Sinatra Family News

Sinatra Family Estates Wine

Sinatra Family Estates has partnered with the Frank Sinatra Estate and his three children (Tina, Nancy and Frank Jr.) to produce world-class wine in honor of the entertainer's enduring legacy. From our estate vineyards near the northern end of Napa Valley we are proud to present the inaugural release of our 2007 Sinatra Family Estates Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our 5-acre vineyard has a western facing slope with gentle elevations. Soils vary from volcanic clay and rock to alluvial fan valleys with loose, gravely, sandy soils. The combination of warm days, cool nights and well-drained cobbly soils produces a low-yielding crop of exceptionally concentrated fruit.

The wines produced on this remarkable land have a rare combination of straightforward character with precisely defined flavors and fine textures exuding deep concentration without any sense of heaviness and the capacity to develop profound complexity with age.

All of these special elements played into the creation of our 2007 Sinatra Family Estates Cabernet Sauvignon. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple color with classic aromas of baked plums, chocolate, currant and vanilla. Mouth coating flavors of cedar, tobacco leaf, blueberry and black cherry lay densely across your palate. The finish is lush and round with great richness. The tannins are ripe, polished and approachable now.

It's a beautiful and tasteful way to celebrate the Chairman of the Board.

Posted by: Nancy | Sep 8, 2009 3:28 PM | Comments(14)

Come Fly With Me : The Musical

August 11, 2009 -- This September, Twyla Tharp will bring the music of one of the world’s most legendary singers to the stage in the new musical, COME FLY WITH ME. Conceived, directed and choreographed by the legendary Twyla Tharp (who most recently won the Tony Award for Movin’ Out) and featuring the music and vocals of Frank Sinatra, COME FLY WITH ME is a unique production celebrating love and life as it follows four couples over the course of one night falling in and out of love. The show has its world premiere at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre – a 2007 Tony Award recipient – on September 15, 2009, running through October 11.  Ticket information is available at www.alliancetheatre.org. The production will begin a Broadway-bound tour in summer 2010.

Set in a crowded nightclub, COME FLY WITH ME is sexy, athletic, passionate and filled with optimism, providing a glimpse into the four couples’ relationships. The audience follows each character on their journey of discovery, love and life, conveyed through Sinatra’s music and brought to breathless heights through Tharp’s high-energy choreography.

Tharp’s direction and choreography blend the incomparable vocals of Frank Sinatra, an international company of 38 – including world-class dancers and a 17-piece on-stage Big Band – and a wonderful hit parade of song, including Let’s Fall In Love, Witchcraft, Summer Wind, Body & Soul, It’s All Right with Me, Take Five, That’s Life, Nice ‘n’ Easy and My Way.

By special arrangement with Frank Sinatra Enterprises and The Sinatra Family, COME FLY WITH ME features original recorded “masters” of Frank Sinatra’s voice -- arguably one of the most recognized voices in the history of music -- backed by a live on-stage Big Band.  The show’s score combines newly discovered vocal performances from the Sinatra archives along with signature arrangements of some of his most famous work.  The majority of music is comprised of songs from The Great American Song Book, composed by the likes of Irving Berlin, Cy Coleman, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Sammy Cahn, Hoagy Carmichael, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers and Jimmy Van Heusen.

The 17-piece Big Band that will be supporting the show will be comprised of acclaimed musicians from across North America. Renowned jazz artist Dee Daniels is featured at the piano, providing occasional vocals and the “female point of view.” COME FLY WITH ME features sets by James Youmans (West Side Story), lighting by Donald Holder (The Lion King, Movin’ Out), costumes by Katherine Roth (All My Children), and music supervision by Sam Lutfiyya (Movin’ Out, 101 Dalmatians).

“Twyla Tharpe is America's dance laureate, a genius who understands among other things: discipline, music, dance, relationships, emotions and the human body. Somehow she reaches through the chaos of our lives and, with the help of Frank Sinatra's voice, shows us that everything is going to be all right,” said Nancy Sinatra. “Having watched her in this process of creating - inventing - from the smallest detail in pre-production: the casting, set, lighting, clothes and the choice of songs, to the final show we are about to enjoy, I can say she is hands on and in charge. This is one hell of a show. We can all be grateful for the works that she shares with us and I often think, wistfully, about the wonders in her brilliant, beautiful mind that we may never get to see.”

According to Tina Sinatra, “Dad was particularly proud of the Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov ballet, SINATRA SUITE. We saw it together at the Kennedy Center and to say he was delighted is an understatement. It brought us all to tears. I don’t think he’d experienced seeing his music set to dance before, which prompted him to ask: ‘Why hadn’t someone done it before?’ He would talk about it for years to come and was ever appreciative of Twyla and Company. When it was performed again in Los Angeles, we attended the performance. It is sweetly nostalgic for us to be working with Twyla on this production a decade after Dad’s passing.”

Special care has been taken to expand some of the original musical treatments that were created for Frank Sinatra.  In some cases exciting dance segments have been added to support the show, and featured instrumental soloists have been added to enhance the pre-existing works. Some new arrangements and orchestrations, as well as adaptations, have been created for COME FLY WITH ME by Dave Pierce (Chicago, Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular and music director for the 2010 Winter Olympics).

