GRASS VALLEY, CA, November 7, 2023 – The Center for the Arts is pleased to present Pink Martini in the Marisa Funk Theater on December 12, 2023.
The eclectic, acoustic-oriented sounds of Pink Martini have never been easy to categorize, but that hasn’t prevented the Portland, Oregon-based band from acquiring a loyal, enthusiastic cult following. Pink Martini have offered a risk-taking blend of jazz (mainly swing), world music, cabaret, lounge, and ’40s-’50s film music, with influences ranging from Cole Porter and Duke Ellington to French icon Edith Piaf to Latin greats such as Xavier Cugat, Beny Moré, and Tito Puente. Music from around the world has also inspired them, including French chanson, Afro-Cuban salsa, Argentinian tango, Brazilian samba and bossa nova, Italian folk, Greek rebetiko, Middle Eastern music, and Asian music.
Featuring a dozen musicians with songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout the world. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Thomas Lauderdale, bandleader/pianist says “Pink Martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure… if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band.”
In 2014, Pink Martini was inducted into both the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. The band created a nationally broadcast 2015 NPR holiday concert special, Joy to the World: A Holiday Spectacular, and has been featured on multiple New Year’s Eve broadcasts on NPR’s Toast of the Nation. In 2016, Pink Martini released its ninth studio album, Je dis oui!, which features vocals from China Forbes, Storm Large, Ari Shapiro, fashion guru Ikram Goldman, civil rights activist Kathleen Saadat, and Rufus Wainwright. The album’s 15 tracks span eight languages (French, Farsi, Armenian, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish, Xhosa and English), and affirms the band’s 23-year history of global inclusivity and collaborative spirit.
In 2023, the band is celebrating its 29th year of performing, and preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary from July 2024 – July 2025. The band is currently at work on a new studio album, due in 2024.
Come spend the evening with Pink Martini and find out what all the hype is about in the Marisa Funk Theatre on December 12, 2023.
WHAT: Pink Martini
WHERE: The Center for the Arts | 314 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
WHEN: Tuesday, December 12, 2023 | Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm
TICKETS: $80-100 | https://bit.ly/46Pl0PU
WEBSITE & INFO:thecenterforthearts.org | (530) 274-8384
Since 2000, The Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, has grown into a leading presenter of music, dance, theater, comedy, literary and visual art, and family programming, offering more than 150 events per year from its location in downtown Grass Valley. The Center recently completed a major renovation of its multiuse, 21,000-square-foot facility in downtown Grass Valley, making it a premier performing arts destination. The venue includes the Main Stage, which accommodates up to 492 guests in configurable theater seats and up to 700 patrons for dance shows, and a 90-seat studio theater.