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WHYY Press Room
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DENYCE GRAVES:
BREAKING THE RULES TELEVISON SPECIAL FEATURES OPERA STAR DENYCE
GRAVES IN CONCERT
…Celebrity
guests Patti LaBelle and Take 6…
Acclaimed opera star
Denyce Graves, along
with celebrity guests Soul diva Patti
LaBelle and popular R&B vocal group and recent Grammy
winners Take 6, are featured
in the 90-minute national television special DENYCE GRAVES:
BREAKING THE RULES. The program, produced by WHYY-TV in Philadelphia,
will be broadcast nationally on most PBS stations throughout
March 2004.*
DENYCE GRAVES: BREAKING
THE RULES, recorded in June 2003 in front of a live audience
at the Mann Center of the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, celebrates
the talent, style and versatility of the mezzo-soprano. Graves
leaves behind opera scores and wows the crowd with an electrifying
collection of classical, gospel, R&B, and jazz favorites
such as “Get Happy,” “Old Man River,” “Laid Down My Burdens,”
“Joint is Jumpin’” and more.
She is backed by the
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia on a elaborate stage that
simulates an urban street scene complete with street lights
and espresso bar.
Highlights include
Graves performing a powerful duet with Patti LaBelle. Their
song, “Love Remembered,” makes its premiere during the program
and was written specially for their two unique voices. Graves
also sings with one of opera’s newest rising young stars, Jessica
Swink. The two perform one of opera’s greatest and most popular
tunes, the “Barcarolle” from Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann.
Another special moment
in the program is a rousing rendition of “Smile” by male
a capella group, Take
6. The soulful group also engages the audience in a participatory
version of “Wade in the Water.”
For the grand finale,
Graves performs “American Anthem,” a song she first sang for
the President of the United States at the National Memorial
Service in Washington’s National Cathedral after the 9/11.
The concert is conducted
by Maestro Steven Mercurio
who has created arrangements for a wide array of artists, including
Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo and Bryn Terfel. Graves is recognized
worldwide as one of today’s most exciting vocal talents. Her
career has taken her to the world’s great opera houses and concert
halls. She has become particularly well known to operatic audiences
for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and
Samson et Dalila. She also appears in a broad range
of musical programs with leading theaters in North America and
Europe, and is a much sought-after recitalist. Her recordings
range from a performance of Rigoletto with conductor
James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to the recent
release, “The Lost Days: Music in the Latin Style.”
Grammy Award winner Patti
LaBelle has been a chart staple through a half-dozen hits with
the futuristic trio LaBelle, and later a stunning solo career
with over thirty charted singles including 1983’s chart topper
“If You Only Knew” and the 1985 smash “New Attitude.”
Take 6 have received
numerous Grammy Awards for their complex jazz harmonies, original
songs and vocal pyrotechnics, representing some of the best
a cappella ever recorded. The six-man group has built a style
and catalog of songs that draw from gospel, jazz, doo-wop, R&B,
pop, ‘60s soul and hip-hop.
DENYCE GRAVES: BREAKING
THE RULES will be available on DVD and VHS with additional material
including commentary from Graves and footage her at home.
Education material
based on DENYCE GRAVES: BREAKING THE RULES is available to schools
online at www.whyy.org. Teachers
will be able to download lesson plans and teacher’s guides to
use in conjunction with the program.
The program is produced
by WHYY in partnership with Carmen Productions. Producers are
Paul Gluck, Craig Hamilton and David Perry. The program is made
possible by PNC Bank, The ARAMARK Charitable Fund, Peter Buttenwieser
and Terry Ann Marek, the City of Philadelphia and The Connelly
Foundation.
*Please check local
listings for broadcast date and time in your area.
# # #
Download
the song list for DENYCE GRAVES: BREAKING THE RULES (MS
Word Document)
Download
more information about Denyce Graves and her celebrity guests
(MS Word document)
Download
information about Alan Skog, Director of DENYCE GRAVES: BREAKING
THE RULES (MS Word document)
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