“Pink Martini with China Forbes” brings a rollicking, around-the-world musical adventure to Worcester on Wednesday, October 3. Read on for five fun facts about Pink Martini, then visit our website to reserve your tickets.
1. International audiences
Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and North America.
2. World-renowned stages
Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with more than 50 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London
3. Familiar guest singers
While still in the studio for “Get Happy,” founder Thomas Lauderdale simultaneously began work on the band’s eighth studio album, “Dream a Little Dream,” featuring Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and August von Trapp, the actual great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp, made famous by the movie “The Sound of Music.”
4. Early success
In 1994, China Forbes put her first band together and played regularly at NYC clubs CBGB’s Gallery, Mercury Lounge and Brownies. Her first solo album “Love Handle,” was released in 1995, and she was chosen to sing “Ordinary Girl,” the theme song to the TV show “Clueless.”
5. Global inclusivity
Pink Martini released its ninth studio album, “Je dis oui!,” in November 2016. It features vocals from China Forbes, Storm Large, Ari Shapiro, fashion guru Ikram Goldman, civil rights activist Kathleen Saadat and Rufus Wainwright. The album is the band’s “happiest” in years. It features 15 tracks spanning eight languages (French, Farsi, Armenian, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish, Xhosa and English) and affirms the band’s 22-year history of global inclusivity and collaborative spirit.