Ghostlight Records and Joe’s Pub will present a free virtual celebration of the new album, The Liz Swados Project, on Tuesday, November 24 at 8:00 PM ET. The event will feature several of the performers who appear on the album, offering musical performances and personal insights into Swados’ work. Highlights include the world premiere of a special new music video produced, directed and starring Sophia Anne Caruso, in addition to new studio videos from Damon Daunno, Amber Gray, Stephanie Hsu, Grace McLean, Alicia Olatuja, Ali Stroker, and Taylor Mac.
The evening will also feature a special appearance by Swados collaborator Utkarsh Ambudkar (Freestyle Love Supreme, Pitch Perfect) and rare footage of Swados herself on the Joe’s Pub stage. The album is currently available on all platforms. The Liz Swados Project is a newly-recorded tribute to the visionary artist, featuring a family of performers, composers and lyricists who have been influenced and inspired by Swados as a performer, composer, lyricist, teacher and trailblazer.
Works are featured are from her landmark Broadway hit Runaways (1978), about the lives of children who run away from home and live on city streets, including a performance by Sophia Anne Caruso, who appeared in the show at New York City Center’s Encores! Off-Center series in 2016. Selections also come from Swados’ little-known The Beautiful Lady (1984); Alice in Concert, her 1981 Public Theater production, which updates Alice in Wonderland, originally featuring Meryl Streep and Debbie Allen; Nightclub Cantata, the revue which became a downtown sensation in 1977; and other pieces throughout the decades. Swados herself is represented on the album, performing her composition “Bird Lament,” echoing the natural world with guitar and colorful vocal sounds. Her work was featured on a 2017 concert evening for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series; Michael Friedman’s live performance of “Things I Didn’t Know I Loved” from that special show provides the fitting closing track for the album.
After the event, the program will be available on the venue’s YouTube channel for two weeks. For more information on the Joe’s Pub online event, please visit the venue’s website HERE.
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