Grammy Winner! ELVIS CRESPO Celebrates 20th Anniversary of SUAVEMENTE @ Lehman Center, 1/25/2020 at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts and GOYA FOODS are proud to start off the new decade of Latin concerts with the multi Grammy Award winner ELVIS CRESPO, one of the most popular and sought-after Latin artists in the world, on Saturday, January 25th, 2020 at 8pm. Elvis Crespo, with his mastery of the merengue tradition blended with his modern, yet accessible take on bachata, salsa, and other tropical genres, burst onto the contemporary Latin music scene in 1998 with his hit solo debut album Suavemente and has continued to command large audiences worldwide. With a career spanning over two decades, he continues to leave his mark on the music industry with eleven studio albums and 27 Billboard-charted singles under his belt. In 2018, Elvis Crespos merengue-infused single Ella Me Bes climbed into the Billboard Latin Airplay Top 25, and he was also honored with a Latin Grammy nomination for Diomedizao, his tribute album to Diomedes Diaz, where he melded classic vallento and cumbia sounds with the tropical rhythms of merengue. In 2019, he released the album Suavemente 20 Anniversary, that includes nine of his merengue tunes that have been revamped to a plena version, plus a new bonus merengue track Abracadabra.Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for ELVIS CRESPO on Saturday, January 25th, 2020 at 8pm are VIP*$100, $65, $60, $55, $50 and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am5pm, and beginning at 4pm on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. *VIP Reception: The Havana Caf, Goya Foods and Lehman Center special VIP pre-concert wine & hors doeuvres reception will start at 6:30pm. VIP tickets include the reception and the best seats in the house. Sponsored by Havana Caf Restaurant and Goya Foods. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low-cost on-site parking available for $5.ELVIS CRESPO was born in New York City and moved to Guaynabo, Puerto Rico with his family at age six. As a teenager, he sang back-up vocals with the orchestras of Willie Berrios, Lenny Prez, and Tony Rosario. His big break came when he joined Grupo Mana in the mid-90s, where he wrote and sang one of the groups biggest hits Linda Eh. Leaving the group for a solo contract with Sony Music, his 1998 debut album Suavemente reached #1 on five Billboard charts, propelled by two of its singles Tu Sonrisa and Suavemente, which became massive global hits. Not only did the title merengue song Suavemente with its acapella intro followed by an explosion of horns, gira, congas and percussion, catchy chorus, and sensual and playful lyrics command the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for seven weeks, setting a record, it is still a favorite today, especially at Latin wedding receptions. The album went gold in the United States and earned the Best Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year from Billboard Magazine and four Premio Lo Nuestro awards. A year later Crespo released his second album Pintame, which won a Grammy Award for Best Merengue Performance and three Premio Lo Nuestro awards, firmly establishing his place in Latin music. His next four releases were all well received with 2004s Saboralo honored with the Latin Grammy Award for Best Merengue Album. Because of his ability to break through worldwide language barriers as well as the ability to meld merengue with everything from Latin dance music and hip-hop to Colombian vallenato and salsa, Crespo is able to continue to reinvent his music with a modern edge. In 2007 he released Regres el Jefe which included the merengue single La Foto Se Me Borr, but also showcased bachata and urban styles amid his swinging mambos. The album topped the Latin Albums and Tropical Salsa charts, was nominated for a Latin Grammy and won four Premio Lo Nuestro awards.2010s album Indestructible combined merengue hooks with driving salsa and bachata beats. For Los Monsters (2012) he concocted a blend of merengue, urban, salsa and Latin pop music. In 2016, Crespo expanded his musical reach into a fusion of tropical, pop, EDM and techno sounds, collaborating with DJ Deorro to produce the electronic dance and tropically infused track Bailar. An instant global sensation, the track hit #1 in ten European countries, as well as #1 on iTunes and Shazam, opening the door to a new generation of audiences for Elvis Crespo. A second EDM collaboration with renown DJ Steve Aoki and Latin superstar Daddy Yankee on the Spanish language dance track Azukita (produced by Play-N-Skillz), received multiple gold and platinum records worldwide, surpassed 42 million streams on YouTube, and received a 2018 Latin American Music Award nomination for Favorite Tropical Song. In 2019 he released his second collaboration with DJ Deorro (and DJ Henry Fong) on the high energy dance track Pica, as well as the album Suavemente 20 Anniversary, home to nine of his merengue tunes that have been revamped to a plena version, plus a new bonus merengue track Abracadabra.Lehman Center for the Performing Arts spectacular 2019-2020 Season celebrates 40 Years of Excellence in the Centers newly renovated, 2,278 spacious seat concert hall, with a redesigned entrance, lobby, and elevator accessible balcony. Lehman Center is one of New Yorks top nonprofit performing arts centers and the Bronxs largest entertainment venue serving over 200,000 audience members each season. Eva Bornstein, who is beginning her fifteenth season as Executive Director of Lehman Center, says, During this milestone year, Lehman Center proudly welcomes audiences and community members to the top entertainment destination in the Bronx, which is now better than ever. The improvements that have been made will help ensure the comfort and convenience of all who attend our world class performances and events. Funding for the 15.4-million-dollar renovation was in part provided by the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature, the Bronx Delegation of the New York City Council, and the Office of the Bronx Borough President. Additionally, we will be continuing our Take Your Seat fundraising campaign, which will give you a chance to be a part of Lehmans history by purchasing a tax-deductible seat(s) in your name or a loved one.Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2019-2020 Season is also made possible through the sponsorships by Goya Foods, The New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, the New York State Council on the Arts, Con Edison, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Havana Caf, and the Friends of Lehman Center.