NJPAC Adds New Performances To 2011-12 Season, Including STP 9/24

New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the nation's sixth largest performing arts center and the State's largest, announces exciting new additions to its 2011-12 season, including a September 10, 2011 concert by multi-platinum rockers the Stone Temple Pilots who continue a series of Prudential Hall rock/pop performances this season that also include a sold-out performance by Renaissance (September 24), the Tedeschi Trucks Band (October 21) and John Mellencamp (November 5). Later in the season, three of the leading female vocalists in the world, Angelique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves, and Lizz Wright, will pay a special Prudential Hall tribute to recently departed Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln, and Odetta in Sing the Truth (December 18). Tickets for the 2011-12 season, available now, may be purchased by telephone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC (1-888-466-5722), at the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark (open Monday-Saturday, noon to 6pm, and Sunday, noon to 5pm), or online at www.njpac.org.

New additions to the 2011-12 Season, added after NJPAC's original subscription series was announced in April, include:
· Platinum-selling many times over rockers from the 1990's, The Stone Temple Pilots, making their NJPAC debut in a stop on their new tour;
· Italian crooner Patrizio Buanne, following on the heels of his recent platinum-selling album, Patrizio,, and his PBS concert specials;
· Renaissance, one of progressive rock's most influential and innovative bands, brings a fusion of rock, folk and classical to NJPAC in a SOLD OUT performance;
· The Women's Association of NJPAC's annual Spotlight Gala, New Jersey's largest nonprofit fundraiser, with a performance by Tony and Emmy-winning Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth;
· The newly formed, 11-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band, led by the husband-and-wife team of guitarist Derek Trucks and guitarist-vocalist Susan Tedeschi, bring their unique blend of guitar blues-rock;
· The continuation of NJPAC's Nashville Hitmakers: The Stories Behind the Songs - an evening with four of Nashville's most successful songwriters, James Otto, Victoria Shaw, Chris Wallin and Rodney Clawson, the artists behind some of country music's biggest contemporary hits, performing their songs in the round, discussing the creative process and sharing stories about their work.
· Expanding on NJPAC's two-year-old DJ-led summer dance parties in Theater Square, Sonic Superstars moves indoors with The 90's Edition with Tony Touch where patrons can dance to hip hop from the 1990's - from New Jack Swing and West Coast sounds to hits from the Puffy era.
· Grammy-winning Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Mellencamp, making his NJPAC debut;
· "Living legend" and Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winner Liza Minnelli singing American standards and holiday-themed songs;
· Sing The Truth! - Three great women of contemporary song - multi-lingual singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo, Grammy-winning jazz legend Dianne Reeves, and gospel-inspired diva Lizz Wright - pay tribute to three recently departed legends: Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln, and Odetta. The all-star ensemble backing the trio includes pianist Geri Allen, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist James Genus, and guitarist Romero Lubambo;
· Popular children's group The Laurie Berkner Band, which has been credited with helping to launch today's progressive "kindie rock" movement with a style that's less saccharine and more rockin' than most children's music, making its only New Jersey appearence;
· And One Man Lord of the Rings, Charles Ross' one-man show, which is a comedic send-up of Tolkien's epic that shoehorns 11 hours and 23 minutes of film into a mind-blowing, 65-minute performance in which Ross portrays 42 characters-as well as the theme music and sound effects

Previously announced 2011-12 Season highlights include:

· New "One-on-One" solo recital series with Yundi, Garrick Ohlsson and Simone Dinnerstein
· Chita Rivera making her NJPAC cabaret debut;
· Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance featuring 11 NJ dance companies;
· NJPAC debuts by maestros Fabio Luisi with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, David Zinman with the New York Philharmonic;
· The NJPAC podium debut of Joshua Bell conducting Academy of St. Martin in the Fields;
· The long-awaited return of Penn & Teller and the NJPAC debut of Lewis Black;
· The New York/New Jersey exclusive performance of P.Nokio: A Hip Hop Musical

*PLEASE NOTE: The October 22 performance by Dave Brubeck, announced in April, was canceled on orders by Mr. Brubeck's doctors.

TICKETS INFORMATION:
By creating their own series of three events, tickets buyers can save up to $5 per ticket. Choose any four and save up to $7 off the listed prices. The savings can be as much as $10 per ticket when choosing just five performances or more.

All updates and additions to the 2011-2012 season are available at www.njpac.org

NJPAC is grateful to the following partners for their commitment and investment in our mission: American Express; Bank of America; Capital One Bank; Leon & Toby Cooperman; Harrah's Entertainment Inc., Harrah's Foundation; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; Betty Wold Johnson; The MCJ Amelior Foundation; The Merck Company Foundation; New Jersey State Council on the Arts; Panasonic Corporation of North America; Prudential Financial; PSEG Foundation; The Estate of Eric Ross; The Smart Family Foundation/ David S. Stone, Esq., Stone and Magnanini; The Star-Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation; TD Bank; United Airlines; Verizon; Victoria Foundation; Wells Fargo; Judy & Josh Weston; and the Women's Association of NJPAC (as of August 24, 2011).

Funding has been made possible through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. As New Jersey's Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit www.njpac.org for more information.

NJPAC is a wheelchair accessible facility and provides assistive services for patrons with disabilities. For more information, call 888-GO-NJPAC.