FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Nina Flowers, December 3, 2014 Director of PR & Communications 212.531.5334 [email protected] Holidays at the Apollo Ellington at Christmas: Nutcracker Suite Featuring TV and Broadway Star Norm Lewis and Jazz Vocalist Lizz Wright With Performances by the David Berger Jazz Orchestra, Priscilla Baskerville, Jason Samuels Smith, Students from the Dance Theatre of Harlem and The Arts High School Advanced Choir of Newark Under the Musical Direction of David Berger Saturday, December 13, 2014 3pm & 8pm Sunday, December 14, 2014, 3pm Apollo Mainstage (Harlem, NY – December 3, 2014) – The Apollo Theater will continue celebrating the holiday season with the return of Ellington at Christmas: Nutcracker Suite, featuring some the best performers in the worlds of theater, jazz and dance. This spectacular presentation will include excerpts from Duke Ellington’s The Nutcracker Suite with jazz interpretations of the original Tchaikovsky composition, arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and an excerpt from Ellington’s Sacred Music Concert. Under the musical direction of David Berger, the two-part program will bring all of the elements of the holiday together through jazz, ballet, tap and gospel. With narration by TV and Broadway actor Norm Lewis (Scandal, Phantom of the Opera), Ellington at Christmas will also feature vocalists Lizz Wright and Priscilla Baskerville, tap dancer Jason Samuels Smith, students from the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the 50-voice Arts High School Advance Choir from Newark. Apollo Legend Duke Ellington often headlined and performed at the Theater in the 1930s and 40s. Ellington's music stretched into many genres, including blues, gospel, film scores, popular, and classical. This year, the Apollo will present three performances of Ellington at Christmas, Saturday, December 13 at 3pm; Saturday, December 13 at 8pm and Sunday, December 14 at 3pm. Tickets for Ellington at Christmas are $35 - $65. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800- 745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now. Apollo Theater Information Box Office Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri – 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Wednesday – 10:00 am - 8:30 pm Saturday – 12:00 pm - 6:00pm About the Apollo Theater The legendary Apollo Theater— the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging talents and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation, and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, performance art, spoken word initiatives, and more. Recent highlights have included James Brown: Get on the Good Foot, which will begin an international tour in 2015, the Africa Now! Festival, and Apollo Club Harlem. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms, and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres – including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, D’Angelo, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy. The Apollo Theater is a not-for-profit organization and currently in the midst of fundraising for its 21st Century Apollo Campaign, created to extend the institution’s role in fostering artistic innovation and in building appreciation of American culture around the world. For more information, visit www.apollotheater.org. Get social! For exclusive photos, updates and more use the hashtags #EllingtonXmas and #HolidaysAtApollo. Follow the Apollo Theater: Facebook.com/apollotheater Twitter.com/apollotheater YouTube.com/apollotheater Instagram.com/apollotheater Ellington at Christmas generously supported by Ford Foundation Fund for Global Programs, JoAnn Price, and Earl W. and Amanda Stafford. Sponsored by Citi. The Apollo's 2014-2015 season is made possible by generous support from Citi, Coca- Cola, Con Ed, Troy and Keisha Dixon, EmblemHealth, the Ford Foundation Fund for Global Programs, Frederick Wildman/Folonari Wines, General Motors, Carla A. Harris, Robert K. Kraft, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, The Parsons Family Foundation, the Ronald O. Perelman Family Foundation, The Pinkerton Foundation, JoAnn Price, Earl W. and Amanda Stafford, Time Warner Inc., the Reginald Van Lee New Works Fund, the Apollo Board of Directors and many other generous donors. Lead annual support is also provided by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. # # # .