Mo’ Billy

You know I love me some Billy Porter. But despite the fact that his name has popped up on my blog on more than a few occasions, I am not his official publicist. I swear! However information about some of his upcoming appearances has come to my attention and I feel compelled to share this so you too can discover the magic that is Billy.

Now when he’s not busy performing in a play somewhere on or off Broadway, Mr. Porter is in great demand on the charity circuit. He can always be counted on to lend his fabulous voice to some worthy fundraising endeavor. Such is the case with two upcoming events.

On September 21-23, 2005 the National Black Justice Coalition will host its first Black Leaders Summit in Washington, DC. The title of the Summit is “Tying the Widsom Knot: Bringing Together Our Leaders to Strategize for the Future.”

Two-days of workshops and plenary sessions will focus on a range of policy issues of significance to Black SGL/LGBT communities including strategies to combat homophobia and HIV/AIDS, the upcoming marriage battles and how to win fairness for same-sex families. Additional topics include the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and sessions on how to build local voter registration and get-out-the vote campaigns. The plenary sessions include: roundtable discussion and open dialogue with the chief executives of the nation’s leading LGBT organizations; a panel of top African American political strategists to discuss the politics and LGBT civil rights and marriage; and a Prayer Breakfast with important progressive religious activists and ministers to discuss homosexuality and the church.

The Summit will end with a gala awards dinner with a special appearance by the NBJC Ensemble Gospel Choir and Broadway veteran and recording artist Billy Porter. (He did ask Steven for suggestions on how to get more involved with Black gay activist organizations.)

The Summit is free, but requires pre-registration for all participants.

Here in New York, Tower Records and Faust Harrison Pianos will present Any Wednesday at Tower, a continuing series of live free concerts at Tower Records, Lincoln Center (66th St. & Broadway) in New York City featuring the best in cabaret, jazz and Broadway performers.

The performances will begin each Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., last approximately thirty minutes, and will be followed by a CD signing/meet and greet the artist session. Limited seating is available on a first come basis.

Billy will be the September 28th guest.

[From a press release, but I agree wholeheartedly.] “The explosive Broadway star will be presenting highlights from his live album At the Corner of Broadway + Soul. The sold out concert was preserved by Sh-K-Boom Records, but you can experience this energetic performer live at Tower.”

I’ve had the CD since March and highly recommend it.

Finally, The Broadway Inspirational Voices will perform in concert at New York’s Town Hall this fall.

Big River’s Michael McElroy will lead the Voices in song Oct. 16 at the famed Manhattan theatre. The evening will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Broadway Inspirational Voices was founded by its current director, Michael McElroy. The choir features more than 40 members from a host of theatrical productions, including Vance Avery, Bertilla Baker, Shoshana Bean, Ronnell Bey, Jarrett Ali Boyd, Terry Burrell, Tracy Chapman, Kate Chapman, Gavin Creel, Bradley Dean, Laura Dean, Angela DeCicco, Aisha de Haas, Darius de Haas, Kena Tangi Dorsey, Jenny Douglass-McRae, Eden Espinosa, Robert Fowler, Tanesha Gary-Stickney, La-Rita Gaskins, Lucia Giannetta, Nathan Lee Graham, Avis Graves, Danielle Lee Greaves, Carla Hargrove, Kimberly Hester, Marva Hicks, Rosena Hill, Wanda L. Houston, Cheyenne Jackson, Kimberly JaJuan, Gerti Lee James, Capathia Jenkins, Catrice Joseph-Hart, Eileen Kaden-Dean, Monroe Kent III, Maurice Lauchner, Adriane Lenox, Norm Lewis, Angela Lockett, Michael McElroy, Nyjah Moore-Westbrook, Kevyn Morrow, Terri O’Neill, Destan Owens, Jason Paige, John Eric Parker, Todd Pettiford, Billy Porter, Danielle Pratt-Chambers, Glenn Rainey, Phylicia Rashad, Terita Redd, Nikki Rene, Angela Robinson, Eliseo Roman, Michael Sharon, C E Smith, Jacques Smith, Shayna Steele, Gwen Stewart, Dennis Stowe, Nicole Sutherland, Clarke Thorell, Michael Benjamin Washington, Myiia Watson-Davis, Sharon Wilkins, Schele Williams, Virginia Woodruff and Christopher Zelno. (Because of possible scheduling conflicts, not all of these amazing talents are guaranteed to appear however.)

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the nation’s largest industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. Since its founding in 1988 the organization has distributed over $100 million for services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV-related illnesses.