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One night only! The 19 time Grammy Award-winning musician @Itstonybennett performs his iconic repertoire at the @KimmelCenter on 11/2. More info @ Kimmelcenter.org
Press Contact:
Lauren Woodard Rachel Goldman
215-790-5835 267-765-3712
LWoodard@kimmelcenter.org rgoldman@alliedim.com
MULTIPLE GRAMMY® AWARD WINNER TONY BENNETT RETURNS TO THE KIMMEL CENTER CULTURAL CAMPUS FOR ONE-NIGHT-ONLY PERFORMANCE WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTONIA BENNETT
NOVEMBER 2, 2018
"We aren't likely to see a recording career like this again." - The New York Times
“….his voice is still a technical marvel, and no one else on Earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop.” - New York Magazine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, October 8, 2018) – The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Larry Magid Entertainment group, proudly welcomes the iconic Tony Bennett back to the Academy of Music. This19 time Grammy® Award-winning musician, whose music spans over six decades, will perform for one-night-only on Friday, November 2, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
At the age of 92, Tony Bennett is not slowing down and his last recording Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 just won a Grammy Award for his son Dae Bennett, who produced the album. Bennett also appeared on the 60th Anniversary Grammy Awards telecast and presented an award with John Legend, who sang with Bennett on the 2006 Tony Bennett: DUETS recording. This past November, the Library Of Congress presented Bennett with The Gershwin Prize, marking the first time that an interpretive singer has been honored. The event was broadcast on PBS Nationally this January and featured tribute performances by Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Gloria Estefan, and many others. His signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” was inducted this year in the National Recordings Registry.
“It is an honor to welcome the return of legendary jazz icon Tony Bennett to the Academy of Music this November,” said Anne Ewers, President and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “Bennett is considered to be a musician of the highest caliber – his voice is timeless, his range expressive, and his emotional performances have charmed critics and fans for decades.”
With worldwide record sales in the millions and dozens of platinum and gold albums to his credit, Tony Bennett is a musician who touches the hearts and souls of audiences with his legendary vocals and charming stage presence. His long list of achievements, spanning over 60 years, includes 19 Grammy Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, making this artist a true international treasure. His signature tunes, such as “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” and “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” form part of the fabric of American music culture. Formerly billed as the world’s most boyish octogenarian, Tony Bennett is a vital musical artist at the peak of his powers.
Tony Bennett’s daughter, Antonia Bennett has been touring with her father and will open the performance with a collection of jazz/pop standards. Antonia Bennett is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music.
Having celebrated his 90th birthday in August of 2016, the milestone was marked by the presentation of TONY BENNETT CELEBRATES 90: The Best is Yet To Come, a two-hour prime time special that aired in December. A companion CD of the same name was released simultaneously. Last fall also saw the release of Bennett’s fifth book, JUST GETTING STARTED, which he co-authored with journalist Scott Simon. Bennett’s 85th birthday in 2011 marked the release of Duets II and made music history by making Tony the oldest artist to ever have a #1 CD on the Billboard album charts. Duets II followed up Tony Bennett Duets: An American Classic CD, released in 2006. 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the singer’s signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as the release of a new documentary film, THE ZEN OF BENNETT, created and conceived by Tony’s son and manager Danny Bennett. Bennett also authored his fourth book, LIFE IS A GIFT, released in 2012 and entered the NY Times Best Seller list. In 2014, Tony Bennett released a collaborative album with Lady Gaga, CHEEK TO CHEEK, featuring these two legendary artists performing jazz standards. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album charts, making Bennett the oldest musical artist, at the age of 88, to have an album top the Billboard 200, and won the Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Album category. Tony Bennett is a Kennedy Center Honoree, an NEA Jazz Master, and a recipient of the United Nation’s Humanitarian and Citizen of the World honors.
Tony Bennett is also a talented painter. He has exhibited his work in galleries around the world, and three of his original paintings are part of the permanent collection in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.
Throughout his career, Tony Bennetthas put his heart and time into supporting humanitarian concerns and joined with Dr. Martin Luther King in the historic Selma march in 1965. His many charitable works include raising millions towards Diabetes and lending his artwork to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. In 2007, he was honored by the United Nations. Together with his wife, Susan, Tony Bennettestablished the charitable organization, Exploring The Arts (ETA), to support arts education in public high schools. Tony founded Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a NYC public high school in his hometown of Astoria, Queens, and ETA now supports 38 public high schools throughout New York City and Los Angeles.
Other featured upcoming performances at the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus include: Django Festival Allstars (November 3, 2018, Perelman Theater),Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (February 10, 2019, Verizon Hall), and DIVA Jazz Orchestra (April 27, 2019, Perelman Theater).
TONY BENNETT IN CONCERT
In Association with Larry Magid
Academy of Music
November 2, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now and start at $62.75. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 215-790-5883. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center Campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2018-2019 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
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