New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Lyric Muse Productions) Powerhouse tenor,
Mario Frangoulis, returns to the U.S. stage with his electrifying voice and stunning charisma. Voted Best Male Classical Crossover Artist of 2011 and known around the world for his philanthropic endeavors, Frangoulis will perform three shows only…New York City (March 21st), San Francisco (April 4th) and
Chicago (April 7th). Part of the proceeds will benefit his homeland of Greece, still struggling from the devastating economic crisis that has led to the highest unemployment rate in all of Europe.
"We can't stand by and watch families suffer…children passing out in classrooms because their parents don't have money to feed them and they are hungry," Frangoulis said. "I stay up a lot at night thinking of ways I can help."
In addition, part of the ticket proceeds will benefit New Yorkers for Children (NYFC), the non-profit that works in partnership with the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) to improve the prospects of children in foster care, and Greek-American Day Schools in Chicago.
Described as "Bocelli with a twist", and a singer with "the kind of tenor sound that brings down the house," Frangoulis dazzles his audiences, whether he's singing an operatic aria or a booming rock anthem. The upcoming shows are "part two" of his "
Beautiful Things" tour launched last spring, featuring an international repertoire of music that showcases his vast musical range. "
Beautiful Things" is currently being introduced to
America through airings on public television stations, in a sensational show Frangoulis performed with the legendary
Boston Pops and famed maestro Keith Lockhart.
Frangoulis has taken the world by storm, with the release of three international albums; "Sometimes I Dream" (2002), "Follow Your Heart" (2005), and "
Beautiful Things" (2013 overseas, with US release scheduled for this spring). He will perform many of his greatest hits, including the powerful "Vincero Perdero," (over 850,000 YouTube views), "Nights in White Satin" (over 1,200,000 YouTube views, recorded as a duet with Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues)…his moving interpretation of "
Daybreak", written exclusively for Frangoulis by the late
Robin Gibb…the inspirational "Here's to the Heroes", performed for the first time at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens…the beautiful ballad "A Hero is Inside", recorded as a duet with
Vanessa Williams…and the magnificent "
Maria", an ode to Frangoulis' muse, the great
Maria Callas. (Frangoulis was the recipient of the coveted
Maria Callas Scholarship.) This inspiring international repertoire in 5 languages (English, Spanish, Italian, French and Greek) will be a signature "Mario Frangoulis" performance — reaching across languages and cultures to bring people together through beautiful and inspiring music.
Part of the proceeds will benefit "Apostoli" (Mission), run by the Greek Orthodox Church and the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), that provides food, housing and health care to needy families in Greece. There is also a local charity component in each city — in Chicago, he is supporting Greek American day schools for children, and in San Francisco, the programs of public television.
Special guests will join Frangoulis on stage in each city. In New York City, he will be joined by
Alexandra Burke ( https://www.alexandraburkeofficial.com ), the acclaimed pop/R&B artist known for her powerful interpretation of Leonard Cohen's "Halleluja." In Chicago, he will be joined by acclaimed jazz vocalist Tammy McCann ( https://www.tammymccann.com ). Both will share duets with Frangoulis (guest artist in SF to be announced).
Frangoulis, who performs in more than five languages, was born in Africa but raised in Greece, after violence in the former Rhodesia separated him from his parents. He later graduated from London's prestigious Guildhall School of
Music and Drama. He was discovered by the legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh and was cast as
Marius in the theater production of Les Miserables, scheduled to return to Broadway this March. Frangoulis also won the role of Tony in the only production of West Side Story ever presented at the famous La Scala in Milan. Frangoulis went on to record 15 solo albums and a myriad of compilation albums. In 2007, he joined forces with other superstars like Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi,
Natalie Merchant and
Madeleine Peyroux in support of a compilation album called "Give Us Your Poor," to raise money for a national campaign to end homelessness in the USA. Because of his own challenges as a child, Frangoulis devotes much of his time and talents to organizations that assist children…as the Global Ambassador of The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, which provides privately funded scholarships to the highest risk, highest potential children in the US and Canada, UNESCO in Greece, and the World Centers of Compassion for Children International for refugee children in Europe, founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams.
The concerts are sponsored by KWL Enterprises and Lyric Muse Productions:
March 21st, NYC, 8PM, The Frederick P. Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center (jalc.org/events or 212.721.6500)
April 4th, San Francisco, 8 PM, The Nourse Auditorium (cityboxoffice.com or 415.392.4400)
April 7th, Chicago, 7:30 PM, The Harris Theater at Millenium Park (harristheaterchicago.org or 312.334.7777)
