothy Byrne, David Cushing, David Kravitz, Nicole Rodin, Kathryn Skemp, and Michelle Trainor.

Half-Off Student Tickets for the Opera may be purchased in advance at the Citi Performing Arts Center Box Office. 2 tickets per valid student ID.

Mellencamp’s critically acclaimed No Better Than This album recording session began at Savannah’s First African Baptist Church. Mellencamp and producer T Bone Burnett would go on to record the rest of the album at Sun Studio in Memphis and in Room 414 of San Antonio's Gunter Hotel where Robert Johnson recorded in 1936. The sessions were documented on a 55-year-old mono tape recorder using just one vintage microphone at each location.

As a reflection of the diversity of styles and material that have been a hallmark of Mellencamp's eclectic career, the No Better Than This concerts are formatted into three segments. These showcase John Mellencamp in an acoustic context, fronting a small combo recalling blues/country and rockabilly roots and with his full rock band. Musicians backing Mellencamp include Michael Wanchic (guitar), Andy York (guitar), Miriam Sturm (violin), John Gunnell (electric and upright bass), Dane Clark (drums and percussion) and Troye Kinnett (accordion/keyboards).

Each of the No Better Than This tour dates will be preceded by a screening of It’s About You, the documentary by filmmakers Kurt and Ian Markus, shot on Super 8, over the course of 2009’s Bob Dylan-John Mellencamp-Willie Nelson tour of minor league baseball stadiums. The hour-long film, both a SXSW Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival selection, chronicles the creation of the No Better Than This album that was recorded on that tour’s off days. The film will be shown at 7 PM at each of the No Better Than This Tour venues so ticket holders are advised to arrive in time to see it.

As was the case with its album namesake, No Better Than This concerts have been the subject of an impressive number of laudatory reviews. A selection of excerpts from those follows.

"Mellencamp's goal in reconfiguring these songs was clear: to establish that underneath the pop-radio polish lurked deep truths about American life. ..he went about his business without abandoning his natural animal magnetism, Mellencamp succeeded." - Los Angeles Times

"Mellencamp gloriously proved that not only is he one of America’s treasures, an incredible singer-songwriter and guitarist, he’s also a master at putting together a set." - Dallas Morning News

"..a concert that seesawed between facing mortality — full of songs about death — and a stubborn determination to live fully." - New York Times "..he maintains remarkable vocal strength. It's an instrument that's perfectly suited to a catalogue of songs that aim to provide a voice to a cast of uncelebrated working-class figures." - Richmond Times-Dispatch

"His voice, grainy and loaded with gravitas, remains as compelling and as affective as it was the day he recorded ‘Pink Houses’ in 1983. It’s a voice that’s as distinctive as any of his arguably more famous peers, from Dylan to Springsteen to Petty, and like those artists, it’s attached to a man who has kept integrity high on his priority list. Johnny Cash once referred to him as one of the ten best songwriters, and Mellencamp’s newer material didn’t disappoint in a live setting." - American Songwriter

"..it was a generous show, giving the fans what they wanted, but also allowing the leader to indulge in a more old-school style." - St Paul Pioneer Press

"This concert was superb from beginning to end, with Mellencamp and his crack band taking a stripped down, neo-folk approach until the last quarter, when he unleashed his rock 'n' roll persona. I'm loath to call anything the best, but if I have to choose, this was the concert of the year in Pittsburgh." - Pittsburgh Tribune

*Please note you will be contacted via e-mail a few days prior to the actual show date with additional details concerning your VIP package. Information will be sent to the e-mail address provided at the time of purchase.
All packages are non-transferable; no will-call name changes will be permitted under any circumstances. The person who purchases the tickets must be the same person who claims the tickets at will-call with a valid photo identification. VIP merchandise will be shipped directly to each package purchaser at the address provided at the time of purchase; delivery may occur after event date. The VIP laminate does not gain or authorize access into the venue or any backstage areas. It is for commemorative purposes only.
Packages are open to U.S and Canadian Addresses Only.
For all customer service inquiries please contact tickets@fanfire.com.
All ticket prices include a $3.00 Facility Fee.

Early in his stand-up career, Tucker gained a reputation as one of the leading comics on the Los Angeles circuit and was invited to participate in hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy All-Star Jam on HBO.

As an actor, high energy Tucker paired up with one of rap’s greatest, Ice Cube, in the 1995 cult classic, Friday. As “Smokey”, Tucker utilized his keen since of comedy and acting while developing a signature silver screen persona that would gain him international fame and recognition. He then gave a notable performance alongside veteran actor Lorenz Tate in Dead Presidents and landed co-starring roles in memorable films such as Money Talks, with actor Charlie Sheen; The Fifth Element, partnered with action hero Bruce Willis; and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.

Beyond the popularity and notoriety of the previous years’ films, it was the 1998 blockbuster hit Rush Hour that amassed a global following to catapult Tucker to international stardom. The action comedy, starring Tucker and martial artist Jackie Chan, would transfix audiences and surpass box office records, making the feature length film a certified success. The widely popular movie spawned an even more popular sequel further establishing Tucker as one of the highest paid actors in history. The third installment of the mega hit went on to debut as the number one movie in America.

Picking Up Your Tickets:

• Tickets will be available for ADVANCE PICK-UP at the box office beginning at 12:15pm on the day of the show. Your entire party must be present at the time of pick-up (i.e., if you bought four tickets, all four of you must be there). *No tickets will be issued to incomplete parties.*

• Guests choosing ADVANCE PICK-UP will be issued a wristband, and only those wristbanded guests (with their tickets in hand) will be able to enter the venue through a priority entrance any time after doors open.

• Valid photo ID and credit card used to purchase the tickets are required for ticket pick-up.

• Tickets are non-transferable, and name changes on ticket orders are not permitted under any circumstances. If your photo ID does not match the name on your ticket order, you will be denied entry to the venue.

• Doors open at 6:15pm. The show is scheduled to begin at 8:00pm. • All guests picking up tickets after doors open are required to immediately enter the venue. Exit and re-entry will not be permitted. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding, and we look forward to a great night with Wilco! If you have any questions about your ticket order, please call 866-348-9738.

Wilco performs live at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre on September 20th in support of their new album,“The Whole Love”, available September 27. Special Guest Nick Lowe.

Wilco release their eighth studio album - The Whole Love - through their newly launched dBpm Records. It follows the band’s 2009 Grammy-nominated Wilco (The Album) and was recorded at the band’s Chicago recording studio The Loft. The Whole Love features 12 new original tunes and is produced by Jeff Tweedy with Patrick Sansone and Tom Schick.

The Whole Love is a veritable sonic stew, showcasing Wilco’s far-reaching musical prowess (multiple guitars, keyboards, synthesizers and percussion plus Mellotron, strings, loops and more) perfectly accompanying Jeff Tweedy’s provocative and insightful lyrics. The Whole Love opens with the seven-minute "Art of Almost" and concludes with the twelve-minute "One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)." In between: 10 adventurous tunes (each clocking in at four minutes or less) including the current single, "I Might".

For more info about Wilco, visit wilcoworld.net.

BOSTON (June 23, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center has received a $8,500 grant from the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Arts Expansion Fund by EdVestors to fund a year-long play-writing residency at Madison Park High School in Roxbury. Citi Performing Arts Center is one of 48 recipients of $825,000 in grants by the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative which will go to support arts education programs in 50 Boston Public Schools.

According to the 2010-11 BPS Arts Inventory, only 15% of students at Madison Park High School received any arts instruction; an increase of 10% since 2008-2009, when the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative was founded. Citi Performing Arts Center’s EdVestors Arts Program will build on past work at Madison Park in Fall 2010, when it offered a 6 week artist residency to twelfth grade students. The 2011-2012 program will supplement current creative writing offerings at the school, serving 25 students in grade 12 with weekly instruction in play-writing and culminating in the creation of original performance pieces. The residency will be taught by a professional Teaching Artist, and include an in-school performance by local guest artists and ticket access to professional productions in Boston’s Theatre District.

"Citi Performing Arts Center and the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative agree that it is a right for every youth to have a creative life, to experience art, and to express themselves creatively," said Josiah A. Spaulding, President and CEO of Citi Performing Arts Center. "Citi Center is proud to be part of this initiative and will continue providing meaningful arts experiences for Boston’s youth."

As a partner in Boston’s Community Learning Initiative, Citi Performing Arts Center is committed to a collaborative model of implementing arts education programming in underserved schools. Since 2009, through support from Target Corporation and EdVestors, Citi Center has served more than 6,000 students at 25 Boston Public Schools with artist residencies, “Meet the Performing Artist” workshops, and ticket access to world-class arts performances. The 2011-2012 EdVestors Arts Program at Madison Park High School builds on the success of Citi Center’s 2010-2011 EdVestors Arts Program which served 100 students at Snowden International High School in Back Bay and Odyssey High School in South Boston with high-quality, year-long arts exposure. Learn more directly from the students who participated on our blog: citicenter.org/education/blogs.

# # #

About the Boston Public Schools Arts Expansion Initiative

Launched in February 2009, the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative is a three year effort to expand arts education within BPS.  Focused on providing equity and access to quality arts learning experiences to every BPS student, the Initiative seeks to expand arts instruction, build the capacity of the system to support school-based arts programs, and to enhance partnerships between schools, arts and cultural groups, and higher educational institutions.

The BPS arts expansion effort is a key piece of Superintendent Carol R. Johnson's Acceleration Agenda, a five-year strategic direction (2009-2014) that outlines goals and priorities for transforming the Boston Public Schools. The Initiative is supported by several collaborating donors, including the Barr Foundation, the Boston Foundation, EdVestors, Hunt Alternatives Fund, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Linde Family Foundation, and other foundations and individual donors. The Initiative is based on a report, The Arts Advantage: Expanding Arts Education in the Boston Public Schools, released in February of 2009. For more details on the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative, please visit www.edvestors.org.

 About EdVestors

EdVestors is an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization dedicated to driving change in urban schools through smart, strategic private investment.  EdVestors seeks to close the opportunity gap for children by identifying and shaping the most effective school improvement initiatives and partnering with donors to invest in those efforts while supporting the project leaders with hands-on expertise.  Launched in 2002 by a group of philanthropists, educators and business leaders, EdVestors has raised and directed more than $9 million to strategic school improvement efforts in Boston.  For more information about EdVestors, visit www.edvestors.org or call 617.585.5740.

About Citi Performing Arts Center

Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions.  As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience.  For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: June 23, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Mayor Thomas M. Menino dedicates Mural while surrounded by teen artists from Mural Crew

###

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: June 8, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Steely Dan comes to the Citi Performing Arts Center for three shows on Wednesday, September 28th, Friday, September 30th and Saturday, October 1st. Each show will feature a different setlist.

Performance Schedule:
Wednesday, September 28 – “Dawn of the Dan” (songs from their first 3 albums + greatest hits)

Friday, September 30 – “Takin’ It To the Seats” (request night + greatest hits)
Request your favorite Steely Dan song and help decide the set list.
Place your song request here!

