The Recording Academy New York Chapter Announces 2013 Honors Recipients

New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Recording Academy) Songwriters/performing artists Ashford & Simpson, GRAMMY-winning violinist Joshua Bell, GRAMMY-winning artist Melissa Etheridge, GRAMMY-winning creators of "Les Misérables" - Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schönberg - and R&B singer/songwriter Trey Songz are recipients of the New York Chapter Recording Academy Honors 2013. The Recording Academy Honors was established to celebrate outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community. The event, which will attract recording artists, key entertainment executives and community leaders, will be hosted Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at 6 p.m. at 583 Park Avenue. This gala will support the Chapter's ongoing advocacy, education and professional development programs.

The evening will begin with a VIP cocktail hour followed by dinner and the tribute presentations with celebrity presenters and performers. Tickets for The Recording Academy Honors gala range from $375 for Academy members to $1,000 for VIPs and are available by calling the New York Chapter office at 212.245.5440. Sponsorship packages and show presentation only seats are also available.

About the Honorees:
Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson have long ranked among the most acclaimed and admired creative couples in contemporary music. The GRAMMY-nominated songwriting duo was responsible for writing some of music's most notable songs. Joining Motown Records in 1966, they penned hits such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" and Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." The songwriting/producing team also found success with their own hits "Found A Cure" and "Solid." In 2002, the couple was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Ashford died in 2011 at the age of 70.

GRAMMY-winner Joshua Bell is one of the world's most celebrated violinists. His stunning virtuosity, beautiful tone and charismatic stage presence have brought him universal acclaim. Since making his Carnegie Hall debut at age 17, he has toured the world with numerous orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony. He currently holds the role of new music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the first person and first American to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. The ensemble's first 15-concert tour through the United States garnered rave reviews, and their first recording under Bell's leadership of Beethoven's 4th and 7th symphonies debuted at No.1 on Billboard's Classical Albums chart.

One of the top female rock icons of all time, Melissa Etheridge became one of the most popular recording artists of the '90s with hits such as "I'm The Only One" and "Come To My Window." Her biggest album to date 1993's, Yes I Am, sold a staggering six million copies in the United States and spent more than two and a half years on the charts. She is a two-time GRAMMY Award winner for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Ain't It Heavy" and "Come To My Window." In 2007 Etheridge won an Oscar® in the Music (Original Song) category for "I Need To Wake Up," which was featured in the Al Gore documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth.

"Les Miserablés" creators — book writer and lyricist Alain Boublil, lyricist Herbert Kretzmer and composer and book writer Claude-Michel Schönberg — adapted Victor Hugo's novel of the same name into a musical masterpiece. Originally conceived and produced in France, it has been performed around the world, including performances in London's West End and on Broadway in New York. In 1987 the musical won eight Tony Awards for its actors and production, including Best Musical, and a GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Cast Show Album. In 2010 the cherished musical celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Trey Songz is a GRAMMY-nominated, multifaceted singer/songwriter, rapper, producer, and actor who burst on to the R&B scene with his 2005 debut album I Gotta Make It. Since then he has continued to release a string of successful albums including Passion, Pain & Pleasure, which featured the hits "Bottoms Up (feat. Nicki Minaj)" and "Can't Be Friends." In 2012 he released his most recent album Chapter V, which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200.

The event is sponsored by ASCAP, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Cameron Mackintosh, Universal Music Group, Universal Pictures, and Warner Music Group.