A Broadway Benefit Weekend on July 8 and 9 Features Tommy Tune

June 27, 2011 Highmount, NY – The Belleayre Music Festival begins its 2011 Summer Concert Series on Sunday, July 3 featuring k. d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang with special guests the Belle Brigade. k.d. lang brings her extraordinary vocal talents to the Belleayre Music Festival on Sunday, July 3 to open the festival’s 20th season in grand style. The special anniversary show by k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang promises an spectacular evening by k.d., hailed by Tony Bennett as “the best singer of her generation.” k.d.’s new release, Sing It Loud, is burning up the charts. A multi-Grammy winner k.d., launched her career with a blend of country-rock stylings and a playfully punk-like attitude, by turns whimsical and subversive. Her bravura singing has always belied her kitschy cowgirl outfits and spiky hair. Despite the quirky facade, k.d.’s superlative vocal prowess has always been her true calling card. k.d.’s first taste of commercial success came with the release of the elegantly sensual “Constant Craving.” She has continued to add legions of fans through a body of work in which she pursues an adventurous exploration of musical genres. Opening act The Belle Brigade has produced one of the year’s most highly praised debuts and concert-goers will want make sure they arrive early to hear this talented group. Other featured acts in this season’s eclectic music lineup include Broadway star Tommy Tune, the legendary Creedence Clearwater Revisited, country star Clint Black, the smooth sounds of Mary Chapin Carpenter, the annual Belleayre Festival Opera with La Traviata, and more. The 2011 Concert Series will close Labor Day Weekend on Saturday, September 3 with banjo legend Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Stay tuned to the Belleayre Music Festival at www.belleayremusic.org for the entire festival schedule. Visit www.belleayre.com for all Belleayre Mountain event details.

The weekend of July 8 and 9 will feature a Broadway benefit weekend to support the Belleayre Conservatory and the Roxbury Arts Group. Friday, July 8, the Overlook Lodge will be the site of the hottest insider show on Broadway, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party. Traditionally New York’s historic jazz landmark Birdland is home to Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, a hilariously impromptu variety show where superstars hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle. On July 8 for this show there will be special guests dropping in to fill the stage at Belleayre’s Overlook Lodge. Confirmed so far are; Jay Rogers: Actor, director, multi-nominated award winner for theater awards including Drama Desks, MAC and many others; Christine Pedi: Actress, Singer, Comedienne, Impressionist – Known for Forbidden Broadway and as a hostess on the Sirius/XM Broadway channel; Donna McKechnie: Tony Award winner for her role as Cassie in A Chorus Line. Our up-and-coming regional talent includes Karen Neblung, Mackenzie Wright, Wendy Nief, Timothy Lafontaine, and Peg Ellsworth. Don’t miss this very special weekend. Come and support the Belleayre Conservatory and Roxbury Arts Group and hear talented locals sharing the stage with Broadway pros.

Make sure to be at Belleayre on Saturday, July 9 for a show stopping performance by nine-time Tony Award Winner Tommy Tune, who is widely acknowledged as the most prolific director/choreographer of the 20th Century. Since the 1950s, Tune has graced the most prestigious of stages with his charisma, vision and innovation in the field of Broadway entertainment. As a front-runner in his field, he has participated in constant collaboration with the most talented artists and producers of each generation. “Steps in Time, A Broadway Biography in Song and Dance” takes inspiration from every era, and is sure to make each audience member’s toes tap. Don’t miss this show.

And for summer family fun make sure to visit the Belleayre Beach day use area. The Belleayre Beach at Pine Hill Lake offers facility amenities such as a white-sand swimming beach with lifeguards on duty, kayak, rowboat and paddle boat rentals, BBQ facilities and rentable pavilion space with electricity and grills for private parties, reunions and other gatherings. The facility will be open to the public full-time through Labor Day from 10am – 6pm Monday through Friday and 10am – 7:30pm on the weekends. 2011 is the fourth year that the Aqua School at Belleayre Beach will be offering aquatics programming for children and adults. Aqua School orientation is June 29 and the first sessions begin on Wednesday, July 6. Be sure to visit Belleayre’s website for class and specialty workshop listings; call now to make reservations because registration is limited. Eco-Adventures are scheduled on weekends throughout the summer offering local nature activities free of charge to all guests such as making walking sticks, informative talks about nature, the Junior Naturalist Program for Kids and more. Be sure to visit www.belleayre.com for programming details on activities to take place this summer at the Belleayre Beach.

Belleayre Mountain is a year-round outdoor recreation area in the Catskill Mountains operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Belleayre Music Festival is a non-profit 501c3 organization that partners with Belleayre Mountain to promote art and culture in the Catskill Mountains.