Arts Garage in Delray Beach to Present
LOVING AVERY
A Musical Salute to Avery Sommers
Sunday, July 23, at 7 pm
Tickets on Sale Now for Benefit Concert Headlined by
ROB RUSSELL and ANTHONY NUNZIATA
With Special Musical Guests
COPELAND DAVIS
PATTY CHAMBERLAIN, TONY SIDERS, MERI ZIEV,
FRANK DERRICK, VAL SHAFFER, and Music Director PHIL HINTON
(Delray Beach, FL – June 9, 2023) Marjorie Waldo, President & CEO of Arts Garage, today announced that tickets are now available for purchase for a very special benefit concert: LOVING AVERY: A Musical Salute to Avery Sommers to be headlined by singers Rob Russell and Anthony Nunziata—alongwith special guests Copeland Davis, Patty Chamberlain, Tony Siders, and Meri Ziev, backed by Music Director Phil Hinton (piano) with Frank Derrick on drums and Val Shaffer on bass.
Sponsored by Legends Radio 100.3 FM, this one-night-only, entertainment-packed and surprise-filled benefit will be held on Sunday, July 23, at 7 pm.
Tickets to LOVING AVERY are $75 per person and are available for purchase by calling the Arts Garage at 561.450.6357 or by going online to www.ArtsGarage.org.
AVERY SOMMERS
In deep recovery mode since a serious fall last winter, Avery Sommers is a South Florida treasure with a “powerhouse” voice” (The New York Times) and a charismatic stage presence. She has appeared on Broadway (Ain’t Misbehavin’ Chicago, Showboat, Broadway, and Platinum; and was a frequent headliner at The Colony Hotel’s Royal Room, Pelican Café, Kravis Center, Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts, and more. Both a Carbonell Award winner and a seven-time nominee, Sommers has received a Silver Palm Award for Outstanding Contributions to South Florida Theater, and the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 2010 Monaco International Film Festival. Currently, she serves on the boards of directors for both the Carbonell Awards and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and on the Honorary Board of Advisors for The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook
ROB RUSSELL
Widely recognized as “Mr. Palm Beach,” Master Showman Rob Russell, is now hosting the popular monthly musical series Rob Russell’s Open Mic at Café Centro in West Palm Beach. From his years as the polished front man at the distinguished Governor’s Club at Phillips Point to his nearly two decades as producer and emcee of the world famous Royal Room Cabaret, to his recent years as a singer, recording artist (his popular CD Hello Again), and as Dick Robinson’s fill-in tune-spinner on Legends Radio 100.3 FM, Rob Russell has amassed numerous fans of his audience-wowing musical talents and flashy show biz anecdotes.
ANTHONY NUNZATA
Following his recent sold-out performance at Manhattan’s Café Carlyle, Anthony Nunziata, who has been dubbed “America’s new romantic singing sensation,” returns to Arts Garage for this tribute to Avery Sommers. He has been described as “an explosion of love and entertainment” with his signature take on classic love songs from Broadway, jazz, classic pop, Italian arias, and originals from his critically acclaimed, award-winning jazz/pop release, The Love Album.
Special Musical Guests
++ COPELAND DAVIS, Emmy-nominated pianist, Tonight Show performer, inducted into the Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
++ PATTY CHAMBERLAIN, singer, writer, producer and star of a musical play based on the life and lyrics of Dorothy Fields directed by Avery Sommers, host of Through the Musical Lens on Legends Radio.
++ TONY SIDERS, singer/songwriter, maestro of The Palm Beach Super Choir, lead singer of gospel group Tony Siders & Company.
++ MERI ZIEV, singer with “golden pipes” (Jeff Harnar) and “a radiant performer” (Theater Pizzazz), co-founder of South Florida Cabaret Singers.
Avery Sommers Tribute Band
++ PHIL HINTON, Music Director, pianist, arranger, orchestrator and conductor who has worked with Shirley Bassey, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, and Paul McCartney.
++ FRANK DERRICK, virtuoso drummer for The David Letterman Show, and numerous shows and legends from Della Reese to Donna Summer.
++ VAL SHAFFER, bassist for Copeland Davis, Chuck Flores, Robert Navarro, and Donald Vega, among others.
LOVING AVERY: A Musical Salute to Avery Sommers is being organized by veteran publicist Gary Schweikhart and producer Ellen Wedner, who recently collaborated on both PRIDE LIGHTS 2022 and the inaugural Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival.
Donations to Avery Sommers
To contribute to this recovery effort, please make out your check directly to Avery Sommers and mail to: GCPRC-AS, P.O. Box 8553, Delray Beach, FL 33482. All support is gratefully appreciated.
About Arts Garage:
Arts Garage delivers innovative, diverse, meaningful and accessible visual and performing arts experiences to Delray Beach and South Florida. “Connecting our community to the world through the Arts”—this vision drives all decision-making at Arts Garage, which brings local, emerging artists and established global performers into the local multi-cultural community (students and adults, locals and tourists, people of all ages, income levels, backgrounds) who share a love of the arts.
Diversity is a hallmark of Arts Garage, which provides multicultural programming that promotes inclusion in the arts. #DiscoverDiversity isn’t just a tagline—it is the cornerstone of our outreach programs, staffing, and marketing. Located at 94 NE 2nd Avenue in Delray Beach’s popular Pineapple Grove (33444), Arts Garage is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, and the City of Delray Beach. For more information, please call 561.450.6357 or visit www.artsgarage.org.