Vocalist Vienna Teng Returns to Palo Alto 8/14 At The Lucie Stern Theater

TheatreWorks' 8th Annual New Works Festival presents nationally-acclaimed singer/composer Vienna Teng In Concert. Stanford grad and software programmer-turned musical artist Vienna Teng returns to Palo Alto to present selections from her best-selling albums, including her new album, Inland Territory, and songs from her new musical. Variety heralds Vienna Teng as "singular among her peers" for her poetic introspective lyrics and cool ethereal vocals. This enchanting concert plays one night only 8pm, Friday, August 14, 2009 at TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto. For tickets ($35) and information, the public may visit www.theatreworks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Saratoga native Vienna Teng wrote and performed her own songs locally while pursuing a computer science degree at Stanford University. After graduating in 2000, Teng began work as a software engineer for Cisco Systems, writing and performing in her free time until 2002 when she left her job in software engineering to pursue music full-time. Teng's first album, Waking Hour, made a sensational climb to #5 on the Amazon.com bestseller list and her career was assured. In January of 2003, she played on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman. She has since made appearances on CBS's The Early Show, NPR's Weekend Edition, and The Wayne Brady Show, and opened for popular music artists including Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, Joan Osborne, Patty Griffin, Madeleine Peyroux, and The Indigo Girls. Her second album, Warm Strangers, became an international bestseller. In 2008, she relocated from California to New York City and performed in Central Park at the Green Apple Festival, America's largest Earth Day Festival. Her newest album, Inland Territory, was released in April 2009 and lauded as an "ambitious album" with a "New York vibe" by the San Jose Mercury News.

Vienna Teng's tempestuous piano playing and sweet, soaring voice combine into a style she calls "chamber folk." Teng regularly works with classically trained musicians-she herself has studied piano since the age of five-and also takes inspiration from folk music from the 1970's. Often compared to Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, Teng's music may be confessional and introspective, but she doesn't focus on the classic trope of teenage angst. "There's a lot of music out there about what it's like to be young-all those extremes of emotion, foolish romantic things people do," says Teng. "I'm more interested in what goes on underneath. . . when people decide to be grown-up about something." Many of her song lyrics are based on topical issues in the news, such as her song "Pontchartrain," written in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of New Orleans, as well as "City Hall," a love song celebrating San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's announcement that San Francisco would recognize gay marriage. Teng's music has also tackled hot button issues such as immigration reform and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Teng's diverse range of lyrical content is indicative of the complexity of her music, which takes notes from blues, jazz, folk, and classical.

TheatreWorks' 8th Annual New Works Festival continues through August with three play readings (Sparrow and the Birdman, a play that sings, Auctioning the Ainsleys, a show for people and the objects that own them, and the psychological thriller The North Pool) and three brand new musicals (the alluring musical comedy Makeover, the fever dream musical Ernest Shackelton Loves Me, and Tales from the Bad Years, a song cycle for the new generation). For more information on readings and shows, please visit www.theatreworks.org.

 

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