Recording Begins for 2012 CAROLS FOR A CURE

Casts and stars from the current Broadway line-up have started recording for the 2012 Broadway's Carols for a Cure, Volume 14.

First recorded was musician and composer Peter Candela's original music, lyrics and orchestrations for a song called "The Wreath of Kindness," written for the cast of "The Lion King" and featuring the Disney characters Timon and Pumbaa (played by Fred Berman and Ben Jeffrey, respectively). View photos here!

Also recording now: The Phantom himself, Hugh Panaro singing lead along with the rest of the company of "The Phantom of the Opera" on an original song "Outside the Box" - view BroadwayWorld's exclusive photo coverage of that recording session here.

Click through to see photos from the other shows recording, including "Wicked," "Mamma Mia!", "Newsies," "Rebecca," "Mary Poppins," "Evita," "Once," and "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," along with Kate Wetherhead, Benjamin Eakeley, Howie Michael Smith and Joanna Shubart representing The John Engeman Theatre. 

Lovers of Broadway talent will be able to do some early holiday shopping as well as support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) through the purchase of this 2-disc, annual CD of original and traditional holiday music from the current 2012 Broadway shows. As always, the CDs will be sold during a six-week "Gypsy-of-the-Year" fundraising period, which runs from October through early-December at participating Broadway and off-Broadway shows in New York. Additionally, the CDs will be available at select venues throughout the U.S., including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; The LA Phil Store in Disney Hall, and The John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, New York.

Broadway's Carols for a Cure, Volume 14, as well as volumes from previous seasons, also can be ordered for only $23 through BC/EFA at broadwaycares.org or by calling (212) 840-0770 x250 Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST. Volumes from previous seasons are available, too (check online or call for price).

Produced by Lynn Pinto for Rock-It Science Records and engineered by Andros Rodriguez, the Broadway's Carols for a Cure series has raised over $3 million dollars for BC/EFA since its inception in 1999, providing support and care for those suffering with AIDS, as well as lending support to women's health issues. Over the years, Broadway's Carols for a Cure CDs have featured special performances by stars Bernadette Peters, Nick Jonas, Antonio Banderas, Idina Menzel, Hugh Jackman, Harvey Fierstein, David Hyde Pierce, Raul Esparza, John Tartaglia, Darlene Love, Hugh Panaro, Michael McKean, Annette O'Toole, Andrea McArdle, Donna Lynne Champlin, and Phyllis Newman.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (broadwaycares.org) is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic and more. BC/EFA also awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

Rock-it Science Records (www.rock-itscience.com) is an independent record label based in New York City co-founded by Broadway performer and producer Lynn Pinto. RSR produces recordings for members of the Broadway community and Broadway's leading charity, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (www.broadwaycares.org). RSR's popular series Broadway's Carols for a Cure is currently in its fourteenth year. This highly anticipated annual holiday release features casts from the current Broadway line-up of shows performing new and traditional holiday music. Broadway's Carols for a Cure offers a "snapshot" of each season, as the casts and orchestras from each show on Broadway perform their own holiday track. Since 1999, Broadway's Carols for a Cure has featured the creative talents of thousands of Broadway's brightest stars and has raised over $3 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.