“We are thrilled to bring Frank Sinatra’s music and Twyla Tharp’s incomparable choreography to the stage with this incredible new theatrical event,” said Nicholas Howey, executive producer for His Way Entertainment, LLC in association with WAT Limited and Troika Marketing. “Combining the heart of the Great American Song Book performed on stage by a Big Band, with amazingly talented dancers and powerful choreography, COME FLY WITH ME will undoubtedly appeal to theatergoers of all ages. We are excited to launch this production at the Alliance Theatre and then begin a worldwide tour next year.”

“It's a profound honor and, frankly, a thrill to be a partner in the premiere of a brilliant work that combines the jaw dropping dance theatre of Twyla Tharp and the music of that icon of icons, Frank Sinatra,” said Alliance Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth.  “COME FLY WITH ME gives Alliance patrons and the city of Atlanta the first look at the music and choreography that will be a deeply significant contribution to American theatre.  A mix of artistry and excellence not to be missed.”

About Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp has choreographed more than one hundred thirty-five dances, five Hollywood movies, directed and choreographed three Broadway shows, written two books and received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, nineteen honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the Jerome Robbins Prize, The Kennedy Center Honors and many grants including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In 1965 Ms. Tharp founded her dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance. In addition to choreographing for her own company, she has choreographed for other companies including: The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Miami City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Ms. Tharp's work first appeared on Broadway in 1980 with WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG, followed in 1981 by her collaboration with David Byrne on THE CATHERINE WHEEL. Her 1985 production of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN played at the Gershwin and was followed by an extensive national tour. In 2002, Ms. Tharp’s award-winning dance musical MOVIN' OUT, set to the music and lyrics of Billy Joel, premiered at the Richard Rodgers and ran for three years. A national tour opened in 2004 and also ran for three years. For MOVIN' OUT, Ms. Tharp received the 2003 Tony Award, the 2003 Astaire Award, the Drama League Award for Sustained Achievement in Musical Theater; and both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography. In 2006 Ms. Tharp worked with Bob Dylan’s music and lyrics to create THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ which played at the Brooks Atkinson.

In film Ms. Tharp has collaborated with director Milos Forman on HAIR in 1978, RAGTIME in 1980, and AMADEUS in 1984, with Taylor Hackford on WHITE NIGHTS in 1985 and with James Brooks on I'LL DO ANYTHING in 1994. Her television credits include choreographing SUE'S LEG for the inaugural episode of PBS' DANCE IN AMERICA, co-producing and directing MAKING TELEVISION DANCE, and directing THE CATHERINE WHEEL for BBC Television. Ms. Tharp co-directed the television special BARYSHNIKOV BY THARP, which won two Emmy Awards as well as the Director's Guild of America Award for Outstanding Director Achievement.

In 1992 Ms. Tharp wrote her autobiography PUSH COMES TO SHOVE. Her second book, THE CREATIVE HABIT: LEARN IT AND USE IT FOR LIFE was published in October, 2003.

Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE)
Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE) is a joint venture between the Sinatra family and Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG). FSE owns Sinatra’s recordings from the Reprise era as well as a treasure trove of films, television specials and unreleased footage, photos and audio recordings, which collectively represent one of the foremost bodies of artistic work of the modern era.  FSE also owns and manages Sinatra’s name and likeness rights and represents the artist’s rights to the Columbia and Capitol catalogues. FSE pursues innovative new product and venture opportunities with respect to the legendary entertainer’s name and likeness, as well as Sinatra's audio and visual recordings.

About The Producers
The producers have over two decades experience producing shows of all types and sizes throughout North America and the world. International venues include Russia, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Korea and Japan. The producers were most recently involved in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China with productions of The Sound of Music, 42^nd Street and Chicago. Current and upcoming productions in North America include Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol, The 101 Dalmatians Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, starring Ted Neeley and Cats, running “now and forever.”

About the Alliance Theatre
Now in its 41st season, Atlanta’s nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre, recipient of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, is the leading professional resident theatre of the Southeast, creating the powerful experience of shared theatre for diverse people on two stages for youth and adult audiences.  Under the leadership of Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Managing Director Thomas Pechar, the Alliance Theatre is known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works.  The Alliance launched three Tony Award-winning hits to Broadway, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida and Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and has premiered more than 65 works, including SISTER ACT the Musical.  Further evidence of the Alliance’s commitment to new work is found in its nationally recognized Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition. The Alliance Theatre is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.

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For more information, please contact:
Jeff Klein/Wendy Sachs/Karen Silberg                                 
Dan Klores Communications             
212-685-4300                                                             

Jeff_Klein@dkcnews.com / Wendy_Sachs@dkcnews.com / Karen_Silberg@dkcnews.com

For dance media requests, please contact:
Ellen Jacobs Associates
Ellen Jacobs
212-245-5100

ellen@ejassociates.org

Posted by: Nancy | Aug 12, 2009 11:42 AM | Comments(7)