ASTEP Benefit Concert, Featuring Lindsay Mendez, Jeremy Jordan and More, Set for Tonight at Joe's Pub

Two new special releases will be performed and sold at Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP) Sixth Annual New York City Christmas: A Concert to Benefit ASTEP, taking place tonight, December 15 at 9:30 PM at Joe's Pub at The Public in New York City. "I Got All I Need (This Christmas)" performed by Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena with music by Lynne Shankel and lyrics by Jon Hartmere and "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" performed by Aurelia Williams, Kenita Miller and Kay Trinidad with music by Shankel based on the traditional poem.

Back by popular demand, the evening will feature Broadway's most sought-after talent singing new and classic holiday songs. Expect fresh, original approaches - pop, soul, R&B, rock and more - to your favorite seasonal numbers, many of them captured on the Sh-KBoom/Ghostlight album "New York City Christmas," available for purchase at the concert. Two new special releases are also available for purchase: "I Got All I Need (This Christmas)" an original song written by Lynne Shankel and Jon Hartmere sung by Lindsay Mendez (Wicked, Godspell, Everyday Rapture) and Derek Klena (The Bridges of Madison County, Wicked, Carrie, Dogfight) and a hip-hop version of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" (music by Shankel) sung by Aurelia Williams (Sistas, The Musical, Papermill's Once On This Island), Kenita Miller (Merrily We Roll Along, Ragtime) and Kay Trinidad (The Little Mermaid, Bare) based on the traditional poem. The two songs were recorded on Yellow Sound Label are available on iTunes and wherever digital music is sold. All proceeds go to benefit ASTEP.

Conceived and produced by Drama Desk-nominated orchestrator Lynne Shankel (Cry-Baby, Altar Boyz), New York City Christmas: A Concert to Benefit ASTEP, will again boast an incredible line-up of artists, including Lindsay Mendez, Derek Klena, Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies, Master Class, The Little Mermaid), Chester Gregory (Sister Act, Dreamgirls, Hairspray), Andrew Call (American Idiot, Altar Boyz), David Josefsberg (Honeymoon In Vegas, The Wedding Singer, Altar Boyz), Telly Leung (Godspell, Glee), recording artist Anya Singleton, Kenita Miller, Kay Trinidad, Sally Wilfert (Make Me A Song, Assassins, Tom Sawyer), Lauren Pritchard (Spring Awakening), Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Rock of Ages, West Side Story) and many more. The concert will be directed by Stafford Arima (Bare: The Musical, Carrie, Allegiance).

Also appearing will be musicians Shankel (on piano), Joe Mowatt (drums/percussion), Randy Landau (bass), Peter Calo and Michael Aarons (guitars), Summer Boggess (cello), Max Mosten (violin), Barry Danielian (trumpet), and Scott Kreitzer and Cliff Lyons (saxophones).

Tickets are $100.00 each for premium seats, $75.00 each for general seating. ALL proceeds from tickets to the show and album sales go to supporting ASTEP's mission to provides artists with opportunities to share their passion with underserved kids, awakening their imaginations, fostering critical thinking, and helping them break the cycle of poverty. ASTEP places volunteer artists in New York, Florida, India, the Philippines, South Africa and the Dominican Republic as well as supports the efforts of ASTEP Chapters in more than a dozen communities around the US.

Tickets are available for purchase online through the Joe's Pub website or at the box office at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street. Seating is limited.

For more information about ASTEP visit www.astep.org or e-mail Davinia Troughton at davinia@asteponline.org.

New York City Christmas: A Benefit Album for ASTEP on the Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight label is a special labor of love created by the incomparable music director, orchestrator and arranger Lynne Shankel (Bare, Altar Boyz, Cry-Baby, Summer of '42, Paper Mill's Once On This Island). Over the years, in several venues in Manhattan, Lynne brought together some of the best musicians and singers in the Broadway community, including Tony Nominee Raul Esparza (Company, Speed the Plow), Tony nominee Orfeh (Legally Blonde, Saturday Night Fever), Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies, Master Class, The Little Mermaid), Chester Gregory (Sister Act, Dreamgirls, Cry-Baby), Lindsay Mendez (Wicked, Godspell, Everyday Rapture), Andy Karl (Wicked, Altar Boyz, 9 to 5), Sally Wilfert (Make Me A Song, Assassins, Tom Sawyer), recording artist Anya Singleton, David Josefsberg (The Wedding Singer, Altar Boyz), Tony nominee and "American Idol" star Constantine Maroulis (Rock of Ages), Drama Desk nominee Tyler Maynard (Altar Boyz, Mamma Mia) and many more! All proceeds go to benefit ASTEP.

The album is available for purchase through iTunes, Amazon.com, and sh-k-boom.com.

ASTEP was conceived by Broadway musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth using the most powerful tool they had - their art. Today, ASTEP connects performing and visual artists with underserved youth in the U.S. and around the world to awaken their imaginations, foster critical thinking, and help them break the cycle of poverty.

Since 2003, ASTEP's programs have engaged children ages 4-21 years old through collaborations with schools and community organizations. Our partner organizations help us tailor our programming to address specific needs and risks youth face in their communities, including HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, and abuse. In addition, our programs are research-based, employing accredited learning standards to train artists and create arts curricula. Youth attending ASTEP programs are not only inspired and supported emotionally and creatively, but also develop specific, important skills they use to make healthy and productive decisions.

For information on how to get involved or to donate, visit www.astep.org.

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