Chicago Theatre Artists Produce SEASON OF CAROLS CD, Perform Kick-Off Concert, Today

Producers, Eugene Dizon and Cory Goodrich have recorded a new holiday album of music SEASON OF CAROLS which features over one hundred Chicago theatre artists, singers and musicians. This new holiday CD was produced to raise funds for Season of Concern, which supports Chicago artists in need. SEASON OF CAROLS is now available for sale at www.seasonofcarols.com and will be kicked-off with a special concert tonight, December 3 at 7:30pm at Mercury Theater Chicago.

Over one hundred Chicago artists have collaborated to record SEASON OF CAROLS, the holiday album benefiting Season of Concern. This first of its kind collaboration brings together artists from all over the city representing Chicago’s diverse musical theatre and cabaret scene.

Recording producer Cory Goodrich explained the origin of this recording: “SEASON OF CAROLS began as the tiniest seed of an idea: to raise money for Season of Concern by recording one holiday song. That tiny idea quickly blossomed to include 18 holiday songs recorded by some of the brightest stars of the Chicago theatre and music community. 100% of the proceeds of this CD go to benefit Season of Concern.”

SEASON OF CAROLS features the Chicago casts of A Little Night Music (Writers’ Theater), The Christmas Schooner (Mercury Theater), Floyd Collins (BoHo Theater), Hairspray (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Hero (Marriott Theater), Hunchback Variations (Oobleck), Million Dollar Quartet (Chicago Cast, Apollo Theater), Motherhood the Musical (Royal George), Starting Here Starting Now (Theo Ubique) and Violet (Bailiwick Chicago). It also includes Chicago cabaret stars Beckie Menzie, Tom Michael, Cheri Coons, The Lincoln Squares, Birdie Wing and Cory Goodrich.

The eighteen songs represent a diverse range of holiday music. From the sublime In the Bleak Midwinter to the hilarious Santa Come Down My Chimney to the traditional The Christmas Waltz; this album is sure to appeal to everyone’s musical tastes. The album also features first-time premiere recordings of original holiday music by Cheri Coons, Tom Sivak, Beckie Menzie and Cory Goodrich.

Everyone has donated their talents, time and money to make this CD a gift for Chicago’s Season of Concern charity. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of these CDs will go directly to Season of Concern. Season of Carols the CD is available for a $20.00 donation at www.seasonofcarols.com.

Season of Carols the Concert: To celebrate the holiday season and to kick-off sales of the SEASON OF CAROLS CD, there will be a special concert tonight, December 3 at 7:30pm at Mercury Theater Chicago. Scheduled to appear at the concert are: Melody Betts, Foiled Again, the cast from Drury Lane Oakbrook's Hairspray, Birdie Wing, The Lincoln Squares, the cast from the Mercury Theater’s The Christmas Schooner and Cory Goodrich.

Tickets are $30 each (2 for $50) and are available at www.mercurytheaterchicago.com or by calling the box office at 773-325-1700.

Season of Concern is the Chicagoland theatre community’s fundraising effort in providing compassionate care to those in our community who are experiencing the effects of catastrophic illness. This effort supports the fight against AIDS, contributing to programs that provide direct-care support (funded programs provide personal financial support, housing care, meals, medications, legal assistance and a variety of other services for people living with HIV and AIDS) to members of the theatre community and others in Chicago and the Midwest; and emergency needs expressed by theatre community members as they fight against other life-threatening illnesses.

Since 1988, funds have been raised through generous gifts from theatre artists, staffs, boards and audiences. Funds supported include The Actors Fund and The Biscotto-Miller Fund.