Larry Blank Conducts Johnny Mercer Tribute for BBC, November 13; Streamed Live Online

As part of an international celebration of what would be Johnny Mercer's 100th birthday next week, Larry Blank will be conducting a Johnny Mercer Tribute for the BBC's long running Friday Night Is Music Night programme at 7:30 PM London Time, 2:30 PM EST. The concert, which will be broadcast live on the internet in real time, features an overture written by Blank in addition to Johnny Mercer standards such as Moon River and Days of Wine and Roses with the BBC Concert orchestra and singers, Ruthie Henshall, Sally Ann Triplett, Nigel Harman and Curtis Stigers.

The live concert will takes place at London's Mermaid Theatre.

The concert will be broadcast online via
www.bbc.co.uk/radio/noscript.shtml?/radio/aod/radio2_aod.shtml?radio2/fridaymusic

The broadcast will be available for viewing after the event on Friday via the BBC website at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wrrv

For more information on the event, including how to purchase tickets, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/johnny-mercer.

Larry Blank is one of Broadway's most well respected musical directors, orchestrators, arrangers, and conductors.  His many Broadway credits include: White Christmas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, The Drowsy Chaperone, La Cage Aux Folles, Funny Girl, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers, Sugar Babies and They're Playing Our Song, in addition to others.

The legendary songwriter Johnny Mercer's 100th birthday would have been November 18, 2009. Celebrations of his musical legacy, which encompassed more that 1500 songs and countless awards, continue through November all over the world with the publication of 'The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer', the premiere of 'Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me' on TCM, all-star performances at New York's Carnegie Hall and 92nd Street Y as well as in Chicago and Savannah, and the unveiling of a life-size statue in his Savannah hometown, as well as the debut of Johnny Mercer YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.

A comprehensive line-up of upcoming events include:

Knopf Doubleday release of 'The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer' by Robert Kimball, Miles Krueger, Barry Day and Johnny Mercer, which contains the texts to more than 1,200 of his lyrics, several hundred of them published for the first time.
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307265197

Musical tributes to Johnny Mercer will happen on November 15th in Savannah, Georgia, and on November 18th in Savannah.

The night of November 18th, New York's-92nd St Y will present 'I Remember You: A Lyrics & Lyricists Centennial Tribute to Johnny Mercer.' Co-artistic directors Robert Kimball and Deborah Grace Winer will feature such notable performers as Karen Akers, Lucie Arnaz, Barbara Carroll, James Naughton, Billy Stritch and Julie Wilson.
http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T-TC5JM01

On November 20th, The New York Pops will present 'Too Marvelous for Words: A Johnny Mercer Centennial Concert' at Carnegie Hall, featuring Ann Hampton Callaway and the kids of Camp Broadway, which the Johnny Mercer Foundation supports.
http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_12954.html?selecteddate=11202009

Facebook page and a Twitter account in Mercer's honor have also recently been launched and can be accessed at
http://www.facebook.com/johnnymercer100
http://twitter.com/johnnymercerorg

For more about Johnny Mercer, visit http://johnnymercerfoundation.com

 

 

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