Saturday, October 1 – “The Royal Scam” (complete album + greatest hits)

BOSTON (May 24, 2011) – Citi Performing Arts Center seeks youth ages 14-19, for its summer City Spotlights Leadership Program. Participants develop leadership, professional skills, and performance training in dance, music, spoken word and acting through a 5-week program – this summer’s session will be an exploration of hip hop culture. The program takes place at Citi Performing Arts Center from July 11th to August 12th, daily from 9am-4pm. Participants receive a stipend for their work and must be able to attend all sessions. The program culminates in a performance tour throughout Boston.

Applicants may schedule an interview by contacting Ramona Alexander at ralexander@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221. Interviews will take place weekdays from 3-6pm, beginning May 23rd. Previous performing arts experience is not necessary. Applicants are asked to memorize and present a 2-minute monologue from a scripted play or published poem and bring a resume if possible.

AT A GLANCE:
WHAT: City Spotlights Leadership Program
WHEN: July 11 – August 12
Monday through Friday, 9am – 4pm
WHERE: Citi Performing Arts Center, 270 Tremont Street, Boston
WHO: Youth ages 14-19
Previous performing arts experience not required
Stipends available
HOW TO APPLY Contact Ramona Lisa Alexander at ralexander@citicenter.org or 617-532-1221

ABOUT: The City Spotlights Leadership Program is part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education Programming. Programs enable every youth to explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists and peer leader trainers from the community. Programs are open to any teen with an interest in developing their creative voice. More information available at citicenter.org/education.

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ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: May 23, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Get a sneak peek in this video.

Visit the Group Sales page for information on purchasing 10+ tickets.

Enjoy a full service catered event before being swept away by the dazzling performance. Click here to learn more.

Experience the convenience of pre-ordering specially prepared meals and snacks for your enjoyment prior to seeing the show. Click here to learn more about prepared meals.

The all-new tour comes on the heels of his sold out "Tosh Tour Twenty Ten" smash tour, which ran 3 short months from September – December 2010, with over 75 shows drawing more than 175,000 fans.

Host of the super successful Comedy Central series, Tosh.0, Tosh was named as one of the "10 comics to watch" by Daily Variety. Tosh is currently one of the most requested headliners in the country. He has also quickly evolved into one of the most successful acts, having performed more than seven hundred shows in his career. Tosh’s casual style and sharp material have proven to be greatly appreciated by his audiences, young and old.

BOSTON (April 25, 2011) - Target Corporation has been selected by Arts|Learning to receive the 2011 Arts|Learning Corporate Support of Arts Education Award. The award recognizes Target’s commitment to arts education in Massachusetts through its support of the Target Arts Program, a partnership between Citi Performing Arts Center and Boston Public Schools (BPS) to provide free in-school arts learning opportunities for students in grades K-12. Since 2010, Target Arts Program has served 17 Boston Public Schools and more than 6,700 students. Target Corporation will be honored at the 25th Annual Champions of the Arts Award Ceremony at the State House on May 25th.

"Like Citi Performing Arts Center, Target believes that every youth has a right to have a creative life, experience art, and express themselves creatively," said Josiah Spaulding, President and CEO of Citi Performing Arts Center. "This award recognizes Target’s efforts to ensure that this vision is realized in the Boston community. We look forward to continuing to work together toward this future."

Boston Public Schools Superintendent, Carol R. Johnson adds, "We are pleased that Target has chosen to invest in our efforts to expand arts enrichment programs and engage students in creative skills building that can enhance and sometimes accelerate their core academic learning experience. This recognition of Target’s commitment to expanding access to arts experiences and education for our students is well-deserved."

As a unique city-wide partnership between Boston Public Schools, Target, and Citi Performing Arts Center, the Target Arts Program fills a critical need for performing arts programs in Boston’s public schools, providing opportunities for students to see, learn, and participate in the performing arts, both in the classroom and in the theatre. Since January 2010, the Target Arts Program has invested more than $150,000 in Boston’s youth, serving 17 Boston public schools, including 7 of the 12 Turnaround Schools, and reaching more than 6,700 K-12 students through artist residencies, in-school performance assemblies, and free tickets to local professional productions in Boston’s historic Theatre District.

For more about the Target Arts Program and see video and photos, visit Citi Performing Arts Center’s media gallery (citicenter.org/gallery/). For more information about Citi Performing Arts Center’s arts education programs, call (617) 532-1256 or visit citicenter.org/education.

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ABOUT TARGET ARTS PROGRAM
The Target Arts program is a unique city-wide collaboration among Boston’s fine arts, cultural, and municipal organizations. The program aims to improve school success, engage families, and strengthen community by giving access to Boston’s rich offerings of music, dance, visual arts, theater and cultural events to students and families who typically have no opportunity to engage in the professional performing arts. Arts and cultural enrichment celebrations will develop diverse audiences by bringing information to the community through school-based development, community outreach, and citywide collaboration. The BPS Arts Office in partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center coordinates Target Arts programming. This programming includes in-school residencies and special guest artist visits and an invitation to view professional performances at Citi Performing Arts Center and other Boston Theatre District venues.

ABOUT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Boston Public Schools serves more than 56,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 135 schools, and in 2006 won the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the top city school district in the country. Superintendent Carol R. Johnson has made expansion of arts education one of the cornerstones of the Acceleration Agenda for the Boston Public Schools (BPS). In partnership with community organizations, Dr. Johnson has committed to giving students of all ages greater access to the arts – including music, dance, theater, visual arts, and more – during and after the school day. In 2008, Dr. Johnson convened an Arts Advisory Group and commissioned a study to assess the state of arts education in the district. Following the release of the study in February 2009, BPS, in collaboration with EdVestors and other organizations, announced the creation of a $1.5 million Arts Expansion Fund to support school-based arts programs, expand district capacity to coordinate arts education initiatives, and support research and planning efforts in support of the expansion initiative. New arts investments over the past year include the creation of a citywide marching band and high school choir, among others. In October 2009, BPS was awarded a $750,000 “Arts for Young People” planning grant from the Wallace Foundation to build on the work underway and to develop a long-term sustainability plan for expanded arts in schools across the system. For more information, visit bostonpublicschools.org.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

ABOUT TARGET
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at more than 1,600 stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: April 25, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org
Matthew Wilder | Boston Public Schools (617) 635-9494 | mwilder2@bostonpublicschools.org
Target Communications (612) 696-3400

"Heritage" is the all-new Celtic Thunder Release that focuses entirely on their Celtic and Irish roots. Featuring traditional standards such as "Whiskey in the Jar," "Black is the Color," "Skye Boat Song" and "Red, Red Rose" as well as a few beautiful love songs such as, "The Dutchman", "Noreen" and "Just a Song at Twilight." Celtic Thunder Fan Favorites such as "Heartland" and "Ireland’s Call", and the new song "A Voice in the Choir".

Watch Celtic Thunder's version of "Whiskey in the Jar"

Visit the Group Sales page for information on purchasing 10+ tickets.

It has been several years since Alison Krauss along with Union Station band members Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin and lead vocals), Barry Bales (bass and harmony vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar and harmony vocals), and Jerry Douglas (Dobro and harmony vocals) toured together. Their last go around saw raves from critics who witnessed "Krauss and Union Station induce awe with their musical virtuosity...pangs of heartache with their ballads of disillusionment and, most significantly, the giddiness that results from hearing a familiar tune played well." (Chicago Sun Times) It is with great pleasure that they announce their live return with a nationwide tour, set to kick off in Louisville, KY on June 4th.

Alison Krauss and her band discuss the making of their latest album, 'Paper Airplane'. 'Paper Airplane' is out April 12, 2011, on Rounder Records

City Spotlights is a free cultural talent event featuring performing arts groups and individual performers from the Boston neighborhoods of Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan. In this special performance, performers portray the identities of Boston neighborhoods through dance, music, theatre and song, creating a story honoring the uniqueness and richness of Boston. The event brings youth and adults from across the city together with local performing arts groups and individual performers. Special Guest Artists include: Breje (R&B and hip hop vocalist), Velma Dupont (opera vocalist), The Eliot School Before School Rock Band, The Gentleman Outfit (acoustic musicians), Herb Jackson & The Exterminators (rap group), Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts (lyrical jazz dance troupe), Thee Slap Bracelets (hip-hop dance troupe).

"City Spotlights is an opportunity to see Boston through the eyes of our neighbors.” Ruth Mercado-Zizzo, Director of Education at Citi Performing Arts Center said. “Created for members of our community by members of our community, the event celebrates what makes each Boston neighborhood unique and what unites them all."

Citi Performing Arts Center created City Spotlights in 2006 to engage Boston communities in an exploration and celebration of their individual neighborhoods through the performing arts. Preparations for this year’s event began in Fall 2010 in “spotlighted neighborhoods, with performing arts workshops at Boston Centers for Youth and Families sites including Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Hennigan Community Center in Jamaica Plain, Leahy-Holloran Community Center in Dorchester, and Mildred Avenue Community Center in Mattapan. In January 2011, teaching artists continued guiding participants to create neighborhood ensembles and an original performance that was performed for local audiences at the community centers. In March 2011, ensemble members along with local guest artists came together at Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre to create a unified piece honoring all of the "spotlighted" neighborhoods, and titled "City Movement: Comings and Goings of Boston." The City Spotlights event will showcase this performance and the participants’ yearlong effort.

Josiah A. Spaulding, President and CEO, adds: “City Spotlights is an annual reminder of the profound importance of the arts in our city. Despite differences in age, neighborhood, and experience, youth and adults alike come together to create a truly unique expression of community. Programs like City Spotlights make Citi Performing Arts Center proud to call ourselves a true community arts center.

City Spotlights is a part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Community Learning programming in Boston Centers for Youth and Families sites across Boston. Citi Performing Arts Center’s Arts Education programs are committed to helping every youth explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists from the community. Programs are open to anyone with an interest in creative programs and are FREE to all participants. Visit citicenter.org/education for more information.

WHAT 5th Annual City Spotlights Performance

WHEN Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 7pm

WHERE Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, Grand Lobby, 270 Tremont St, Boston

WHO Intergenerational ensemble bringing together participants from Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Mattapan, and special guest artists including:

• Breje - R&B and hip hop vocalist
• Velma Dupont - opera vocalist
• The Eliot School Before School Rock Band
• The Gentleman Outfit - acoustic musicians
• Herb Jackson & The Exterminators - rap group
• Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts - lyrical jazz dance troupe
• Thee Slap Bracelets - hip-hop dance troupe

TICKETS Admission is FREE | General Admission Seating
Reservation limit: 4 per household,10 per organization
• Call 617-532-1265 to make reservations before Friday, April 15, at 12pm Seating available on first come, first served basis. Remaining reservation holders will be accommodated via standing room.

ABOUT City Spotlights is a free cultural event spotlighting the talent of Boston neighborhoods (Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan), featuring local performing arts groups and individual neighborhood performers. In this special performance, performers portray the identities of Boston neighborhoods through dance, music, theatre and song, creating a story honoring and celebrating the uniqueness and richness of Boston.

