Judy Collins Set for Bay Area Cabaret, 3/15

Bay Area Cabaret has announced that due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, Stacey Kent, originally scheduled to perform on March 15, has been forced to postpone her appearance to next season. In her place, Bay Area Cabaret will present Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Judy Collins. With a crystalline voice that famously introduced generations to her own interpretations of songs by Joni Mitchell ("Both Sides Now"), The Beatles ("In My Life"), Bob Dylan ("Mr. Tambourine Man") and others in a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Ms. Collins holds a remarkable place in the music lexicon. Her repertoire encompasses folk music, show tunes, pop, and rock and roll. Ms. Collins will perform one-night-only, 8pm, Saturday, March 15, at the historic Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street. Subscriber tickets for Stacey Kent will be honored and additional tickets for non-subscribers ($65, plus a limited number of $100 premium seats) are now available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400.

In addition to the concert, patrons may purchase tickets to a private post-concert Meet and Greet with Ms. Collins, with the opportunity to take photographs and obtain autographs. Tickets for the Meet and Greet ($40) are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by calling (415) 927-4636, with all proceeds benefiting the non-profit Bay Area Cabaret.

At age 13, Judy Collins made her public debut performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos, but it was the music of such artists as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, as well as the traditional songs of the folk revival, that attracted her interest. She soon moved away from classical music and began a lifelong career with the guitar. In 1961, when she was 22, Judy Collins released her first album, interpreting the songs of fellow artists - particularly the social poets of the time such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Tom Paxton. She was instrumental in bringing at the time lesser known singer-songwriters to a wider audience, including poet/musicIan Leonard Cohen, and musicians Joni Mitchell and Randy Newman. Her rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" on her 1967 album, Wildflowers, won a Grammy and has since been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Her recording of "Send in the Clowns," written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical "A Little Night Music," won "Song of the Year" at the 1975 Grammy Awards.

Ms. Collins has continued an impressive musical career with an extensive catalog from every decade throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and up to the present. She has also authored several books, including the inspirational memoir Sanity & Grace focusing on the death of her only son and the healing process following the tragedy. She is also co-director, with Jill Godmillow, of an Academy Award-nominated film about Antonia Brico, the first woman to conduct major symphonies around the world. Ms. Collins' social history has always been linked with her musical history - she is drawn to social activism and is a representative for UNICEF and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of landmines, amongst many other causes.

Bay Area Cabaret was founded ten years ago by fifth generation San Francisco native Marilyn Levinson as a not-for profit organization. Through its concert series and wide-ranging outreach activities, BAC aims to expand the definition of cabaret and broaden the audience for intimate entertainment, offering Great American Songbook entries from Harold Arlen and Stephen Sondheim to Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joni Mitchell. Past performances have featured Sutton Foster, Barbara Cook, Marvin Hamlisch, soprano Patricia Racette, Megan Hilty, Christine Ebersole, songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Peter Gallagher, Marin Mazzie, John Pizzarelli, Stacey Kent and Jane Monheit, Rent stars Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, and the high school vocal competition Bay Area Teen Idol.

Bay Area Cabaret continues its 10th Anniversary season with two performances by 2-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera (February 23, 2014), the debut of rising pop star Morgan James (April 6, 2014) and Karen Mason in "Secrets of the Ancient Divas" (May 18, 2014). This year's Bay Area Teen Idol competition will take place in the Venetian Room at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2014.

For Bay Area Cabaret patrons, The Fairmont San Francisco offers a delicious buffet dinner in the Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar for $40 (plus tax and tip), plus four hours of free parking for all who dine in the Laurel Court. For more information, visit www.bayareacabaret.org.

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