Two Special Performances Conclude the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2007/08 Deck the Hall Series

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2007, AT 7 PM AND 10:30 PM

Belinda Carlisle and Rufus Wainwright ring in the New Year in Paris À Go-Go: New Year’s Eve in Paris in two special performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Monday, December 31, at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The sublime Belinda Carlisle, best known as the beloved lead singer of the Go-Go’s, and inimitable singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who recently played at the Hollywood Bowl in a night honoring Judy Garland, share the stage which is transformed for the evening into a French cabaret. The bilingual Carlisle and Canadian-American Wainwright both perform in French and English in a program that includes classic French pop songs of Edith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg and others from Voila, Carlisle’s first CD sung entirely in French, as well as a special surprise. Accompanying the elegant first-time pairing are top-notch musicians that make up a quintessentially Parisian-style band including Jay Bellerose (drums/percussion), Reggie Hamilton (acoustic bass), Fabrice Martinez (violin), Jean-Paul Monsche (accordian), Dave Palmer of Air (piano/additional sounds/music director/arranger) and Timothy Young (guitars). Sassy French dancers add to the electricity and elegance of the evening, capped by an unforgettable finale fantastique!

Paris À Go-Go: New Year’s Eve in Paris, concludes the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association’s Deck the Hall offerings of holiday presentations. Deck the Hall is an annual series of festive celebrations throughout the month of December featuring an array of exceptional artists performing seasonal music. Other Deck the Hall concerts include: Holiday Organ Spectacular; Go Tell it on the Mountain: The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show; A Chanticleer Christmas; The Count Basie Orchestra: A Swingin’ Christmas; and The Holiday Sing-Along.

BELINDA CARLISLE recently released Voila, her first new album in a decade and her first sung entirely in French. The album is a sultry, soulful collection that delivers 11 classics from renowned French songsmiths including Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf. Though it seems like a radical departure for the pop diva and much-loved Go-Go, it’s Carlisle’s loving homage to the country that’s been her spiritual home for more than a decade and the album is the culmination of a long investigation into French music. For Voila, Carlisle chose producer John Reynolds (U2, Sinéad O’Connor, Indigo Girls, Hothouse Flowers). The two worked closely with a musical dream team that included Brian Eno on keyboards, guitarist Fianchna O'Braonain (Hothouse Flowers), the Irish button accordion player Sharon Shannon, Julian Wilson (Grand Drive) on piano, Hammond B-3, strings and keyboards, and world music star Natacha Atlas (Transglobal Underground) on backing vocals. In addition to her ongoing collaboration with the Go-Gos, Carlisle also has reinvented herself as a polished adult pop singer. Heaven On Earth, her second solo album made her a worldwide pop star, with “Heaven is a Place on Earth” hitting the No. 1 spot in countries all over the planet, while “I Get Weak” and “Circle in the Sand” both went Top 10 and “Mad About You” charted at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Runaway Horses established Carlisle as a presence on the British and Australian music scenes and included the George Harrison collaboration “Leave A Light On.” Harrison didn’t work with many people after his stint as a Beatle, and after his death, Olivia Harrison told Carlisle that he agreed to work on her album because he loved her voice. Her 1996 offering, A Woman And A Man, contained a collaboration with Brian Wilson and spawned three UK hits “In Too Deep,” “Always Breaking My Heart” and “Love In The Key Of C.” A Woman And A Man was a hit in Europe and England and Carlisle has maintained a strong fan base overseas ever since. In 1999, A Place on Earth: The Greatest Hits was released and featured three new Carlisle tracks and sold 900,000 units in the UK alone. In 2003, Carlisle’s solo US tour was a great commercial and critical success.

Affectionately referred to by Elton John as “the greatest songwriter on the planet” and praised by The New York Times for his "genuine originality," RUFUS WAINWRIGHT has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation by carving out his own singular sound. Born to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Wainwright grew up entrenched in iconic music making. He began to play the piano at age 6, was touring with his mother and Aunt Anna as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family by age 13, and had a Juno nomination for his performance of “I'm a Running” in the film Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller by the time he was 16. After spending time on the club circuit, Wainwright cut a series of demos, one of which found itself in the hands of Lenny Waronker at the newly formed DreamWorks. So taken with the demos, DreamWorks made Wainwright their first signed artist. His self-titled debut album was released in 1998 to critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone magazine anointing the work as one of the best albums of the year. Wainwright's subsequent releases, Poses (2001), Want One (2004) and Want Two (2005), continued to build his reputation as a critically-established artist. His album Release The Stars (2007) is his first self-produced effort and has been certified Gold in the UK and Canada. It has been described by The New York Times as “simultaneously forthright and evasive, urgent as well as coy,” and has been characterized by USA Today as being “always compelling.” Wainwright’s live recording from his 2006 Carnegie Hall concert has just been released, as has a live DVD of the London Palladium concert. Beyond recording, Wainwright is a noted actor, having starred in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator and Merchant Ivory’s Heights. He was featured in the Leonard Cohen documentary I'm Your Man and in the Denys Arcand film L'Age Des Tenebres. Wainwright has also recently completed an original piece of music for the Stephen Petronio Dance Company.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music — Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2007, at 7 PM and 10:30 PM
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

PARIS À GO-GO: NEW YEAR’S EVE IN PARIS

BELINDA CARLISLE and RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

Tickets ($53 - $150) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full-time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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