**Photos available upon request**

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts Center Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: April 5, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Throughout its career, DEEP PURPLE -- who formed in England in 1968 and released their debut album that year--has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Iconic hits include "Smoke On The Water," "Highway Star," "Space Truckin’," "Hush" and "My Woman From Tokyo."

Deep Purple Official Website

Opening for Deep Purple is Boston's own Ernie and the Automatics featuring Ernie Boch, Barry Goudreau and Sib Hashian of Boston, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame sax icon Michael "Tunes" Antunes (John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band, among others) members of Peter Wolf's House Party 5. Check out Ernie and the Automatics.

Visit the Group Sales page for information on purchasing 10+ tickets.

Vedder's solo album, Ukulele Songs, will be released on Tuesday, May 31st through Pearl Jam's Monkeywrench Records. Ukulele Songs is a collection of original songs and covers performed by Vedder on ukulele. The first single from the album, "Longing to Belong," is available now digitally.

Citi Performing Arts Center welcomes award-winning blues rock star, guitar hero and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa and his ace touring band to Boston at the Wang Theatre on November 3rd. The one-night-only show is in support of his upcoming full-length solo album, Dust Bowl. This is Bonamassa’s ninth studio release on his own J&R Adventures label, which he created with longtime manager and business partner Roy Weisman.

Get a free download of Joe's new single at www.jbonamassa.com

• March 21 – Derrick Ashong will lead high school interns in leadership training at Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, challenging the youth to serve as community advocates.


• March 21, 22 & 23 – Ashong will participate in student assemblies at the Snowden International High School in Back Bay and Odyssey High School in South Boston as part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Edvestors Arts Program, which provides yearlong artist residencies to Boston Public Schools. Derrick will also speak to theatre students at Boston Arts Academy in the Fenway. During a “Meet the Performer” session at each school, he will discuss social change through art with the students.


• March 23 – Ashong will return to Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre to take part in a City Spotlights rehearsal with youth and adults from Boston, including Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Mattapan. Participants are in the process of creating an original performance piece to be presented at the fifth annual City Spotlights event.

PREVIOUS VISIT: In November, Ashong made youth civic engagement the focus of his first visit. At Citi Performing Arts Center, Derrick helped high school interns voice their plan for a safer and better community. Inspired by Election Day, the interns created a video-letter to the Governor expressing their civic concerns and proposing a unique solution. The video was later produced in partnership with teens at the Arts High School in Newark and it premiered on Inauguration Day in January (view the video here: youtube.com/citicenter). Ashong also made stops to at Jeremiah Burke High School in Dorchester and Madison Park High School in Roxbury, where he challenged youth to use the arts and their voices to speak up for their beliefs. At the Mildred Avenue Community Center in Mattapan, Ashong led a how-to session in the center’s recording studio, encouraging youth to use creative channels to share their concerns for the community.

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ABOUT DERRICK ASHONG Derrick N. Ashong - or DNA as he is sometimes known - is literally the voice of a new generation. Whether heard in the eloquent expression of his thoughts on then Senator Barack Obama (as seen in one of the most viewed videos of 2008 on YouTube), in his music (as leader of the emerging band Soulfège, more information: soulfege.com) in his songwriting (as winner of the 2007 Billboard Songwriting Contest for Best Hip Hop song) or in his acting ability, the Harvard educated talent has found myriad ways to inspire, engage and activate young people with positive messages for social change.
DNA is the host of "The Derrick Ashong Experience" on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio. The show airs Saturdays from 12:00 - 3:00 pm ET on Oprah Radio, XM channel 156 and SIRIUS channel 195 and is streamed live on OprahRadio.com. "The Derrick Ashong Experience" is a mash-up of politics, pop-culture, social media, music and the arts, informed by Derrick's experiences and travels across the globe. DNA offers inspiration, wisdom and an open mic to listeners of all ages and welcomes a wide variety of guests from the worlds of politics, new media, entertainment, and beyond. He recently participated in the United Nations Summit and was the Keynote Speaker at the Americans in the Arts Conference. For further information, please go to derrickashong.com.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: March 18, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Featuring:
Composer: Georgi Andreev
Lyricist: Scott Cairns
Contributing Author: Aryeh Finklestein
Motet Composer: Charles Osborne
Conductor: Henry H Leck

Boston Modern Orchestra Project

The Indianapolis Children’s Choir
Conductor Henry Leck

The National Folklore Ensemble "Philip Kutev"
Artistic Director: Georgi Andreev

KHORIKOS
Director Jesse Mark Peckham

Victor Valley College Singers and Master Arts Chorale
Conductor Thomas Miller

Learn more about Songs of Life

• 1 (ONE) $115.00 Front Row Orchestra Pit Seat
• Exclusive merchandise item
• Collectible laminate
• Get the FRONT ROW PACKAGE HERE

Gold Hot Seat Package* - SOLD OUT!
Each GOLD HOT SEAT PACKAGE costs $265.00 with no additional charges. It includes:

• 1 (ONE) $115.00 Premium Orchestra or Orchestra Pit Seat
• Exclusive merchandise item
• Collectible laminate
• Get the GOLD HOT SEAT PACKAGE HERE

Silver Hot Seat Package* - SOLD OUT!
Each SILVER HOT SEAT PACKAGE costs $200.00 with no additional charges. It includes:

• 1 (ONE) $75.00 Premium Price Level 2 Orchestra Seat
• Exclusive merchandise item
• Collectible laminate
• Get the SILVER HOT SEAT PACKAGE HERE

To celebrate the release of his first new record in five years, legendary artist Paul Simon has announced a very special North American tour including a date at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre in Boston, MA on June 1.

The set list will draw from his iconic career, including several songs that haven’t been performed live in many years. Also included will be songs from So Beautiful or So What, his brand new album set for release by Hear Music/Concord Music Group on Tuesday, April 12, 2011. Before hitting the road, Simon will appear two consecutive nights, April 6th and 7th on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Produced by Phil Ramone and Paul Simon, with liner notes written by Elvis Costello, So Beautiful or So What is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. Rolling Stone magazine recently declared it, "His best since Graceland," and National Public Radio affirmed, '…his new music balances great poetry and pop. Paul Simon is a national treasure." In their current issue, Filter Magazine calls the new album, "…a new masterpiece from the Picasso of music."

Joining Paul for this tour is a stellar band of musicians including Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, drummer Jim Oblon, pianist Mick Rossi, saxophonist/keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, master percussionist Jamey Haddad and multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras.

*Please note that you will be contacted via email approximately one week prior to show date with instructions for your package elements.
All packages are NON-TRANSFERRABLE: NO NAME CHANGES will be permitted under any circumstances. At packagers discretion, exclusive merchandise item will either be shipped directly to the address provided at purchase (alternate shipping addresses are not permitted) or available for pick-up the night of the show. If shipped, delivery of merchandise could occur after the event date. Merchandise is not needed for entry to the show. Collectible laminate is commemorative only and does not gain or authorize access into the venue or backstage areas. Offer is limited to US and Canadian Addresses only. Packager is unable to ship outside of the US, Canada or to PO boxes.

Described by The Montreal Gazette as "West Side Story gone hip-hop circus," Cirque Éloize iD will play eight performances at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre from May 10 to 15.

Cirque Éloize iD transports the audience into the vibrant streets at the heart of a big city. The stage comes alive with the boundless energy of acrobats, break dancers, contortionists and a fearless stunt biker who perform against a kaleidoscope of eye-popping video projections drawn from science-fiction films, comic books and graffiti.

Learn more about Cirque Éloize on Facebook, Twitter or at cirque-eloize.com

Watch Cirque Éloize's latest creation, written and directed by Jeannot Painchaud, the encounter of the world of circus arts and the universe of urban dances.

Just as The Addams Family Musical has brought the original black-and-white cartoon to life in brilliant color, this anniversary affair celebrates Citi Performing Arts Center’s mission of Keeping Life Colorful for New England through the performing arts. Proceeds from the evening benefit Citi Center’s award-winning arts education and public programs—initiatives include artist residencies for youth in Boston Public Schools, community-based outreach, and the development of original American theatrical productions.

Gala tickets are available for purchase online at www.citicenter.org/gala. Please call 617-532-1220 or email rsvp@citicenter.org for more information.

Leading the Gala preparations are the ghastly Gala Co-Chairs, Betsy and Patrick Canning of Cumberland, Rhode Island, Stacey and David E. Goel of Weston, Patricia and Louis Imbriano of Stoneham, Madge and John MacNeil of Lincoln, Karen and Carmen Monks of Concord, Delphine and David J. Morton of Dover, Lauren Page and Scott McEwan of Charlestown, Sylvie Hardy and Nathan Pusey of Beverly, Aimee Empey and Chip Rives of Charlestown, Joyce and Josiah Spaulding of Charlestown, and Laurene and Scott Sperling of Wayland.

Additional committee members as of March 2nd, include Frances Andahazy and Michael Nedeau of Hull, Elizabeth Chiquoine and Joseph Moore of Cambridge, Mary Cashman and Rich Doucette of Swampscott, Julie Donahue of Andover, Kimberly and Jeff Dziama of Wellesley, Esta Gordon Epstein and Robert Epstein of Boston, Paul Guzzi of Newton, Lynne Kortenhaus of Charlestown, Christine and Jeff McCormick of Boston, Frances and Monroe Moseley of Boston, Elizabeth Nichols and George Lee of Wellesley Hills, Martha and Charley Polachi of Sherborn, Holly Safford and Charles J. Weilbrenner of Duxbury, Louis Sawyer and Michael Elefante of Winchester, and Courtney Wang of Dallas, Texas.

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts Center
Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: March 2, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Boston, MA (February 25, 2011) – Thanks to support from the Target Corporation 64 Boston public school students from the Trotter Elementary School in Dorchester and Hale Elementary School in Roxbury attended a performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts. All the students had also participated in six-week residencies with Citi Performing Arts Center teaching artists. The fourth grade participants explored multicultural folktales and legends through music, dance, and theatre and then performed themselves for almost 100 classmates. Annawon Weeden of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe also performed traditional American Indian songs and dances, and answered student questions.

At a special Community Performance on February 12th, 221 students and teachers from the Trotter Elementary, Hale Elementary, and Snowden International High School in Back Bay (where Citi Center is delivering year-long EdVestors Arts Program residencies, more information available here) received free tickets to Shen Yun Performing Arts at Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre. This opportunity was funded through the Target Arts Program and SpectrumBoston Access Fund.

Citi Performing Arts Center’s access initiatives, including the SpectrumBoston Access Fund, annually distribute over 2,500 tickets to recipients from communities that would not otherwise have the opportunity or the funding to attend live performances. To become a Community Partner and join the Ticket Access Roster, please call 617-532-1256. To support the SpectrumBoston Access Fund, which please call 617-532-1289.

# # #

ABOUT TARGET ARTS PROGRAM
The Target Arts program is an in-school artist residency program funded by Target Corporation in partnership with Boston Public Schools. The program includes teaching artist residencies, special guest artist assemblies, and attending professional performances at Citi Performing Arts Center and other Boston Theatre District venues. For the 2010-2011 school year, Target Arts will partner with eight Boston Public Schools basing residencies on four professional performances, including Wicked, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Shen Yun Performing Arts, and Antony and Cleopatra.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: February 25, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Visit Janet's website to learn more about the tour.

