Pink Martini Show Announcement

SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT:

PINK MARTINI RETURNS TO TORONTO

FOR A ROY THOMSON HALL PERFORMANCE

Friday, June 19 at 8 PM

Tickets on sale to FriendsFirst members Sept. 30 at 10 AM; to the Public on Oct. 4 at 12 NOON

$69.50 - $49.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or online at www.roythomson.com

or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

The fabulous Pink Martini, ’Äúbeautiful and sophisticated,’Äù as declared by The New Yorker, returns to Toronto after a highly successful debut on March of 2008. In writing about the group’Äôs last appearance in March, the Toronto Star wrote, "Pink Martini represents all that Toronto aspires to - sophistication, cosmopolitanism, and a type of delight that sometimes involves dressing up and carousing’Ķwith its heterogeneous tastes and facility in languages, the pop orchestra might have sprung from our own diverse metropolis, but hails instead from Portland, Oregon.’Äù And the National Post wrote, "Like the cocktail they're named after, Pink Martini packs a punch when you get past the frothy sweetness’ĶIt's music to dress up for, in heels and pearls; music that gets the ballroom buzzing."

The Portland, Oregon-based ’Äúlittle orchestra’Äù was founded in 1994 by Lauderdale, a Harvard graduate and classically trained pianist, to perform at political fundraisers for progressive causes such as civil rights, the environment, affordable housing and public broadcasting. In the years following, Pink Martini grew from four musicians to its current twelve, and has gone on to perform its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada and the United States. In the US, the band has performed with such symphony orchestras as the Boston Pops, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and special engagements have included the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’Äôs new Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall; the opening party of the New York Museum of Modern Art; and the 100^th birthday celebration for the William Morris Agency with soul legend Al Green.

’ÄúPink Martini is like a romantic Hollywood musical of the 1940s or ’Äò50s ’Äì but with a global perspective which is modern,’Äù says founder and artistic director Thomas M. Lauderdale. ’ÄúWe bring melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together to create something which is new and beautiful. All band members have studied different languages and music from different parts of the world, so because everyone in the band contributes in the writing and arranging of songs, the repertoire is wildly diverse. At one moment, you feel like you’Äôre in the middle of a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro, and in the next moment, you are suddenly in a French music hall of the 1930s or in a palazzo in Napoli. It’Äôs like an urban musical travelogue,’Äù says Lauderdale.

Pink Martini’Äôs debut album, Sympathique, was released in 1997 on the band’Äôs own label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale’Äôs dog) and quickly became an international phenomenon, garnering the group nominations for ’ÄúSong of the Year’Äù and ’ÄúBest New Artist’Äù in France’Äôs Victoires de la Musique Awards. Seven long years later the high-anticipated follow-up, Hang on Little Tomato, was released and climbed to #1 on Amazon.com’Äôs best sellers list. A new CD is in the works (details to come before the June concert date), but until then, Pink Martini’Äôs last album was Hey Eugene!, released in May 2007. This recording is a twelve-track sonic journey that travels the globe with uplifting songs of hope and beauty. The title track ’ÄúHey Eugene,’Äù an audience favourite for years, is delivered with sultry grace by lead singer China Forbes, who wrote the song about a boy she met at a party who asked for her number and then never called.

PINK MARTINI

Friday, June 19, 2008 at 8 pm / Roy Thomson Hall

178 Victoria Street, Toronto
Tickets $69.50-$49.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

www.masseyhall.com