Byham Theatre Welcomes Benise, 11/16

 The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the mesmerizing and invigorating performance of guitarist extraordinaire, Benise: The Spanish Guitar at the Byham Theater on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Known for his theatrical live shows and Emmy Award -winning teleVision Productions on PBS, Benise performs intoxicating Spanish flamenco-inspired riffs with a cast of world-class musicians and dancers in this new staged production. Benise's unique music fuses Latin styles such as flamenco, salsa, tango, and samba with African rhythms and rock, to create a sound that appeals to a wide range of music listeners and performance enthusiasts. The Spanish Guitar features brilliantly choreographed dance numbers, exciting and exotic orchestral pieces, and breathtaking costumes. This performance is part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series.                    

Beginning his career as a busker on the streets of Los Angeles, Roni Benise's unique sound caught the attention of PBS which led to his 2006-2007 television debut Nights of Fire! This collaboration of theater, music, Brazilian samba, and Argentine tango won him an Emmy Award and set his career in full force leading to eight CDs, two DVDs, his own record label Rosanegra Music and his newest production The Spanish Guitar.  "I am inspired by places I have traveled," says Benise, "so I will try to capture the essence and beauty of those places in my melodies. I am very fortunate as music has become my passport to traveling the world. It's truly like painting on air, creating colors and lush soundscapes that take people (and me) away to a safe place with no prejudice and no boundaries."

The touring stage production The Spanish Guitar is an epic tale that integrates live performance with real footage of Benise in his voyage across the globe. From the cobblestone streets of Old Havana to the sacred Temples of India, The Spanish Guitar becomes a treasure chest of inspiration - the keeper of stories of glory and tragedy through times and world's gone by.

Tickets ($26.25, $37.25, $44.25) for Benise: The Spanish Guitar on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m., at the Byham Theater may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, at 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666.  To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.            
 
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh's 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Trust Presents series, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Children's Festival CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; James E. Rohr Building & Arts Education Center; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O'Reilly, and Harris Theaters; visual arts galleries: Wood Street Galleries, at 601 Wood Street; SPACE, at 812 Liberty Avenue and 937 Liberty: a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities.    

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