Special guests Mindless Behavior

For the first time in 25 years, Costello will let his set-list be chosen by ”The Spectacular Spinning Songbook”, a monumental game-show wheel that features 40 song-titles, including hits, rarities and very unexpected covers.

Audience members will be invited onstage where they may spin "The Wheel" and then be offered a chance to enter the "Hostage to Fortune Go-Go Cage", while their selection is performed. Alternatively, they may choose to take a seat in the on-stage “Society Lounge”, where light refreshments will be served, during what promises to be a splendid and surprising evening.

The original Wheel was famously donated to the Hartlepool Museum Of Showbusiness Machinery but it has been meticulously reconstructed from the original blueprints.

The Imposters are: Steve Nieve (keyboards); Pete Thomas (drums) and Davey Faragher (bass).

Visit the official Bryan Adams site to learn more about the tour.

Check out Bryan's latest video.

"The 'Lost and Found' tour embodies more than just an opportunity to play some of the quieter, more intimate songs, not only from 'Foundling' but from across my catalogue." said David. "It will provide a long anticipated platform for a completely different approach. In terms of the way that the sound of the music is captured and presented, it will be more like a recording session than a gig in many ways. Acoustic instruments will be mic’d up for their real sound, rather than going for the usual pick-up sound, and as a result volume levels both for the band and the audience will have to be kept much lower than at your average 'rock' show. Hopefully the sonic results will be more than worth the sacrifice of a few decibels. Essentially the 'Lost and Found' show will be a listening experience."

Visit the David Gray website.

Visit David's YouTube Channel to learn more about the making of his album Foundling.

Learn more about Lisa O'Neill on her myspace page.

Running Times:
Lisa O'Neill - 8:00 - 8:30
Intermission - 8:30 - 8:50
David Gray - 8:50 - 10:50

BOSTON (January 5, 2011) – City Spotlights, a year-long initiative of Citi Performing Arts Center Arts Education program, is now accepting Registration Forms for City Spotlights Workshops Session II for participants ages 11 to adult. The FREE workshops will take place in four featured Boston neighborhoods (Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Mattapan) in January and February. Participants will create an original performance based on an examination of individual and community identities, and perform during final showcases at select Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Community Centers. This program is suitable for participants of all levels, including beginners, and does not require any previous training. Workshop dates and locations are listed below.

City Spotlights Workshops Session II are part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Community Learning Initiative Programming in Boston Public Library branches and BCYF sites across the city. Citi Performing Arts Center’s Art Education programs are committed to helping every youth explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists from the community. Programs are open to anyone with an interest in creative programs and are FREE to all participants. More information about the partnership available here: citicenter.org/news.

To register for City Spotlights Workshops Session II, please sign up online at citicenter.org/education, or contact Ramona Alexander at ralexander@citicenter.org / 617-532-1221. Participants need not be residents of featured neighborhoods to take part.

WORKSHOP DATES AND LOCATIONS:

•Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
38 Ash Street, Boston
January 10 - February 4
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 3:30-5:30pm

•Leahy–Holloran Community Center (formerly the Murphy Community Center)
1 Worrell Street, Dorchester
January 11 - February 4
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 4:30pm-6:30pm

•Hennigan Community Center
100 Heath Street, Jamaica Plain
January 11 – February 4
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from 3pm-5pm

•Mildred Avenue Community Center
5 Mildred Ave., Mattapan
January 11 - February 4
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2:30pm-5:30pm

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts Center
Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please visit citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: January 5, 2011
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Boston, MA (December 23, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to announce that during December’s 53-performance run of Radio City Christmas Spectacular, over 1,500 youth and families will attend shows free of charge.

During several community nights, 56 community groups across Boston including 4 Boston Centers for Youth and Families community centers, 8 Boston Public Schools and 7 Boys and Girls Clubs attended the holiday show. Citi Performing Arts Center is a Community Learning Initiative Institutional Partner—a collaboration which connects Citi Center’s arts and cultural opportunities with Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the Boston Public Library, and the Boston Public Schools (BPS).

At a special Boston Public Schools night on December 14th, 300 teachers, students and their families attended Radio City Christmas Spectacular through the Target Arts and EdVestors Arts Expansion Programs, which link weekly in-school artist residencies to professional performances. Schools that participated in the BPS Night include: Madison Park HS in Roxbury, Odyssey HS in South Boston, Snowden International HS in Back Bay, Jeremiah Burke HS and Lee Academy in Dorchester, and Ellison/Parks Early Education School in Mattapan.

After 20 students and their families attended the BPS night, Patricia Bonarrigo, Program Director of English Language Arts at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, acknowledged: "Thank you once again for the opportunities for our students and their families. It was moving to see the students with their families—aunts, mothers, grandmothers, nieces—at the performance at the Wang, something that many could never afford to do."

Before the performance, students from Snowden and Odyssey High Schools had the opportunity to meet the world-famous Rockettes during a question and answer session with several cast members. Youth asked the Rockettes about how they got their start in the performing arts, and for advice about translating that passion into a career.

The SpectrumBoston Access Fund annually distributes over 2,500 tickets to recipients from communities that would not otherwise have the opportunity or the funding to attend live performances. To become a Community Partner and join the Ticket Access Roster, please call 617-532-1256. To support the SpectrumBoston Access Fund, which please call 617-532-1289.

# # #

ABOUT TARGET ARTS PROGRAM The Target Arts program is a unique city-wide collaboration among Boston’s fine arts, cultural, and municipal organizations. The program aims to improve school success, engage families, and strengthen community by giving access to Boston’s rich offerings of music, dance, visual arts, theater and cultural events to students and families who typically have no opportunity to engage in the professional performing arts. Arts and cultural enrichment celebrations will develop diverse audiences by bringing information to the community through school-based development, community outreach, and citywide collaboration. The BPS Arts Office in partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center coordinates Target Arts programming. This programming includes in-school residencies and special guest artist visits and an invitation to view professional performances at Citi Performing Arts Center and other Boston Theatre District venues.

ABOUT EDVESTORS ARTS EXPANSION PROGRAM The EdVestors Arts Expansion program is a year-long Musical Theatre Residency supported by a grant from Boston Public Schools Art Expansion Fund by EdVestors. For the 2010-2011 school year, Citi Performing Arts Center will be working with students and teachers at Snowden International High School in Back Bay and Odyssey High School in South Boson. The program serves students in grades 9-12. Weekly instruction in theatre arts, through the concepts of song, dance, movement, and acting, culminates in the creation of original performance pieces. Residencies are taught by Teaching Artists, and include an in-school performance by local guest artists and ticket access to professional performances.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

Boston, MA (November 18, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center, in collaboration with the Boston Public Library, presents FREE musical theatre themed Story Saturday Workshops for children ages 7-11. Inspired by upcoming performances of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, these FREE workshops focus on storytelling, creative costume-making, visual art, movement, improvisation, and acting. The workshops will be held on Saturdays, December 4th, 11th, & 18th from 1-3pm, and take place at the Boston Public Library’s Copley Branch. Participants are encouraged to attend all three workshops. Contact Ramona Lisa Alexander or 617-532-1221 for more information and registration forms. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular will be presented at Citi Performing Arts Center’s Wang Theatre December 3 – 29, 2010. For ticket information, visit citicenter.org.

Story Saturday Workshops are part of Citi Performing Arts Center’s Community Learning Initiative programming in Boston Public Library branches and Boston Centers for Youth and Families sites across the city. Citi Performing Arts Center’s Art Education programs are committed to helping every youth explore his/her own creativity, through instruction and mentorship by professional teaching artists from the community. Programs are open to anyone with an interest in creative programs and are FREE to all participants. For complete program listings, visit citicenter.org/education.

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts Center
Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: November 18, 2010
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Boston, MA (October 28, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center has been named the first Institutional Partner for the City of Boston’s Community Learning Initiative (CLI). The goal of the partnership is to provide in-school and out-of-school opportunities for arts learning within Boston’s neighborhoods. Since beginning in Spring 2010, the Community Learning Initiative, in partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center, has given nearly 700 youth greater exposure to the performing arts and access to performances at venues in Boston’s theater district. In 2010-2011, the project plans to reach over 1,000 youth through single and multi-session performing arts workshops held at Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) community centers and Boston Public Library branches.

Announced by Mayor Menino in November 2008, the Community Learning Initiative was established as a cohesive programming platform for youth services throughout Boston. The initiative brings together the resources of Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the Boston Public Library, and the Boston Public Schools, to connect learning in the classroom with community-based organizations. Citi Performing Arts Center was selected as an Institutional Partner based on its award-winning record of community collaboration, highlighted in 2009’s citywide public programming and education outreach initiative, SpectrumBoston. Since the partnership began, Citi Performing Arts Center has implemented musical theatre programming at CLI sites, including multi-session workshops for middle school students in Allston, East Boston, Mattapan, and Roslindale, and single-session workshops for children in the Back Bay and Chinatown. Fall plans are underway for continued programming in Mattapan and Chinatown, as well as Dorchester and Jamaica Plain.

“This institutional partnership with the Citi Performing Arts Center will allow our BCYF community centers to provide high-quality performing arts programs and activities to engage children and youth, giving them an outlet to express their creativity and celebrate the neighborhoods in which they live,” said Daphne Griffin, Executive Director of Boston Centers for Youth & Families.

“This partnership brings the performing arts into the heart of Boston’s communities—its schools, libraries, and community centers,” said Ruth Mercado-Zizzo, Director of Education at Citi Performing Arts Center. “Our goal is to provide youth with interconnected opportunities for performing arts learning and creative expression both during in- and out-of-school time. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to empower youth throughout the city.”

Upcoming Arts Education Programs
Current and upcoming Citi Performing Arts Center Arts Education programs in CLI sites include FREE City Spotlights Workshops for ages 11+. Dates and locations are below:

• Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
38 Ash Street, Boston
Tuesdays, 5– 6pm
Through November 23

• Leahy–Holloran Community Center (formerly the Murphy Community Center)
1 Worrell Street, Dorchester
Fridays, 4 – 5pm
November 5 – December 17 (no workshop Nov. 26)

• Hennigan Community Center
100 Heath Street, Jamaica Plain
Fridays, 4:30 – 5:30pm
November 5 – December 17 (no workshop Nov. 26)

• Mildred Ave. Community Center
5 Mildred Ave., Mattapan
Wednesdays, 2 – 3pm
Through November 17

For a comprehensive schedule of Citi Performing Arts Center’s FREE Art Education programming visit: citicenter.org/education/programs/.

