Kate Shindle and Billy Stritch to Perform With Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf at Birdland Theater in September

BIRDLAND THEATER will present the return of Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf - the acclaimed cellist celebrating her recent album Music of Broadway for Cello and Piano - on Monday, September 19 at 8:30 PM. This evening of love and music with feature guest star vocalist Kate Shindle (Jekyll & Hyde, Legally Blonde, Wonderland). With her long-time friend Charlie Alterman on piano (Fame Becomes Me, Next To Normal, Pippin), Mairi will welcome her husband, saxophonist Marc Phaneuf, to celebrate their eighteenth wedding anniversary that night. The show will also feature a special performance by Birdland's own Billy Stritch. There is a $30 music charge. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York.

Dorman-Phaneuf's debut solo album, Music of Broadway for Cello and Piano, was released in September 2021 on Craft Recordings/Concord Theatricals. It features gorgeous, all-new instrumental arrangements of classic and contemporary songs from Broadway composers Leonard Bernstein, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Alan Menken, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers, Richard & Robert Sherman, Stephen Sondheim and Kay Swift.

Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf has established a busy career in New York City as a solo, chamber, Broadway and recording artist. Since 2003 she has held chairs in 18 Broadway shows, including The Bridges of Madison County, Sunday in the Park with George, and currently Paradise Square. Off-Broadway credits include the premiere productions of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years (Chicago 2001, NYC 2002). Following her sold-out debut at Birdland Jazz Club in 2018 she continues to present headlining shows featuring Broadway's greatest stars. Her cello arrangements have become sought-after additions to the Broadway repertoire.

Mairi has been a featured performer with Jason Robert Brown, Christine Ebersole, Jeremy Jordan, and John Pizzarelli. She has appeared in multiple TV programs, including the "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcasts of "Joshua Bell with Friends @ The Penthouse," "Lang Lang: New York Rhapsody," and "Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' to Do."

Kate Shindle has appeared on Broadway in Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Legally Blonde (Vivienne, OBC), Wonderland (The Hatter), and Jekyll & Hyde, and more recently, the First National Tour of Fun Home (Alison). Other favorites include After the Fall (Maggie) at The Alley, Gypsy (Louise) at Portland Center Stage, First Lady Suite (Amelia Earhart), Into the Woods (Witch, Baker's Wife),The Last Five Years. TV/Film highlights include "The Good Fight" (Rachelle Max, recurring), "Law & Order: SVU," "Elementary," and the Oscar-winning Capote (to be clear, Kate definitely did not win any of those Oscars). Her writing has appeared in Variety, Slate, Salon, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Newsweek, and her 2014 book Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain (University of Texas Press). She has been President of Actors' Equity Association since 2015.

BIRDLAND THEATER will present Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf in "Music of Broadway for Cello and Piano" on Monday, September 19 at 8:30 PM. There is a $30 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com. In compliance with New York City rules for indoor activities, Birdland requires proof of vaccination or a verified medical exemption from all customers, staff, and performers.

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UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS AT

BIRDLAND THEATER AND BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB

Every Monday at 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Jim Caruso's Cast Party

"Jim Caruso's Cast Party," a New York institution for almost two decades, is a wildly popular weekly open mic night/variety show that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland since 2004. Called "show-business heaven" by The New York Times and "the gold-standard of open mic nights" by The Wall Street Journal, "Cast Party" will take advantage of the city's post-pandemic nightlife renaissance to keep presenting a potent mix of Broadway stars, jazz swingers and cabaret legends, in addition to new faces and rising talent from every genre. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, while musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories and leads the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums).

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Tuesday at 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

The Lineup with Susie Mosher

"The Lineup with Susie Mosher" is a wild, anything-goes variety show featuring entertainers from the Broadway, cabaret and comedy scenes, ranging from today's hottest headliners to the best up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. Mosher - the noted actress and singer from Broadway and beyond, called "one of those talents you need to see to believe" by Time Out New York - hosts the spontaneous extravaganza every Tuesday, and each Lineup is unique and promises to deliver an unforgettable night of quintessential New York City entertainment.

$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Saturday at 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano

Hailed as "the truest heir to Bobby Short" in The New York Times, pianist/singer Eric Comstock returns to Birdland with star bassist/composer Sean Smith with songs by everyone from George Gershwin to George Harrison. These two masters met on the Off-Broadway hit Our Sinatra (which Eric co-wrote) and have since worked separately and together around the world. Vocalist Barbara Fasano joins them at Birdland for a swinging Saturday supper where the music and stories are equally great. Sean Smith has been an integral part of the international jazz scene for over 25 years, and has performed with Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Benny Carter, Art Farmer, Flip Phillips, Clark Terry and many others. Barbara Fasano has been praised as "a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor's intensity in whatever she sings" by The New York Post and "a lyrically sensitive interpreter" by The New York Times. Her latest album Busy Being Free is the recipient of the MAC Award for "Major Recording of the Year."

