In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with singer/songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway about her upcoming concerts. Ann will be appearing at 54 Below in NYC with her show "Songs I Wish I'd Written" with The Ted Rosenthal Trio on November 24th, 25th, 27th, 29th and 30th. Ann has also been commissioned by The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus to write a song called "I Love You More" which is a tribute to Tyler Clementi, the youth who took his life after being bullied for being gay. Stephen Schwartz chose several composers for this project to create this suite to honor his life. Callaway will perform its premiere March 25th and 26th. We talked to Ann about her upcoming shows and her spin on our LGBT issues.
When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Callaway stated, “It’s very interesting through the years, one of the most important things to me that I’ve noticed in terms of the quality of living is how essential it is to be yourself and each person has to define that for themselves. I think being a lesbian or bisexual to be more specific in this lifetime has been a fascinating adventure because in my early years I felt so alone and so uncertain how safe it was to be me and how to define how to share that especially pursuing a life in the public eye. So my own adventure and journey, sharing my real self, has really evolved through the years. I’ve tried to write many songs that address these issues. I’ve sung with numerous gay choruses through the years and I’ve politically in a private way been very supportive of organizations that have helped equality and helped educate people who don’t understand gay people…Now we’re in a very exciting time where marriage equality is really kind of shocking how much progress is being made. But at the same time, any time there’s progress there’s also a lot of very strong resistance and how do you address that resistance? It’s an interesting challenge for all of us to think about. I’m so grateful for the incredible political progress that so many have worked hard to make and I’ve tried to commit myself to speaking out and raising money at various concerts. I’ve been invited to be part of and I’ve been on about 30 gay cruises where part of being an entertainer is talking to people and telling stories and sharing stories, trying to heal wounds by listening and loving and sharing the ups and downs of being who you are. So I feel very strongly now after finally coming out more publicly that the rest of my life I’m going to do everything that I can to help people be their true selves. Whether they’re gay, straight, bi, confused, sexuality is a very complicated thing and it took me a while to fully understand my own because I was complicated. So I celebrate that beautiful part of ourselves and looking forward to marrying my beloved partner Kari Strand in the very near future.”
Ann Hampton Callaway is a champion of the great American Songbook whose gifts as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer have given her one of the most unique careers in music today. Callaway won the Theater World Award and received a Tony nomination for her starring role in the Broadway musical "Swing!" Known for writing and singing the theme of the hit TV series 'The Nanny", she’s written over 250 songs including the Platinum Award winning hits for Barbra Streisand "At the Same Time," "I've Dreamed of You" and "Christmas Lullaby" which has just been re-released on Barbra's latest holiday collection, "The Classic Christmas Album." Ann’s recorded 12 solo CD's and will be releasing "The Sarah Vaughan Project: Live at Dizzy's" early next year. Her critically acclaimed shows "Sibling Revelry" and "Boom!", with her sister Broadway star Liz Callaway, has been recorded live on CD and Ann's three time award-winning show “The Streisand Songbook” has taken the symphony world by storm.
For More Info: annhamptoncallaway.com
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