# # #

ABOUT BCYF Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF)
Administrative Offices are located at 1483 Tremont Street in Mission Hill. BCYF is Boston’s largest youth and human service agency with 38 facilities. BCYF community centers are “hubs of neighborhoods,” where Boston residents can access a wide array of programs, important information and assistance. The mission of BCYF is to enhance the quality of life for Boston residents by partnering with community center councils, agencies and businesses to support children, youth, individuals and families through a wide range of comprehensive programs and services according to neighborhood needs.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

PRESS RELEASE
Release Date: October 28, 2010

Contacts:
Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center
(617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org

Sandy Holden | Boston Centers for Youth & Families
(617)-635-4920 x2213 | sandy.holden@cityofboston.gov

Koren Stembridge | Boston Public Library
(617) 859-2320 | kstembridge@bpl.org

Boston, MA (October 26, 2010) – For the second year, Citi Performing Arts Center and Boston Public Schools (BPS) have partnered in the Target Arts Program, thanks to support from the Target Corporation. Launched in spring 2010, the Target Arts Program continues its multi-faceted approach by extending arts exposure opportunities to eight Boston public schools during the 2010-2011 academic year. The BPS Arts Department in partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education Department will give more than 4,000 students access to Boston’s rich arts offerings, through artist residencies, in-school performance assemblies, and free tickets to local professional productions.

The Target Arts Program will focus on eight Boston public schools this year. The program offers in-school residencies by Citi Performing Arts Center’s teaching artists, free tickets and a transportation stipend to attend one of four theatre productions, and a “Meet the Performers” visit during which recognized local artists will perform for the entire school. The four anchor productions are: Wicked at the Opera House, Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, and a production to be determined in Boston’s Theatre District.

“The Target Arts Program continues to fill a critical need for performing arts programs in our City’s schools,” said Ruth Mercado-Zizzo, Director of Education at Citi Performing Arts Center. “Citi Performing Arts Center’s partnership with Boston Public Schools provides opportunities for students to see, learn, and participate in the performing arts, both in the classroom and in the theatre.”

Residencies have already begun at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester and Madison Park High School in Roxbury, focusing on the theme of individuality. On October 14th as part of the program, 337 students attended Wicked at the Opera House as part of this overall program. The residencies will conclude in November with a visit from SpectrumBoston Artist Fellow and celebrated arts advocate, Derrick N. Ashong (DNA).

Program Details

Wicked
In September-November, tenth graders at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester and twelfth graders Madison Park High School in Roxbury are participating in six-week artist residencies with Citi Performing Arts Center teaching artists Claudy Paul and Magalie Neff. Using the Broadway production of Wicked as a starting point, students explore the concept of individuality through the performing arts. The residency culminates in a showcase by the students for their peers at school. In November, SpectrumBoston Artist Fellow and musician, social entrepreneur, arts advocate and Oprah Radio host, Derrick N. Ashong, will visit each school to perform followed by a question and answer session. On October 14th, 337 BPS students participating in the residency as well as those from Dorchester Academy in Dorchester, English High School in Jamaica Plain, and Odyssey High School in South Boston, attended Wicked at the Opera House as part of the Target Arts Program.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular
In November-December, students will participate in six-week artist residencies with Citi Performing Arts Center teaching artists; schools are being confirmed. Content will focus on dance practices from various cultures and explore how holiday traditions are expressed through movement. The residency culminates in a showcase by the students for their peers at school. Over 300 students participating in the residency as well as other Boston Public Schools will attend the Tuesday, December 14th matinee performance at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre. Additional details are being confirmed.

Shen Yun Performing Arts
In January-February, students at two Boston Public Schools will participate in six-week artist residencies with Citi Performing Arts Center teaching artists. Content will explore multicultural folktales and legends through performance art forms that include music, dance, and theatre. The residency culminates in a showcase by the students for their peers at school. Guest artists connected to this theme will visit each school to perform, followed by a question and answer session. Over 200 students participating in the residency as well as other Boston Public Schools will attend the Saturday, February 12th evening performance at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre. Additional details are being confirmed, including school sites and guest artists.

TBD: Final Residency and Production Spring 2011

# # #

ABOUT TARGET ARTS PROGRAM
The Target Arts program is a unique city-wide collaboration among Boston’s fine arts, cultural, and municipal organizations. The program aims to improve school success, engage families, and strengthen community by giving access to Boston’s rich offerings of music, dance, visual arts, theater and cultural events to students and families who typically have no opportunity to engage in the professional performing arts. Arts and cultural enrichment celebrations will develop diverse audiences by bringing information to the community through school-based development, community outreach, and citywide collaboration. The BPS Arts Office in partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center coordinates Target Arts programming. This programming includes in-school residencies and special guest artist visits and an invitation to view professional performances at Citi Performing Arts Center and other Boston Theatre District venues.

ABOUT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Boston Public Schools serves more than 56,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 135 schools, and in 2006 won the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the top city school district in the country. Superintendent Carol R. Johnson has made expansion of arts education one of the cornerstones of the Acceleration Agenda for the Boston Public Schools (BPS). In partnership with community organizations, Dr. Johnson has committed to giving students of all ages greater access to the arts – including music, dance, theater, visual arts, and more – during and after the school day. In 2008, Dr. Johnson convened an Arts Advisory Group and commissioned a study to assess the state of arts education in the district. Following the release of the study in February 2009, BPS, in collaboration with EdVestors and other organizations, announced the creation of a $1.5 million Arts Expansion Fund to support school-based arts programs, expand district capacity to coordinate arts education initiatives, and support research and planning efforts in support of the expansion initiative. New arts investments over the past year include the creation of a citywide marching band and high school choir, among others. In October 2009, BPS was awarded a $750,000 “Arts for Young People” planning grant from the Wallace Foundation to build on the work underway and to develop a long-term sustainability plan for expanded arts in schools across the system. For more information, visit bostonpublicschools.org.

ABOUT CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Citi Performing Arts Center, which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, international ballet, contemporary dance, one-night engagements, and Broadway musicals. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops, lectures, and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

ABOUT TARGET
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at more than 1,600 stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.

PRESS RELEASE Release Date: October 26, 2010
Contacts: Julie Banks | Citi Performing Arts Center (617) 532-1247 | jbanks@citicenter.org
Matthew Wilder | Boston Public Schools (617) 635-9494 | mwilder2@bostonpublicschools.org
Target Communications (612) 696-3400

The concert will be presented in a revue format with a house band consisting of the players featured on numerous Burnett-produced recordings. It is being presented in association with Participant Media and Forthcoming Waiting for "Superman" documentary film. The concert will benefit Music and Arts Education in Public Schools.

With a marriage on the rocks, Christina Jones is a devoted and loving wife, who has lost all sense of what’s real and what’s not in her relationship and home. If she doesn’t find her way soon, she just might lose her husband for good. Lady Jasmine Jones went half on a baby, but now can’t get her ex 47-year-old wannabe rapper boyfriend, Scooter, to pay half on “the baby.” And a recently engaged Paula Jones has always relied on her looks to get everything she ever wanted in this world. But, will looks alone finally lead her to true love and down the aisle?

Bringing JD Lawrence presents "Me & Mrs. Jones" storyline to life, alongside JD Lawrence, is legendary TV actress Jackee Harry from "227" and "Sister Sister" fame, award winning actor Darrin Dewitt Henson from "Soul Food" and the hit movie "Stomp The Yard," model and actress Eva (Pigford) Marcille, winner of "America’s Next Top Model" Cycle 3, R&B singer Dave Hollister, gospel singer Tammy Turner of BET’s "Sunday Best" and comedian Red Grant.

One minute, Cavaradossi is musing on his latest painting—and the diva Tosca, his beautiful, jealous lover. The next, he’s in prison with someone’s jackboot on his neck. Tosca’s options? Betrayal or rape. There are no good choices. Puccini storms the darkest of subjects with music passionate and lyrical.

Run time - 2 hours 45 minutes with two 20 minute intermissions.

BOSTON (August 18, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to announce that Citibank has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal as “Partner of the Year” in the field of the Arts. The award recognizes Citibank’s commitment to providing broad-based access to quality arts programming for youth and families in Boston’s neighborhoods and throughout New England. Citibank will be honored at the Boston Business Journal’s 2010 Corporate Citizenship Summit on September 10, 2010.

In 2006, Citibank demonstrated its philanthropic force to the Boston community and the nonprofit arts sector through a 15-year sponsorship agreement with the Wang Center for the Performing Arts (now called the Citi Performing Arts Center). Since its first Boston branches opened in 2006, despite a challenging economy, Citibank has remained steadfast in its commitment to Massachusetts and in supporting youth and families through this partnership. In the past four years, the bank’s sponsorship of Citi Performing Arts Center has provided financial resources and stability, allowing the Center to grow its award-winning education program, to reach over 27,500 youth and families through its city-wide outreach initiative SpectrumBoston, and to bring shows like White Christmas, The Color Purple and Jersey Boys to Boston-area audiences.

“Citi Performing Arts Center applauds Citibank for this well-deserved recognition as a leader in corporate philanthropy,” said Josiah A. Spaulding, President and CEO. “Citibank is a passionate partner who shares our commitment to the community by Keeping Life Colorful for Boston’s youth and families, onstage and off. While new to the Boston market only four years ago, the bank’s 15-year partnership with Citi Performing Arts Center underscored their long-term commitment to making a difference in Boston. ”

In addition to Citibank’s support of Citi Performing Arts Center, Citi and the Citi Foundation have supported hundreds of Massachusetts nonprofits since 2006, with a focus on helping organizations that serve low-to moderate-income individuals, families, and neighborhoods in the Boston area. Through these partnerships, Citi has spurred the development of affordable housing, small business education and technical assistance, asset building and financial education, access programs for higher education, foreclosure prevention, and neighborhood revitalization. Most recently, Citibank's "Our Promise" initiative included a partnership with the Camp Harbor View Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, hosting 60 at-risk Boston children at Citi Performing Arts Center's presentation of Nick Storytime Live!.

# # #

About Citi Performing Arts

Center Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

About Citi:

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

Boston area teens, ages 14-18 and interested in learning more about journalism, film, and broadcasting, and issues such as social justice, conservation, education, health and poverty, are encouraged to apply.

BOSTON (August 3, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center is eager to share an opportunity for teens in the Boston area. Image of Change’s Covering the Mic Youth Leadership Network is taking applications for youth reporters (age 14-18) in LA, Bay Area, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta areas now through Friday, August 20th.

In an effort to inspire youth to use their voice and make a positive difference, Covering The Mic encourages and supports youth to become leaders in their own community and around the world. This interactive platform provides youth an opportunity to learn about, report on and discuss a multitude of issues such as social justice, conservation, education, health and poverty. Covering The Mic youth reporters are paired with mentors that meet at least once a month to develop a story/interview about another youth making a difference in the world and creating social change. Each reporter works with their mentor to conduct an interview (live or virtual) and to create a featured piece while learning the in/outs of the mentors professional career-such as video/film production; journalism, broadcasting and spoken word performance.

Stories by Youth Reporters will be featured and promoted on a monthly basis through the Covering the Mic websites and social media platforms. Citi Performing Arts Center will be partnering with Covering the Mic to provide Boston’s youth reporter full access for a featured story on its first SpectrumBoston Artist Fellow Derrick N. Ashong (known as “DNA”). Besides covering DNA, a musician, Social Entrepreneur, Arts Advocate, Oprah Radio Host and New York Times’ dubbed “YouTube phenom,” the story will also feature his work with local area teens to produce a video letter to the Massachusetts Governor-elect and use this creative platform to voice their perspective during the upcoming election year.

