Olivo, Gonzalez, Daniels & George Perform 6/14 for Harbor Conservatory

On June 14, 2010, four of today's best and brightest young Broadway performers will share the stage with students who represent the next generation of artists, in recognition of the 40th Anniversary of Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, a division of Boys & Girls Harbor and the only multi-disciplinary performing arts school serving East Harlem. These gifted and generous artists are Tony Award winner Karen Olivo, Wicked's Elphaba - Mandy Gonzalez, Nikki Rene Daniels currently in "Promises, Promises" and Rhett George of "Memphis."

The Conservatory's Theater Arts Program aims to preserve the tradition of theater, the future of musical theater and the craft of acting through classes that cultivate future performers and actors for the stage, and audiences for the theatre. All classes are taught by vitally active theater professionals, whose resumes include having performed in such leading Broadway productions as Fosse, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chita Rivera's: A Dancer's Life, The Producers, Aida, Hairspray, Bombay Dreams, The Color Purple, The Little Mermaid, and Billy Elliot. Our students have been accepted in to professional schools, appeared in films, and performed featured roles in major Broadway productions, such as Young Simba in the Lion King.

Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts is one of the city's premier performing arts schools providing instruction and pre-professional training in instrumental and vocal music, dance and theater to over 1,000 students annually. With a distinguished international faculty of 60 experienced teaching artists, all of whom maintain actively vital professional performing careers, the Conservatory provides both introductory first time performing arts instruction for very young students as well as pre-professional training for youngsters with professional career aspirations.

Boys & Girls Harbor is proud to celebrate 73 years of empowering children and their families to become full, productive participants in society through education, cultural enrichment and social services at the 18th Salute Achievement on June 14, 2010 from 6:30 pm until 10:00 pm at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel located at 80 Columbus Center at 60th Street. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please call Jane Lindberg at 646-981-2681 or jlindberg@theharbor.org. You can purchase on-line at www.theharbor.org, please support the performing artists of tomorrow by directing your giving to the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

Artists Bios
Karen Olivo is a Tony Award-winning stage and television actress, who is known for originating the role of Vanessa in the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights both on and off Broadway. She won her Tony Award in the category of "Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical" for her performance as Anita (2009-2010) in the revival of West Side Story on Broadway. Other Broadway credits: RENT and Brooklyn. TV: Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Conviction. FILM: Adrift in Manhattan, Sibling, The New Twenty, and Two Lovers. She was also nominated for both a Drama Desk and an Outer Critic's Circle Award for her critically acclaimed performance as Anita. She earned her second Astaire Award nomination for Best Female Dancer for her performance in West Side Story, after previously winning the same award in 2008 for her performance in In the Heights. She was raised in Lakeland, Florida, and she attended the Lois Cole Harrison School of the Arts.

Mandy Gonzalez is currently appearing in the role of Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre. She originated the role of Nina Rosario in the 2008 Tony Award winning musical In The Heights at the Richard Rodgers Theater. A role she created in the Off-Broadway production for which she received a Drama Desk Award. Ms.Gonzales made her Broadway debut as Princess Amneris in the Tim Rice/Elton John musical AIDA. She appeared in the musical Lennon, based on the life of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and she also starred opposite Michael Crawford as Sarah in Dance of the Vampires. She is perhaps best known for her OBIE Award-winning performance in the Off-Broadway production of Eli's Comin', the musical based on the lyrics and music of songwriter Laura Nyro. In 2007 she starred as Lucy in the Korean tour of Jekyll and Hyde: the concert. Workshops include In the Heights dir. Tommy Kail, Duncan Sheik/Steven Sater's The Nightingale, Wicked dir. Joe Mantello, The Color Purple dir. Gary Griffin, Best Little Whorehose in Texas dir. Joe Mantello, Beehive on Broadway dir. Debbie Allen, When You Wish dir. Tina Landau and Warm dir. Scott Schwartz. Mandy Gonzalez can be seen in Julie Taymor's upcoming Across the Universe, In God's Hands, NBC's Third Watch, and Guiding Light. She can be heard on the film soundtracks of Mulan 2 and Urban Legend.
Nikki Renee Daniels is currently performing on Broadway in Promises, Promises. She has also been seen on Broadway in Aida, Nine, Little Shop of Horrors, Lestat, Les Miserables and The Look of Love. Nikki has played roles regionally at the Guthrie, Williamstown Theatre Festival, North Shore Music Theatre, Sacramento Music Circus, Pasadena Playhouse, and the Denver Center. She has also performed as a soloist with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall. Nikki holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

Rhett George currently on Broadway in "Memphis" comes from a musical background and showed signs of becoming an artist at a very young age. At age 7 he began to build a dance background in Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Hip Hop. At the same time he already began practicing piano, composing short melodies to lyrics he had written. He then furthered his talents by taking up singing at age 10. He began working professionally as a singer-songwriter by the time he turned 16. A dancer, actor and choreographer, Mr. George had trained to become a professional dancer, but his abilities as a vocalist always shone through. He began to sing and dance at various amusement parks around the country as well as singing at NBA games. He also appeared in numerous motion pictures and many commercials. It was when he landed a role in the Broadway musical "Rent", that he found his niche. His Broadway stage credits include: "Fame the Musical," Elton John's "The Lion King" and "Aida". He is also performing in numerous clubs in New York City.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.