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

August 29 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Julie Benko & Jason Yeager - "Hand in Hand" Release

Funny Girl's Julie Benko joins forces with jazz pianist (and husband) Jason Yeager for an unforgettable evening performing selections from their new duo album, "Hand in Hand". The release, out August 26th on Club44 Records, features the pair's intimate arrangements of songs from Broadway musicals, the Great American Songbook, and Yeager's original compositions. Joined by Michael O'Brien on bass, Jay Sawyer on percussion, and Patrick Laslie on woodwinds, the talented twosome will put their singular spin on favorites by such legendary composers as Jule Styne, Richard Rodgers, Anaïs Mitchell, Janis Joplin, and others. Benko is currently the standby for Fanny Brice in Broadway's Funny Girl. Other Broadway/National Touring credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, and Spring Awakening. A recipient of the Wilde Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Girl in Once, Benko also won the Gold Medal and Johnny Mercer Award at the American Traditions Vocal Competition in 2017. Yeager is a pianist and composer who has performed across five continents at such noteworthy venues as Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Panama Jazz Festival, Qintai Concert Hall, and more. A two-time finalist at the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, Yeager has released five albums as a bandleader.

$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

September 12 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Karen Akers - "Water Under the Bridge"

Singer and actress Karen Akers will return to Birdland with her concert featuring musical director Alex Rybeck. Akers takes a look back at some of the songs that first brought her acclaim in cabaret as well as on Broadway, television, and recordings - works by Craig Carnelia, Maury Yeston, Edith Piaf, and Stephen Sondheim, among other treasures. Akers is one of America's more arresting and successful concert stars. She is the recipient of the 2005 New York Nightlife Award for Outstanding Female Cabaret Vocalist, as well as the 2009 Nightlife Legend Award. Ms. Akers has appeared in many prestigious venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall and The Hollywood Bowl, as well as the Cafe Carlyle and The Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel. She has taken her music to the south of France, Russia, and Barcelona's Liceu Opera House. She appeared on Broadway as one of the original stars of the Tony Award-winning musical Grand Hotel. She made her debut on the Great White Way in the original production of Nine, receiving a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award.

$40 tables + $20 food/drink minimum

September 12 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Michael Winther with Art Hirahara - "A Sinatra Songbook"

Broadway's Michael Winther, will join acclaimed jazz pianist/composer Art Hirahara to celebrate and explore his favorite songs made famous by Frank Sinatra. Winther is a veteran of eight Broadway productions and has appeared in numerous productions Off-Broadway. He has headlined concerts in some of the most popular venues in New York City - including Birdland, 54 Below, Joe's Pub and Lincoln Center's prestigious American Songbook Series - as well as other major venues across the country. Michael's Broadway credits include: Flying Over Sunset, Fun Home, 33 Variations, Mamma Mia!, 1776, Artist Descending a Staircase, The Crucible and Damn Yankees. Equally comfortable on the Broadway stage as in the concert hall and recording studio, Michael collaborated with multiple Grammy-nominee, jazz composer Fred Hersch and poet, Mary Jo Salter in the premiere of a new song cycle, Rooms of Light. He has appeared with Rob Kapilow in "What Makes It Great?" at Lincoln Center and in major venues across the country celebrating the songs of Sondheim, Arlen, Gershwin, Porter, Bernstein, Berlin and Rodgers.

$30 tables + $20 food/drink minimum

September 19 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Billy Stritch & Gabrielle Stravelli - "Mel and Ella Swing!"

Renowned pianist and singer Billy Stritch and award-winning jazz vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli combine their considerable talents for an evening of great music celebrating the legendary Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald. "Mel and Ella Swing!" includes favorites from the Great American Songbook ("The Man I Love," "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square," "Cheek To Cheek") and swinging jazz standards ("Too Close For Comfort," "Lady Be Good").These two performers have brought their magic to stages all over the world and together bring an incredible knowledge and feel for this great music that's not often seen these days. It's an incredible and joyful evening featuring Patrick O'Leary on bass and Mark McLean on drums. Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes.. In addition to his 25-year collaboration with Liza Minnelli, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony's pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows (including tributes to Mel Tormé and Cy Coleman) in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. Billy also serves as music director for such leading vocalists as Linda Lavin, Christine Ebersole, Paulo Szot and Marilyn Maye. He has recorded five solo CDs and his latest CD release "Billy's Place" (Club44 Records). Stravelli's pairing of a jazz artist's musicianship with an ability to interpret lyrics and connect with an audience has led to a richly varied career. She regularly leads her quartet in performances at the country's finest jazz clubs and performing arts centers and has headlined domestic and international jazz festivals including the 2021 & 2018 WBGO Jazz on the Mountain Festival in New Paltz, NY, the 2019 Providencia Jazz Festival in Santiago, Chile, the 2016 All That Jazz Festival in Eleuthera, Bahamas and the 2014 Maree Sonore Festival in Venice, Italy.

$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

September 26 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Phillip Officer - "Let Me Sing And I'm Happy"

It's been a decade since Phillip Officer, one of NYC's favorite singers, stepped into the spotlight. Officer returns to make his Birdland Theater debut with "Let Me Sing And I'm Happy." The Chicago Tribune wrote, "Officer joins the rank of great singers as he elevates his material with a natural effervescence you wish you could bottle." Phillip built a commanding reputation for his commitment to lyrics. The New York Times complimented him as "a master of lyric interpretation - a textbook example of pop understatement." "Let Me Sing And I'm Happy" will celebrate a coterie of great writers and artists who have influenced his musical journey, including Peggy Lee, Carole King, Stephen Sondheim, The Beatles, Irving Berlin, Cher, and Johnny Mercer. The talented trio of musicians include Mark Hartman on piano, Kevin Kuhn on guitar, and Erik Friedlander on cello. Officer made his Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated musical Side Show. He is the recipient of multiple New York Nightlife, Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs, and Backstage Bistro Awards. The show is directed by Bill Russell.

$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

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