To learn more about the Youth Reporter program and download an application, you may contact Image of Change at jodie@imageofchange.org or (415) 571-8975. To see past stories produced by Youth Reporters, please visit: imageofchange.com.

###

About Citi Performing Arts Center Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience. For further information, please go to: citicenter.org.

The fan favorite cast of the America’s Got Talent Live tour will feature: WINNER Michael Grimm the multi-talented singer/songwriter/guitarist; RUNNER UP Jackie Evancho the jaw-dropping 10-year-old classical singing sensation from Pittsburgh, PA; 12-year-old ballroom dancing partners Anna and Patryk from New York; inspirational singing sisters Christina & Ali of Idaho Falls, ID; spectacular black-light illusion performance troupe Fighting Gravity from Blacksburg, VA; death-defying championship stunt bike rider Jeremy VanSchoonhoven of Talent, OR; mystifying magician/illusionist Michael Grasso of Cape May, NJ; glamorous baroque opera singer Prince Poppycock of Los Angeles, CA; young and energetic dance troupe Studio One Young Beast Society of Orlando, FL; and 18-year-old teen pop singer/musician Taylor Mathews of Alexandria, LA. Artist line-up scheduled to change.

America's Got Talent returned this summer with the hottest performers from across the country competing in the blockbuster reality show's fifth season. Bringing the variety show format back to the forefront of American culture each week, the show features a colorful array of hopeful future stars -- singers, dancers, comedic performers and unique acts of all ages. While each contestant has the chance to strut and perform in front of a panel of celebrity judges including Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan, the eventual winner was chosen by the television viewing audience.

BOSTON (June 9, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to name Derrick N. Ashong (or DNA as he is also known) as its first SpectrumBoston Artist Fellow. Working with Citi Center’s Education Department and its award winning SpectrumBoston programs, he will connect with hundreds of Boston youth through collaborations with the Boston Public Schools, Boston Public Library, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families.

“The value of an arts education lies in its gift to expand not only a person’s ability to communicate about the world around them but their capacity for interpreting it,” says Derrick Ashong, “The purpose of an education in the arts is not to generate better artists, it is to cultivate better people.”

Host of “The Derrick Ashong Experience” on SIRIUS XM’s Oprah Radio, the New York Times dubbed him a “YouTube phenom” during the 2008 Presidential Election. Leader of the emerging band Soulfège, and winner of the 2007 Billboard World Songwriting Contest for Best Hip Hop Song, Harvard-educated DNA is an international inspiration for social change through the arts and youth involvement. His “Take Back the Mic” campaign, a youth-centered movement based on the principle of an “open-source culture” that leverages technology and community networks to empower young people, will also launch during his fellowship with Citi Center.

“Citi Performing Arts Center is excited to welcome Derrick Ashong as our first SpectrumBoston Artist Fellow,” said Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., President and CEO of Citi Performing Arts Center. “His ability to empower youth to make a positive impact in their communities and his passionate commitment to the arts, makes Derrick an ideal partner as we continue to expand our arts education programs and community outreach efforts.”

Since its launch in 2009, Citi Performing Arts Center’s award winning SpectrumBoston program has expanded with key city-wide partnerships including the Boston Public Schools, Boston Public Library, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families. Most recently in May 2010, SpectrumBoston was honored at the State House with the 2010 Arts|Learning Outstanding Arts Collaborative Award in the field of Performing Arts. Over the past 20 years, Citi Performing Arts Center’s Education Programs have reached 180,000 youth and 10,000 teachers making the institution a leader in providing, supporting, and advocating for quality arts education in Massachusetts.

# # #

About Derrick Ashong

Derrick N. Ashong - or DNA as he is sometimes known - is literally the voice of a new generation. Whether heard in the eloquent expression of his thoughts on then Senator Barack Obama (as seen in one of the most viewed videos of 2008 on YouTube), in his music (as leader of the emerging band Soulfège) in his songwriting (as winner of the 2007 Billboard Songwriting Contest for Best Hip Hop song) or in his acting ability, the Harvard educated talent has found myriad ways to inspire, engage and activate young people with positive messages for social change.

DNA is the host of "The Derrick Ashong Experience" on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio. The show airs Saturdays from 12:00 - 3:00 pm ET on Oprah Radio, XM channel 156 and SIRIUS channel 195 and is streamed live on www.OprahRadio.com. "The Derrick Ashong Experience" is a mash-up of politics, pop-culture, social media, music and the arts, informed by Derrick's experiences and travels across the globe. DNA offers inspiration, wisdom and an open mic to listeners of all ages and welcomes a wide variety of guests from the worlds of politics, new media, entertainment, and beyond.

Dubbed a “YouTube phenom” by the New York Times, the Ghana, West Africa native has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics.

A true Renaissance man, DNA has lived in such locations as Brooklyn, New York, Voorhees, New Jersey and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Trained in classical piano, he is also a self-taught guitarist, a natural performer and a songwriter who was involved in theater throughout primary and secondary school while learning to communicate his thoughts through poetry. After he enrolled at Harvard, Ashong met his current band members while performing in the Kuumba Singers, a university choir. Then, just before completing his studies, he was cast in Stephen Spielberg’s 1997 film, Amistad. He returned to Cambridge to finish his degree requirements before pursuing a Ph.D. in African-American Studies and Ethnomusicology, later leaving the doctoral program to pursue his artistry and advocacy full-time.

Ashong has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Mo’Nique Show, and lectured on five continents on the use of media as a tool for human development, including recent talks at the London School of Economics, King's College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C., the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and before UK Parliament on the subject of "The Obama Generation." He is a member of the internationally recognized Americas Business Council Fellowship and a participant in the Arts & Entertainment task force of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. He is the founder of Take Back the Mic, a youth-centered cultural movement that leverages innovative uses of technology and community networks to empower young people to make a positive impact in their local communities. DNA is also on the Board of Directors for Children Mending Hearts, an organization dedicated to the global arts exchange between at-risk children in the United States and children living in conflict zones around the world.

www.derrickashong.com

www.takebackthemic.com

About Citi Performing Arts Center

Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions. As New England’s largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston’s historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community’s collective, daily experience.

Citi Performing Arts Center will host 25 City Spotlights Theatre Workshops April school vacation week, adding 9 sites based on the success of last year’s vacation programs. Youth and adults, ages 9 and up, will enjoy an hour of performing arts and fun including theatre games and improvisations focusing on their personal stories and the stories of their neighborhood. The workshops will be led by City Spotlights high school interns. The free events will be held at the Boston Public Library branches and Boston Centers for Youth and Families Community Centers listed below. To register, call the branch library or community center directly, or for more information, call (617) 532-1256.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20

11 amParis Street Community Center
112 Paris Street, East Boston, MA, (617) 635-5125

o11 amJackson-Mann Community Center
500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA (617) 635-5153

o1 pm Dudley Branch Library
65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA, (617) 442-6186

o2pm Mattapan Branch Library

1350 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan, MA, (617) 298-9218 ext. 1508

o3pmGrove Hall Branch Library

41 Geneva Avenue, Dorchester, MA (617) 427-3337

o3pm Tobin Community Center

1481 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA (617) 635-5216

o4pmLeahy-Holloran Community Center

1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA, (617) 635-5150

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21

o1pmArchdale Community Center

125 Brookway Road, Roslindale, MA, (617) 635-5256

o1pm Kent Community Center

50 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown, MA, (617) 635-5169 or (617) 635-5177

o1pm Perkins Community Center

155 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, MA, (617) 635-5146

1pm Shelburne Community Center

2730 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA, (617) 635-5213

o2pm Cloud Foundation

647 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, (617) 262-2949

o2pm Roslindale Community Center

6 Cummings Highway, Roslindale, MA, (617) 635-5185

o3pm West Roxbury Community Center

1205 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, MA (617) 635-5066

THURSDAY, APRIL 22

o11am Connolly Branch Library

433 Center Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, (617) 522-1960

o11am Mildred Avenue Community Center

1-5 Mildred Avenue, Mattapan, MA, (617) 635-1328

o1pm Agassiz Community Center

20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, (617) 635-5191

o1pm Honan-Allston Branch Library

200 N. Harvard Street, Allston, MA, (617) 787-6313

o2pm Curtis Hall Community Center

20 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, (617) 635-5244

FRIDAY, APRIL 23

o11am Field’s Corner Branch Library

1520 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA, (617) 436-2155

o11am Ohrenberger Community Center

175 West Roxbury Parkway, West Roxbury, MA, (617) 635-5183

o2pm Egleston Square Branch Library

2044 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury, MA, (617) 445-4340

o2pm Hyde Park Community Center

1179 River Street, Hyde Park, MA, (617) 635-5178

o3pm Cleveland Community Center

11 Charles Street, Dorchester, MA, (617) 635-5141

o4pm Nazzaro Community Center

30 N. Bennet Street, Boston, MA, (617) 635-5166

City Spotlights is an education and cultural program for youth exploring and celebrating four Boston neighborhoods through the performing arts (Beacon Hill and Back Bay, Fenway, the North End and Mission Hill/Roxbury). The program consists of high school internships, community performance workshops, intergenerational neighborhood ensembles, and culminates in a community event featuring local artists at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre on May 15. Past performances highlighted themes important to our City’s teens: heroes, cultural identity, violence and education.Participants also talked about their dreams, aspirations, and hopes for the future. The identities of Boston neighborhoods are portrayed through original dance, spoken word, theatre, song and multimedia, creating a story honoring the uniqueness and richness of Boston.

How to get tickets for City Spotlights: Thanks to the support of the Atlantic Charter Insurance Company, Citi Performing Arts Center is able to offer complimentary tickets. Call 617-532-1265 to reserve tickets.

Citi Performing Arts Center will be honored on May 26th

At 24th Annual Champions of the Arts Awards Ceremony at State House

BOSTON (May 3, 2010) – Citi Performing Arts Center has been selected by Arts|Learning to receive the 2010 Arts|Learning Outstanding Arts Collaborative Award in the field of Performing Arts. As the Massachusetts representative of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, Arts|Learning recognizes Citi Performing Arts Center as a leader in providing, supporting, and advocating for quality arts education in Massachusetts, through the 2009 SpectrumBoston program. Citi Performing Arts Center will be honored at the 24th Annual Champions of the Arts Award Ceremony at the State House on May 26th.

"Citi Performing Arts Center believes every youth has a right to a creative life, to experience art, and to express themselves creatively" said Josiah Spaulding, President and CEO of Citi Performing Arts Center. "The SpectrumBoston Education Program is a model for leveraging the resources of citywide partners and the power of community collaboration to increase the depth, breadth, and impact of arts education programs."

Citi Performing Arts Center launched SpectrumBoston in 2009, to deliver 5 months of integrated programming and arts education opportunities throughout Boston. Partner institutions included the Boston Public Library, Boston Public Schools, City of Boston, Museum of African American History, and WGBH. From February to June 2009, Citi Performing Arts Center presented Ain't Misbehavin' at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester and The Color Purple at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre. The collaborative delivered in-school and out-of-school time education programs linked to onstage programming, and increased access for diverse audiences through discounted, subsidized, and free performance tickets.

