Ellen Mandel: News

Ellen Mandel and Todd Almond gave a sold out concert in Oakland April 18----several world premieres of songs with music by Mandel!! Audience loved it!!

Ellen rocks out on piano with La La Brooks, lead singer of the Crystals, doing And Then He Kissed Me!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJ74hnSZxw

MANDEL's song setting of E.E. Cummings' A WIND HAS BLOWN THE RAIN AWAY was sung by Alexandra Seandrou in her concert SONGS FOR THE RAIN AND THE CLOUDS November 22nd, at St. Marks Church in the Bowery. The songs included German Lied, French Melodie, American and Greek Repertoire: Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Faure, Mandel, Lydon, Theodorakis, Kraounakis and Kypourgos.

Music by ELLEN MANDEL featured in a reading of THE BRASS BUTTERFLY, Oct 24 at the Wild Project, NYC.
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Premieres of two new songs by ELLEN MANDEL set to poems by Wallace Stevens and e.e. cummings sung by Pamela Bob Oct 19 at Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC!

ELLEN MANDEL created music for HEARTBREAK HOUSE and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES at the Peterborough Players, and performed her five new Ogden Nash settings at Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC this summer!
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Music by ELLEN MANDEL featured in THE BRASS BUTTERFLY at the Wild Project, NYC


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LOVE'S LABOURS LOST, with songs by ELLEN MANDEL,was a hit at the JUILLIARD SCHOOL in May! Ellen composed 10 songs and some instrumental music, and performed as the show pianist. The young actors perform the songs beautifully, in a finely crafted production directed by Gus Kaikkonen.
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LITTLE RED, by Kathy Menino, MUSIC and LYRICS by ELLEN MANDEL was produced at the Public Theatre of Maine in May, and PUSS IN BOOTS! A musical comedy version of the fable with MUSIC and LYRICS by ELLEN MANDEL, and a witty book by Kathy Menino had a sold-out NYC run FEB 28 to MARCH 14!
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Vocalist and actress extraordinaire PAMELA BOB is recording the MANDEL and LYDON SONGBOOK!

Brite Records has released THE FIRST OF ALL MY DREAMS, a new CD of songs by Ellen Mandel to poems by E.E. Cummings, Seamus Heaney, William Butler Yeats, Glyn Maxwell, and others, including some jazz songs with lyrics and music by Mandel.

One of the songs on the CD, "Human Beings Suffer," based on a passage from Seamus Heaney's THE CURE AT TROY is one of the favorite poems of such figures as Bill Clinton and Elizabeth Edwards. It ends with "HOPE" and "BELIEVE"----perfectly in tune with President-Elect Obama's philosophy.

It's great when poetry feels so relevant!

CINDY REILLY, a musical version of Cinderella, music by Ellen Mandel, book and lyrics by Kaikkonen and Swartz, was a smash hit at the Peterborough Players (NH): "Cindy Reilly has all the quality of a Broadway musical...a brilliant update of the old classic...THE MUSICAL NUMBERS ARE ASTOUNDING, WITH THE MUSIC WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ELLEN MANDEL. Claire Philippe's voice is incredible as she sings her opening theme, "To Fly," and closes with "Find Your Own Voice." The song "Front Desk," performed by Philippe and Darnell Benjamin, could have been heard on any Broadway stage. Elizabeth Hallacy, as Mrs Scrubb, sings a hilarious and literally show-stopping symphony of a spell "Alacazabra."...CINDY REILLY IS A HIT.

Ellen Mandel wrote music for this wonderful new story by Daniel Pociernicki, and the two recorded the story with music in April in NYC.

It's the tale of Shimmer, an especially beautiful snowflake, and his adventures as he floats to earth.

Daniel Pociernicki presented THE SNOWFLAKE THAT COULDN'T MELT as a storytelling with music in December in San Francisco.

Here's big news!!!
Todd Almond and Ellen Mandel in concert
Sunday October 21, 2007 4 PM
Castalia Hall
Camphill Ballytobin, Callan, Kilkenny, Ireland

Extraordinary tenor Todd Almond and composer Ellen Mandel performed Mandel’s settings of poems by Seamus Heaney, E.E. Cummings, and others in concert at Castalia Hall, Camphill Ballytobin, Callan, Kilkenny, Ireland, Sunday October 21, 2007.

The concert included the World Premiere of Mandel’s Three Songs to Poems by William Butler Yeats and jazz songs with both music and lyrics by Mandel.

Mandel has visited Ballytobin and Callan many times, and she and Todd are thrilled to be making their European debut at Castalia Hall.

Ms. Mandel created music for The Heiress, directed by Jonathan Bank, and A Doll's House and The Long Christmas Dinner, both directed by Gus Kaikkonen.

For A Doll's House, Ellen wrote a new tarentella for piano, that was played live by Todd Almond in the show.

Ellen Mandel composed music and created sound design for the Mint Theatre production of MADRAS HOUSE directed by Gus Kaikkonen. She worked with Kaikkonen recently on Antigone for the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, and Fallen Angels for the Peterborough Players

Numerous brides and grooms, as well as ministers and church musical directors have programed performances of my songs as part of their sacred events. This is a great honor and makes me very proud.

They've asked for performances of my settings of "i thank You God" and "i am a little church(no great cathedral" by E.E. Cummings, "Human Beings Suffer" by Seamus Heaney, "Inside My Heart" by Daniel Pociernicki, and "Traveler's Prayer" which I translated and adapted.

If you have a special event coming up and would like to program my music, please feel free to e-mail me, and we'll figure out how to get the music to you and your event.