Colors Of Christmas

Bryson has appeared on stage in several theatrical
productions, including touring companies of the Tony Award-winning "Raisin" (based on "A Raisin in the Sun") and "The Wiz," and Michigan Opera Theatre’s 100th anniversary production of Gershwin’s "Porgy and Bess."

Four Grammy-winning superstars – Peabo Bryson, En Vogue, James Ingram, and Marilyn McCoo – star in an unforgettable holiday spectacular, The Colors of Christmas, will be presented at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts which is located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, on the campus of Lehman College in the Bronx.  The show is now in its 25th Anniversary Season.  The concert which is being held on Saturday, December 11, 2004, at 8 PM., will prove to be a spectacular event.

These popular artists will perform such Christmas songs as “O, Holy Night,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as their own greatest hits.  The performance is directed by Kathy Hazzard.   For the past twelve years, this contemporary Christmas show has become an annual holiday centerpiece for families across America.  It is a magical celebration that touches the hearts of people of all ages, races and religions.  The artist will also be joined by the Judah Ensemble (who will also perform Quincy Jones’ arrangement of “Hallelujah”).  The Judah Ensemble was formed two years ago by vocalist Kathy Hazzard in an effort to give back to her community.

The 22-voice gospel group, comprised of eight young singers from the Youth Dares program (students from alternative high schools and junior high schools) and “first-call” gospel singers, range in age from 15 to 30.  The choir will lend their voices to the show’s theme of “Good Will and Peace on Earth.”

The holiday season would not be complete without gifts so Lehman Center for the Performing Arts will conduct a toy drive for Toys For Tots at the Colors of Christmas concert.  Therefore, they are encouraging audience members to bring to the concert new, unwrapped toys that are labeled with the age and gender of the child.  At the end of the evening, the toys will be picked up by a representative of the Toys For Tots Foundation.  All collected toys will go to Bronx organizations.

One of the headliners, Peabo Bryson, as many of his fans know is a two-time Grammy Award-winning legend with nearly twenty albums to his repertoire. Bryson has enjoyed international success and recording classic duets with such stars as Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole, and Celine Dion.  Bryson has the distinction of being the first artist in music history to have separate records topping four different charts, including “A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme),” and a duet with Regina Belle that won an Oscar for Best Song in 1992.  He earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal by a Duo or Group which topped both the Pop and Adult Contemporary charts. Bryson has appeared on stage in several theatrical productions, including touring companies of the Tony Award-winning “Raisin” (based on “A Raisin in the Sun”) and “The Wiz,” and Michigan Opera Theatre’s 100th anniversary production of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” Bryson’s new Windham-Hill release features songs he wrote and produced with musical partner Regina Troupe.

Marilyn McCoo has enjoyed a career as a singer, actress, and in-demand host. Her combined record sales, as a solo artist, a member of The 5th Dimension, and part of a duo with fellow 5th Dimension member and her husband of 30 years, Billy Davis, Jr., ranks her among the top ten Black female vocalists of the rock era – with such greats as Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight.  McCoo has won seven Grammy Awards and for five years was host of the TV music show “Solid Gold.” She has also served as a host of numerous awards shows, including the historic Live Aid Concert. McCoo has performed on numerous TV specials, and her acting career includes the live theatrical productions “Dream Girls,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Anything Goes,” “A…My Name Is Alice,” and the Broadway revival of “Showboat,” appearances on numerous TV programs, and a recurring role on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives.” One of the most successful acts in the world, McCoo and Davis are working on a book and a new album.

1990 debut, En Vogue has set the standard for female R&B and pop acts like Destiny’s Child, 3LW, and 702. Fusing style, sophistication, sass, and sex appeal, their hits include “Hold On,” “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” ‘Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and “Whatta Man,” featuring Salt-N-Pepa.  En Vogue recorded five albums, including 2002’s The Gift of Christmas. The group has received countless awards appeared on the soundtracks of several motion pictures.  The group’s latest release, Soulflower, their first album in nearly four years, is the first recording with new member Rhona Bennett joining original members Cindy Herron and Terry Ellis.

One of the bright lights of the music business is James Ingram who has won three Grammy Awards, seventeen Grammy nominations, and two Oscar nominations for his work as producer, arranger, songwriter, and musician. His soulful voice is instantly recognizable on numerous hits, including two featured on Quincy Jones’s 1981 The Dude – “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways,” which won Ingram his first Grammy. He began as a keyboard player, working in the ’70s with Ray Charles. In 1982, Ingram signed with Jones’ Qwest Records, teaming up with label mate Patti Austin to record the #1 pop hit “Baby Come to Me.” Ingram spent the ’90s penning and singing songs for several films, as well as performing to packed houses in the US and abroad. Working on a new album, Ingram maintains a balance between career and family.

Tickets are: $40, $35, $30, and $25 and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718.960.8833 (Mon. through Fri., 10 AM – 5 PM, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through 24-hour online access at www.LehmanCenter.org.  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.  Free attended parking is available.

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