In total, SpectrumBoston's 5 months of performances, events, and workshops attracted over 27,500 participants. Education programming alone reached 7 community centers, 11 library branches, and 12 schools in 18 Boston neighborhoods. Over 420 students were served through in-school residencies, artist-meet-and-greets, and library workshops; 1,500 students, teachers, families, and community groups received complimentary tickets to performances of Ain't Misbehavin' and The Color Purple. Audience diversity was achieved with African American attendance 18 times greater than traditional Broadway attendance benchmarks.

In 2010, Citi Performing Arts Center built on the success of SpectrumBoston to become a leading contributor to two of Boston's priority education reform plans: the Superintendent's Five-Year Acceleration Agenda and the Mayor's Community Learning Initiative. The Boston Public Schools and Citi Performing Arts Center were awarded a grant from Target Corporation to work with eight underperforming schools utilizing artist residences and ticket access (more information about the program available here). Citi Performing Arts Center has also become the first institutional partner of the City's Community Learning Initiative working with Boston Center for Youth and Families, Boston Public Libraries and Boston Public Schools. Through these partnerships, Citi Performing Arts Center continues to provide youth with arts education and opportunities for creative development in-school and in their communities.

For more information about the 2010 Champions of the Arts Award Ceremony and to view the complete list of winners, visit the Arts|Learning website.

For more information about Citi Performing Arts Center's Education programs, call (617) 532-1256 or visit www.citicenter.org/education.

According to the 2008-2009 BPS Arts Inventory, included in The Boston Foundation's report on Arts Education in Boston Public Schools, 22% of students at Snowden International High School and 0% at Odyssey High School receive arts instruction. The Citi Performing Arts Center program will serve 120 students in grades 9-12.  Weekly instruction in theatre arts, through the concepts of song, dance, movement, and acting, culminate in the creation of original performance pieces.  Residencies will be taught by Teaching Artists, and include an in-school performance by local guest artists and ticket access to professional productions.

"Having worked in 24 Boston Public Schools since 2003, Citi Performing Arts Center is proud to provide arts education to the schools that need it most," said Josiah A. Spaulding, President and CEO of Citi Performing Arts Center. "We are grateful to the BPS Arts Expansion Fund by EdVestors for its vision to expose all of Boston's students to the arts and for its support of arts programming."

Citi Performing Arts Center has a strong record of collaboration with Boston Public Schools. In 2009, through the city-wide initiative, SpectrumBoston, Citi Performing Arts Center offered artist residencies and "Meet the Musicians" workshops at six Boston Public Schools including Snowden International High School. In Spring 2010, Citi Performing Arts Center partnered with nine "turnaround" schools, including Odyssey High School.  Funded by Target Corporation, the Target Arts Program provided artist residencies, in-school performances, and ticket access to world-class theatre reaching over 2,800 students. The EdVestors Residencies build on the Target Arts Program with an expanded format that adapts the short-term exposure model to a full-year, once-weekly residency.

# # #

About the Boston Public Schools Arts Expansion Initiative

Launched in February 2009, the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative is a three year effort to expand arts education within BPS.  Focused on providing equity and access to quality arts learning experiences to every BPS student, the Initiative seeks to expand arts instruction, build the capacity of the system to support school-based arts programs, and to enhance partnerships between schools, arts and cultural groups, and higher educational institutions.

The BPS arts expansion effort is a key piece of Superintendent Carol R. Johnson's Acceleration Agenda, a five-year strategic direction (2009-2014) that outlines goals and priorities for transforming the Boston Public Schools. The Initiative is supported by several collaborating donors, including the Barr Foundation, the Boston Foundation, EdVestors, Hunt Alternatives Fund, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Linde Family Foundation, and other foundations and individual donors. The Initiative is based on a report, The Arts Advantage: Expanding Arts Education in the Boston Public Schools, released in February of 2009. For more details on the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative, please visit www.edvestors.org.

 About EdVestors

EdVestors is an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization dedicated to driving change in urban schools through smart, strategic private investment.  EdVestors seeks to close the opportunity gap for children by identifying and shaping the most effective school improvement initiatives and partnering with donors to invest in those efforts while supporting the project leaders with hands-on expertise.  Launched in 2002 by a group of philanthropists, educators and business leaders, EdVestors has raised and directed more than $9 million to strategic school improvement efforts in Boston.  For more information about EdVestors, visit www.edvestors.org or call 617.585.5740.

About Citi Performing Arts Center

Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts], which includes both the Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit performing arts institutions.  As New England's largest cultural venue, it honors all aspects of the performing arts offering theatre, opera, classical and popular music, one-night engagements, international sporting events, and Broadway musicals. Its education/public programming initiative presents City Spotlights and SpectrumBoston. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience.  For further information, please go to www.citicenter.org.

Over the past three decades, he has recorded and performed with the best in music; including Frank Sinatra, Sting, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell and Aerosmith's own Steven Tyler.

Chris Botti in Boston was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Emmanuel" arranged by Jeremy Lubbock and Best Long Form Music Video. The concert was recorded in Boston Symphony Hall in September 2009.

While word on the new album remains hushed, loyal fans wait with bated breath for their first full-length, non-compilation album since 2006. Their most recent album, The Life Pursuit, became the band's highest charting release to date and was praised by critics, including influential UK online music zine Drowned in Sound, who picked the album as one of their Top 10 Best Albums of the Year. Belle & Sebastian will celebrate their return to the studio with a select handful of tour dates, including their first ever appearances in Mexico and Singapore. Additionally, the group is busy curating Bowlie 2 — the follow-up to the ATP Presented Bowlie Weekender in 1999. This one-night-only opportunity to see the legendary performers at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre is not to be missed!

With special guest Brandi Carlile.

Fresh off a triumphant sold-out tour debut, a headlining performance at The White House, a critically-acclaimed, chart-topping album, and an appearance at Coachella that garnered rave reviews from spectators and media alike, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of YO GABBA GABBA! are heading back on the road with YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! to play to enthusiastic fans in Boston.

And they're bringing some SUPER MUSIC FRIENDS to the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre! Indie rock duo Mates of State will be stopping by Saturday, September 25. Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls, American Repertory Theater's Cabaret) and Jason Webley, who together form the musical duo Evelyn Evelyn, join the Gabbas September 26. Don't miss out on the fun!

Direct from New York, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the world-famous Rockettes, makes a triumphant return to The Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre! Most famous for their eye high kicks and precision dancing, the Radio City Rockettes thrilled over 350,000 Bostonians in 2004 and 2006. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this glamorous production. In addition the Rockette showstopper, “Twelve Days of Christmas,” this magical production features such legendary favorites “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and the awe-inspiring “Living Nativity.” Experience the magic of Christmas, this year in Boston. It is the perfect gift for your whole family.

Run Time
Act I - 47 minutes
Intermission - 15 minutes
Act II - 50 min

Group Sales Information

Visit Amy and Michael's official websites at amygrant.com and michaelwsmith.com

More than 117,000 theatergoers cheered when JERSEY BOYS made its sell-out premiere at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre and 84,000 more during its triumphant Winter 2010 return to the Citi Emerson Colonial Theatre! Worldwide, more than 13 million people have seen JERSEY BOYS. And now, the show that makes critics and audiences cheer is “Working Its Way Back” to Boston!

JERSEY BOYS, is the Tony®, Grammy® and Olivier Award-winning Best Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi. This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. JERSEY BOYS features their hit songs “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Oh What a Night,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

Tickets available for the Open Captioned performance on February 23rd, 2013 at 2:00PM.

*Student/Senior Rush Details
For advance tickets, available only for Mezzanine D-M, purchase at the Citi Wang Theatre box office, Tues – Sat, 12PM – 6PM
For Day of Show tickets, available for all seating areas, purchase at Citi Wang Theatre (except Sundays) or Citi Emerson Colonial starting 2 hours at prior to the first performance of the day.

Part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston Series

Season Tickets are now on sale for the 2012/2013 Series including:

“MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH” is a rare, personal look inside the life and mind of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown. Directed by Academy Award nominee Spike Lee, this riveting one-man show goes beyond the headlines, behind the scenes and between the lines to deliver a must-see theatrical knockout.

For more information check out facebook.com/MikeTysonOnTour.

VIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE
Purchase a VIP Ticket for MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre.
SUPER VIP – MEET AND GREET - $500.00*
Includes Post-show meet & greet includes a photograph with Mike Tyson and an autographed boxing glove.
VIP – MEET AND GREET - $300.00*
Includes Post-show meet & greet with Mike Tyson.
*Prices do not include $3.75 facility fee and applicable service charges

Conducted by BLO Music Director David Angus and featuring a cast led by soprano Sarah Coburn, who has sung on the stages of Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Opera, and recently made her Vienna Staatsoper debut, is making her BLO debut as the quick-witted Rosina. Jonathan Beyer debuts as Figaro and Canadian tenor John Tessier as Count Almaviva. American opera favorite Judith Christin brings her renowned portrayal of Berta to Boston for the first time. With Steven Condy, David Cushing and Gregory Gerbrandt.

Sung in Italian

Half-Off Student Tickets for the Opera may be purchased in advance at the Citi Performing Arts Center Box Office. 2 tickets per valid student ID.

Student Rush:
Student Rush tickets will be on sale an hour and a half prior to the performance. Two per student ID. Cash only. Subject to availability.

The contemporary Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo, founded by Paulo Pederneiras in 1975, combines multiple genres of dance, such as ballet and samba, for a uniquely Brazilian style of contemporary dance.

“… an impressive fusion of ballet, samba, modern dance and what-have-you, applied to impossibly quick tempos and demanding the kind of lifts, swings and general hurling about that makes one cringe to think of the physical strain, while marveling at the dancers' skill and stamina.” – The Toronto Star

The Celebrity Series of Boston Dance Series is sponsored by The Little Family Foundation and the John S. and Cynthia Reed Foundation. Media Partner is WGBH.

Sung in German with projected English translation

New BLO production US Premiere of the 1841 critical edition

A sea captain doomed by a curse to an existence of eternal wandering, a yearning heroine desperate to escape her restricting world – set against the uncontrolled violence of the sea. Their passionate encounter is a story of compelling tension and musical intensity. Senta, the heroine, leads a tormented life of spiritual isolation and buried secrets and this new production tells the dramatic story from her point of view as a product of her tortured imagination.

Wagner’s early masterpiece is presented in honor of his bicentennial and is recommended for mature audiences.

The new production is directed by Michael Cavanagh and stars Allison Oakes, Alfred Walker, and Gregory Frank. BLO Music Director David Angus conducts.

PLEASE NOTE: The performance on April 26th will be the US Premiere of the 1841 critical edition and will be presented without intermission (approx. 140 minutes) as originally written by Wagner. All other performance dates will be presented with an intermission. If you are currently holding tickets and prefer to attend a different performance, please contact the box office at 866-348-9738.

