Lisa Ling of "The View" and MTV News' SuChin Pak will co-host the second annual benefit, "The Concert of Excellence." Presented by Second Generation, the Oct. 24 evening celebrates outstanding achievement in the performing arts by artists of Asian heritage.
The star-studded evening will also include the 2002 Rémy X.O. Excellence Awards. David Henry Hwang, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who has written an all-new book for the production of Flower Drum Song now in previews at the Virginia Theatre, will be one of this year's recipients. Other honorees include filmmaker Mira Nair, actor Jason Scott Lee and award-winning director Zhang Yimou. Special presentations will be made by author Amy Tan and CBS news anchor Cindy Hsu.
Scheduled for 7:30 PM at Carnegie Hall, the concert boasts an impressive array of artists, including Angela Ai ("Sex and the City," Making Tracks), Joan Almedilla (Les Misérables, Miss Saigon), Tony Award winning composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last 5 Years, Songs for a New World), Julie Danao (Aida, Rent), Jamie Guan (M. Butterfly), Cliffton Hall (Les Misérables), Michael K. Lee (Jesus Christ Superstar), Deedee Lynn Magno (Miss Saigon), Aiko Nakasone (Rent, The Rocky Horror Show), Anthony Rapp (Rent; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown), Hazel Anne Raymundo (Miss Saigon), Herman Sebek (Cats, Shogun), Jade Stice (Jekyll & Hyde), Alex Lee Tano ("Mulan") and Second Generation Founder/Artistic Director Welly Yang with additional performances by Juan Pineda, Kristi Tomooka, Seema Sueko, Melanie May Po, Ming Lee, Brandon Kuwada, Derick Alipio and Kari Lee Cartwright.
Sponsored by Rémy Martin, one of the evening's highlights should be the 100 Voices Concert of Excellence Children's Choir. This multicultural group of school children, culled from the entire tri-state area, will sing "When Children Rule the World" and Godspell's "Beautiful City." For the latter tune, the Children's Choir will be joined by the entire company.
Tickets range from $50 (concert only) to $250 (VIP seating plus reception with artists and honorees) and are available by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800 or by going on-line to www.coe2g.org. Second Generation, founded in 1997, is dedicated to building multicultural understanding by bringing Asian-American stories to the world’s stage. For more information, visit www.2g.org.
—By Andrew Gans
