March 17, 2011

World-renown singer, composer, producer, arranger and six-time Grammy® nominee Nnenna Freelon makes her Annenberg Center debut

Friday, April 1, 2011

“Freelon makes each song such a personal statement that they all seem fresh and new...” USA Today

(Philadelphia, March 17, 2011) — calls her "a wonderful song stylist," Melba Moore says that "she's a reincarnation of Ella Fitzgerald," and proclaims "if you're looking for good entertainment and very hip music, be sure to check out Nnenna Freelon." The six-time Grammy® Award nominee makes her Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts debut singing jazz standards and highlights from her most recent album backed by her five-piece band on Friday, April 1 at 8:00 PM. For tickets or for more information on both performances, please visit www.AnnenbergCenter.org or call 215.898.3900. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Annenberg Center Box Office.

Freelon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer, known for fearless, thrilling yet intimate performances, and has shared the stage or recordings with such artists as Jessye Norman, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, , , and the Count Basie Orchestra. Homefree, Freelon’s most recent studio album, provides a fresh and unique take on standards from the Great American Songbook. Billboard describes Homefree as “intriguing, left-of- center arrangements – coupled with one of the most alluring voices in music,” and “Freelon remains a versatile artist at home with her craft, able to make any song her own without compromising its essence – the mark of a true artist.”

Freelon will be joined on stage by Miki Hayama, piano; Wayne Batchelor, bass; Adonis Rose, drums; and Beverly Bostford, percussion.

Nnenna Freelon has been heard and seen in feature film in "What Women Want," alongside trumpet-legend on “In Performance At The White House” to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Variety’s The Children’s Charity, on the #1 TV hit “Mad Men”, – more –

Page 2 Six-time Grammy Award nominee Nnenna Freelon at the Annenberg Center on the “Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon,” on stage alongside Opera superstar Jessye Norman and The Roots performing in the hit musical Ask Your Mama, and for numerous charities and at Special Events such as at the Society of Singers’ “Ella Awards" honoring the legendary Julie Andrews and for Variety’s The Children’s Charity (as a featured vocalist at the Stephen Sondheim Tribute at ). Freelon is renowned leader in the education and healthcare fields, has served as National Spokesperson for Partners in Education, and conducts workshops, clinics and master classes.

Post-Show Artist Talk Back

Ticket holders will have the unique opportunity to attend a special post-show artist talk back with Nnenna Freelon facilitated by WRTI’s Jazz Music Director and Host Maureen Malloy. The talk back will immediately follow the performance and take place in the Zellerbach Theatre.

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts The University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has been the region's leading multi-disciplinary performance venue for theatre, dance, jazz, world music, new music and children’s programming since its inception in 1971. The Annenberg Center’s curatorial vision emphasizes four primary values: artistic integrity, cultural diversity, curatorial balance and a willingness to take risks. By presenting world-renowned and cutting edge artists and companies who express adventuresome perspectives on contemporary issues, timeless ideas and diverse cultures, the Annenberg Center promotes critical thinking and dialogue among its audiences, creating a uniquely rewarding arts experience.

The Annenberg Center has achieved national recognition for its outstanding Dance Celebration series (presented in partnership with Philadelphia's Dance Affiliates), touring theatre series, and for its superior offerings for children, including both its Student Discovery Series and the acclaimed 27-year- old Philadelphia International Children’s Festival, the oldest festival of its kind in the United States. Through generous grants from The Wallace Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Annenberg Center also showcases its commitment to local artists each year through its By Local series.

Throughout its history, the Annenberg Center has presented innovative and critically-acclaimed theatre productions with some of the biggest stars of stage and screen including Liv Ullmann and Sam Waterston in A Doll's House and A Streetcar Named Desire with Glenn Close. University of Pennsylvania alumnus and noteworthy Broadway producer and director Harold Prince staged many of his plays at the Annenberg Center before taking them to Broadway.

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Six-time Grammy Award nominee Nnenna Freelon at the Annenberg Center Page 3

CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Nnenna Freelon

Friday, April 1 at 8:00 PM

Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Six-time Grammy® Award nominee Nnenna Freelon is hailed as the “international voice of jazz” and according to the Los Angeles Times, “she’s positioned herself in the very top echelon” as one of the greatest singers of our time. She’s shared the stage and appeared on recordings with music icons such as Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, the Count Basie Orchestra and more, and she’s been heard and seen in the feature film “What Women Want,” on the Emmy® and Golden Globe® winning TV show Mad Men and in performances at the world’s top concert halls and jazz festivals. Now she returns to Philadelphia performing hits from her hot new album, Homefree — a mix of tunes that Freelon identifies as “feeling at home in your own skin” and that bubble with the energy and creativeness that have become her hallmarks.

Media support for the Annenberg Center’s 10/11 Jazz Series is provided by City Paper and WRTI.

Tickets: $20-$45. For more information please call 215.898.3900 or visit www.AnnenbergCenter.org

For further press information or to set up interviews, please contact: Lauren Saul, Marketing and Communications Manager phone: 215.573.8537; email: [email protected]

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