Check out the USA Today interview with Jeff Beck on his other passion - American muscle cars

Check out this special sneak preview of Jeff Beck & Imelda May performing "How High the Moon" at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City on what would have been Les Paul's 95th birthday.

Visit their website at celticwoman.com.

Visit his official website at tonybennett.net

Initially, the Reyes and Baliardos busked on the streets of Cannes, played weddings and parties, young men flavouring flamenco with Western pop and Latin rhythms. When an American admirer told the band their name Los Reyes meant “The Kings” in English they realised they were born to be Gipsy Kings. In 1987 The Gipsy Kings’ self-titled debut album introduced the world to ‘rumba Gitano’ – the sound of South America’s rumba rhythm married to flamenco guitars – and with ‘Bamboleo’ the Gipsy Kings scored a huge international hit. Since then the Kings have never stopped singing to the world. Today the Gipsy Kings still live with their families in the south of France. Life may have changed for them – they no longer busk on streets or pick crops when times are hard or travel in caravans – but still, at heart, they remain Gypsies, the proud descendants of an ancient people who seduced the world with music and dance. On Pasajero, the Gipsy Kings continue their epic musical journey.

Running Times:
Act 1 - 8:00 - 8:50
Intermission
Act 2 - 9:10 - 10:00

Club pre-sale will run from Wednesday, November 14th at 10AM through Thursday, November 15th at 10PM.

“Hallelujah, our long national nightmare is over. Now we face a fiscal cliff. Sounds like an event from the X games. Here’s hoping both parties start talking to each other and stop talking to us.” - Lewis Black

LEWIS BLACK, Grammy Award-winning stand-up comedian, is one of the most prolific and popular performers working today. He executes a brilliant trifecta as stand-up comedian, actor and author. Receiving critical acclaim, he performs over 200 nights a year to sell out audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and United States. He is one of a few performers to sell out multiple renowned theatres including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City Center, the Main Stage at the Mirage in Las Vegas and most recently a sold out Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in NYC.

His live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. He is a passionate performer who is a more pissed-off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon. Lewis is the rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world.

LEWIS BLACK came into national prominence with his appearances on THE DAILY SHOW in 1996. Those appearances on THE DAILY SHOW led to comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime and Epix. In 2001, he won the Best Male Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards. He has released eight comedy albums, including the 2007 Grammy Award-winning "The Carnegie Hall Performance." LEWIS BLACK won his second Grammy Award for his album "Stark Raving Black." Lewis has published three bestselling books, Nothing’s Sacred (Simon & Schuster, 2005), Me of Little Faith (Riverhead Books, 2008) and I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas (Riverhead Books, 2010).

PREMIUM SEATING AVAILABLE
Purchase Premium Seating for Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre. GET PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS HERE

Student and Senior Rush
$25 a ticket, 2 per valid ID, day of show only at the box office, cash only.

Audiences are invited to discover the magic of the two-time Emmy Award winning and two-time Tony® Award nominated production: Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN! Families and fans have their chance to ‘fly’ into the Wang Theatre for this magical production running April 23 - 28, 2013.

PETER PAN is a unique, family friendly attraction of spectacle and fantasy. The thrill of flying, timeless magical moments and a captivating hook will mesmerize young and old alike. The legend you thought you know, is now the adventure you never dreamed possible…Cathy Rigby is PETER PAN!

Joining the Tony® Award nominee Cathy Rigby is Broadway’s Brent Barrett as Mr. Darling/Hook. Brent has entertained millions of fans around the world from Broadway to the West End, concerts halls, recording studios, film and television. Kim Crosby (Cinderella in the original Into the Woods, Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), Jerry’s Girls) returns to play Mrs. Darling.

Join Citi Center's Education Department for a Peter Pan Story Hour at Faneuil Hall Marketplace on April 27th. Find out more about the FREE interactive workshops here. For a complete list of community readings at local BCYF, BPL and other neighborhood locations, click here

Ah, the thrill of the chase. Over hill, over dale, girdling the Earth in forty minutes—when the words are mostly Shakespeare, even the libretto sings. Britten gives us a stageful of sprites and mortals in a touching and very funny take: a dreamscape. Or is it a nightmare? Depends on how you feel about unrequited love, and donkeys.

Boston Lyric Opera's Agrippina - March 11 - 22 - Shubert Theatre

RAIN is a multi-media, multi-dimensional experience...a fusion of historical footage and hilarious television commercials from the 1960s lights up video screens and live cameras zoom in for close-ups. “A thrilling bit of time-warping nostalgia…Boomer Heaven!” raves The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Uncanny! RAIN are a quartet of fine musicians in their own right…as The Beatles, they triumph!” cheers the Boston Herald. “An adoring Valentine to The Beatles,” declares the Washington Post. Sing along with your family and friends to such Beatlemaniac favorites as "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Come Together" and "Can’t Buy Me Love."

Running Times:
Act 1 - 60 minutes
Intermission - 20 minutes
Act 2 - 60 minutes

Internationally acclaimed vocal phenomenon Celtic Woman has announced their brand-new North American tour in support of their new CD/DVD release, BELIEVE. The tour kicks off February 3rd in Nashville, TN with performances lined up in nearly 60 cities including Boston. Tickets go on-sale to the public December 16th. For complete tour schedule and ticket information, visit celticwoman.com.

Celtic Woman’s breathtaking new show, BELIEVE, features the all-female singing sensation performing classic Irish tunes, such as ‘The Water Is Wide,’ ‘Green Grow the Rushes,’ ‘A Woman’s Heart,’ and ‘The Parting Glass,’ timeless pop anthems such as ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Sailing,’ and inspirational songs including ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and ‘Ave Maria,’ with their signature Celtic Woman twist, under the distinct musical direction of Emmy-nominated music producer, David Downes. Celtic Woman’s awe-inspiring vocalists and mesmerizing violinist will be backed by a dazzling six-piece band, the Aontas Choir, and renowned championship Irish dancer.

Celtic Woman’s newest studio CD and companion DVD, BELIEVE, will be available in stores January 24 through Manhattan Records. Filmed for the first time in America in front of some of their most loyal fans at The Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA) in September, 2011, BELIEVE: LIVE began airing December 3rd on Public Television stations around the country as part of the network’s quarterly pledge drive.

Since their March 2005 American debut on Public Television, Celtic Woman quickly emerged as a spectacular commercial success, selling more than six million CDs/DVDs and over two million concert tickets worldwide! Their genre-defining, multi-Platinum-selling projects have each held #1 positions on the Billboard World Music Charts: Celtic Woman (CD/DVD 2005), A Christmas Celebration (CD/DVD 2006), A New Journey (CD/DVD 2007), The Greatest Journey (CD/DVD 2008), and Songs From The Heart (CD/DVD 2010).

Celtic Woman’s signature sound has emerged as a transcendent force and their spectacular live shows embody a radiance and purity that connects powerfully with their adoring fan base. Celtic Woman’s all-new production, BELIEVE, marks the pinnacle of their illustrious career, a celebration of musical enchantment to be enjoyed by the entire family!

Visit the Group Sales page for information on purchasing 10+ tickets.

This is the U.S. debut tour for Spellbound Dance Company, Italy’s leading contemporary dance ensemble. Program will include Lost for Words and Downshifting by Mauro Astolfi.

The Celebrity Series of Boston Dance Series is sponsored by The Little Family Foundation and the John S. and Cynthia Reed Foundation. Media Partner is WGBH.

The annual visit to Boston by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has long been one of the city’s celebrated seasonal traditions. The stunningly gifted and gorgeous Ailey dancers bring fire and passion to programs of classics and exciting new works alike.

“A company whose worldwide popularity is rivaled only by the magnificence of its dancing.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“To see [Ailey’s] magic work on a capacity crowd – and by magic, I mean the galvanizing energy of its dancers – is usually the best part of the show.” – The Washington Post

Performance Program

Thursday, May 16, 7:30pm:
Petite Mort (1991)
Choreographer: Jiří Kylián | Music by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
In/Side (2008)
Choreographer: Robert Battle | Music by: Nina Simone
Another Night (2012)
Choreographer: Kyle Abraham | Music by: Dizzy Gilespie
Minus 16 (1999)
Choreographer: Ohad Naharin | Music by: Various Artists

Friday, May 17, 8pm*:
Ailey Classics (1971-1988): Cry, Love Songs, For ‘Bird’ With Love, Revelations
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey | Music by: Various Artists
*The Friday night performance will be a tribute to dancer Renee Robinson. This will be Renee’s farewell season with the company.

Saturday, May 18, 2pm:
Grace (1999)
Choreographer: Ronald K. Brown | Music by: Duke Ellington, Roy Davis, Fela Kuti
From Before (1978)
Choreographer: Garth Fagan | Music by: Ralph MacDonald
Strange Humors (1998)
Choreographer: Robert Battle | Music by: John Mackey
Revelations (1960)
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey | Music by: Traditional

Saturday, May 18, 8pm:
Petite Mort (1991)
Choreographer: Jiří Kylián | Music by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
In/Side (2008)
Choreographer: Robert Battle | Music by: Nina Simone
Another Night (2012)
Choreographer: Kyle Abraham | Music by: Dizzy Gilespie
Minus 16 (1999)
Choreographer: Ohad Naharin | Music by: Various Artists

Sunday, May 19, 3pm:
Grace (1999)
Choreographer: Ronald K. Brown | Music by: Duke Ellington, Roy Davis, Fela Kuti
From Before (1978)
Choreographer: Garth Fagan | Music by: Ralph MacDonald
Strange Humors (1998)
Choreographer: Robert Battle | Music by: John Mackey
Revelations (1960)
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey | Music by: Traditional

Advance Student Rush for the all performances are available at the Citi Wang Theatre box office only. Student Rush tickets are $20, cash only. Two (2) tickets per valid full-time student ID.

Founded in 1992 and reaching worldwide attention on the strength of their platinum albums Fashion Nugget and Prolonging The Magic, CAKE have been cited by Rolling Stone as creators of “a modern pop that is both mechanized and organic...highly developed and virtually unique.” Highlights in recent years range from raves for their latest studio album Pressure Chief (2004), and a subsequent compilation of unreleased tracks B-sides and Rarities (2007), to major success in concert, including multiple runs of their self-founded ‘Unlimited Sunshine’ tour and solo dates in large theaters and arenas worldwide.

Visit the band's website CAKEMUSIC.COM.

Check out CAKE's new song - Federal Funding - the opening track from their new album Showroom of Compassion

Showroom of Compassion (in stores January 11; pre-order on iTunes now), Cake's first album since 2004, is about as groovy as a song can possibly get with lyrics that seem as though they were lifted from an internal memo written by middle management at a government contractor. Singer John McCrea is as droll as ever, somehow merging his incredibly dry subject matter with a strange parody of detached rock swagger. In director Owen Cook's video for the song, animated construction workers build an empty coliseum on a grim, earth-toned landscape. The mood of the clip matches the sound of the tune perfectly. - Rolling Stone Magazine

Boston Lyric Opera's Midsummer's Night Dream - April 29 - May 10 - Shubert Theatre