In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Melissa Etheridge, Grammy and Oscar winning recording artist about her current tour. Etheridge made her symphony orchestra debut performing two concerts with the Boston Pops under conductor Keith Lockhart at Symphony Hall on June 12th and 13th. Dennis Alves, Director of Artistic Planning, Boston Pops stated, "We are honored to welcome the great singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge here at Symphony Hall to collaborate with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. Equally as exciting is the prospect of having perhaps the most diverse audience ever at a Boston Pops concert!" On June 12th Etheridge who is a Berklee College of Music alumni was the featured guest on Berklee Night at the Boston Pops which is a program highlighted by new collaborations between the college and the orchestra. We talked to Etheridge about performing with the Boston Pops, her recent marriage to Linda Wallem and her spin on our LGBT issues.
When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Melissa stated, “Well first of all because it represents me; I am an LGBT person and I’ve met many LGBT people. There’s a lot of us out there and I’ve only met a small percentage of us and it’s understanding our society from a point of view, ‘Oh no we’re not all the same’ and that’s the beauty of it. There’s nobody on the outside, we are all a big diverse bowl of soup that would be less so without any of the spices in it. I love being an LGBT citizen and living in these times. History will look back on these times as the greatest movement in LGBT civil rights, absolutely!”
Last December Etheridge co-founded an organization called "Uprising of Love" that sought to establish solidarity and generate funds to support LGBT Russians. All funds raised through “Uprising of Love” went to the Russian Freedom Fund. Etheridge will also perform at WorldPride 2014 Toronto’s opening ceremonies in Nathan Philips Square on June 20th. Her new CD entitled “This Is ME” is due out on September 29th and the single “Take My Number” will be released this month.
For More Info & Tix: melissaetheridge.com
Loved this interview and loved the Billie Jean King quote 'Champions Adjust'.....and I'm very excited to see her with the Boston Pops this Friday night!
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