Moira Danis Brings Some People's Lives To Don't Tell MaMa 12/5

In her new show, Some People's Lives, singer Moira Danis gives audiences a glimpse into the lives of those around us - friends, lovers, relatives, and strangers. Each has a unique story to be told but using a delightful and emotional mix of songs by established writers like Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Tommy Wolf and Jimmy Webb and relatively new artists like Sara Bareilles, Susan Werner and Chely Wright, Moira shines a light on the connections that exist between us and shows us that it is all part of "being alive". Moira will be supported by, and singing with, a band featuring some of New York's finest musicians -- Wells Hanley on piano, Brian Griffin on percussion and Colin Killalea on bass, guitar and sax.

With her classically trained lyric soprano voice and her unbridled enthusiasm, Moira has fashioned a string of unique, tuneful cabaret shows over the past few years. In First Childhood, she explored the joys of youth; in Double Rainbow she focused on Latin music; and in The Greatest Show on Earth she used the circus as a metaphor for life, love and that old stand-by, the pursuit of happiness. 2005's I Wish It So served as the basis for her well-received debut CD, I Wish, and 2006's Beautiful Sounds, a loving tribute to the remarkable career of Petula Clark, became her second recording. These efforts have prompted critics to write that Moira provides "an hour of cozy comfort, charming tunes and fine vocals."

Moira Danis: Some People's Lives
Sunday, December 5th at 2:30 P.M.

Directed by Gerry Geddes Wells Hanley - Music Director, piano/ Colin Killalea - bass, guitar & sax/ Brian Griffin - percussion

Don't Tell Mama
343 West 46th Street, NYC
Reservations: 212-757-0788 or online at www.DontTellMamaNYC.com $15 cover charge plus 2 drink minimum, no credit cards accepted

Subway: A, C, B, D, E, N, Q, R, W, 1, 2, 3, 7 to Times Square

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS OR PHOTOS
Contact: (212) 928-8622
Web Site: www.MoiraDanis.com

BIOGRAPHY

Home for Moira Danis is Nebraska -- not because she was born there, not because she has family there, but rather because Omaha was the one place this singer, actress, music teacher and military brat lived the longest as a child. The Air Force may have kept her family moving, but ever since she has had a say in the matter, New York City has been her home.

Moira was stage-struck at age three during her older sister's dance recital. When her skunk-costumed sister started to sing and tap to Wouldn't You Like Me For Your Very Own, Moira leapt over the footlights and joined her in an impromptu song and dance duet. She's been front and center stage ever since with roles at The Omaha Playhouse and in community theatre productions throughout the United States and at military bases overseas.

Moira is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and holds a Master of Theatre Arts from the City College of New York. As a music teacher in Westchester County, she produces, composes and directs numerous school productions each year. In 1995, she was honored by her school district and awarded Teacher of the Year for her commitment to and revitalization of the elementary music program. In 1998, in recognition of her contribution to the raising of learning standards in New York State, she was inducted into the New York State Academy for Teaching.

New York audiences have seen her at Crabtree's Kittle House, Danny's Skylight Room, The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama, Palsson's Supper Club, the Paul Revere Room at the former Hotel Lexington, and the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Cabaret on Mondays at the National Arts Club. Theater credits include working with Keith Levenson and Jeanine Tesori in The City Suite, The New YorK Gilbert and Sullivan Players production of Ruddigore and in a regional theatre production of Show Boat as Julie. She has also performed in Germany with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Choir.

Her cabaret shows have included I Wish It So, (which served as the basis for her debut CD), Beautiful Sounds - The Songs of Petula Clark, which enjoyed an extended run at Danny's Skylight Room and The Duplex and is available on CD and, most recently, The Greatest Show On Earth.

PERSONNEL:

Wells Hanley - Music Director, Piano

Wells Hanley has appeared on stage with jazz greats such as Betty Carter, David Liebman and Stanley Jordan. He has also collaborated with folk singer John McCutcheon as well as pop music icon Dave Matthews and has recently served as musical director for Darius de Haas. He has performed at international music festivals including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. And he was also the leader of the "sparkle rock" band called Wells.

Wells holds a Bachelor's Degree in Classical Performance from James Madison University and a Master's Degree in Jazz/Commercial Music from the Manhattan School of Music. A native of Virginia, Wells returned to his home state after living in New York where he studied piano with Fred Hersch and Sophia Rosoff.

Colin Killalea - Bass, Guitar & Sax

A guitarist, saxophonist, singer, and composer, Colin Killalea has performed in popular jazz venues with John D'earth (Dave Matthews, Bruce Hornsby, MiLes Davis), Billy Hart (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock), and Logan Richardson (Jason Moran, Greg Tardy). Also sought after for his pop and rock sensibilities, Colin was showcased at Bonnaroo 2008 as lead guitarist and backup vocalist for Don DiLego, and he has recorded and co-produced with singer-songwriters Jesse Harper, Rebecca Stevens, and Wells Hanley. A singer-songwriter himself, Colin regularly performs in NY and elsewhere with his Brooklyn-based band, Yost!

Brian Griffin - Percussion

Brian Griffin is a Connecticut native and took an early interest in playing drums in different styles. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1998, performing and studying regularly in Charlottesville with the renowned John D'earth, and completed his Masters in Jazz Performance in 2001 at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with the globally accomplished John Riley. In the summer of 2000, he attended the Banff International Jazz Festival, where he performed

 

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