Rhiannon Giddens to Headline ART SONG: REIMAGINED Gala Next Month

Stretching the boundaries of art song, Sparks & Wiry Cries presents a gala fundraiser showcasing GRAMMY Award-winning singer Rhiannon Giddens in an evening of German Lieder, African American art song and selections from Black Broadway. She will be joined by Steinway Artist Spencer Myer on the piano and guest artist and Broadway star Darius de Haas.

ART SONG: REIMAGINED will take place September 12, 2016 at 7:30pm at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 67th St, New York, NY 10023. Tickets are $75, and includes a post concert champagne reception with Ms. Giddens. Tickets can be purchased here.

Fans who looked forward to Ms. Giddens' Broadway debut in the recently closed Shuffle Along will be ecstatic to attend this performance, which includes songs by Margaret Bonds, William Marion Cook, Cole and Johnson, Richard Strauss, Duparc and more.

Rhiannon shared her motivations for programming this exciting concert: "The Margaret Bonds being spirituals, is obvious - the Black Broadway, excavating and illuminating, which is what I do and who I am, and the Lieder - redemption and acceptance."

Rhiannon Giddens: Originally envisioning a career in opera, Giddens graduated from Oberlin with a degree in vocal performance but quickly moved on to be the singer-songwriter and co-founder of the GRAMMY Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. Giddens' elegant bearing, prodigious voice, and fierce spirit is abundantly evident on her critically-acclaimed solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, which masterfully blends American musical genres, showcasing her extraordinary emotional range and dazzling vocal prowess. Pushing the boundaries between genres has led to collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble, the Kronos Quartet, and the North Carolina Symphony. Through thematic programming and passionate research, Ms. Giddens has forged a brilliant career joining historical and contemporary song traditions to all her performances. (www.rhiannongiddens.com )

Spencer Myer: Pianist Spencer Myer has appeared as a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Johannesburg and Cape Town Philharmonics, and the Indianapolis, Phoenix and Santa Fe Symphony Symphonies. His recital appearances include New York's Weill Recital Hall, and London's Wigmore Hall. (www.spencermyer.com )

Darius de Haas: Broadway: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Rent, Carousel, Marie Christine, The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm, and The Actor's Fund stagings of Dreamgirls and Hair. OBIE Award for his performance in Running Man (Music-Theater Group). (www.dariusdehaas.com)

Sparks & Wiry Cries and The Casement Fund Song Series: Sparks & Wiry Cries is a global platform for art song that explores the dynamic union of music and text through publication, performance, and commission of new works, enlivening the practice and experience of artful storytelling within its diverse community. Sparks' Casement Fund Song Series is entering its 5th season of presenting intimate vocal recitals that explore the complex union of poetry and music through collaborative performances, fostering connections within the broader artistic community. (www.sparksandwirycries.org)