Lea Salonga's THE JOURNEY SO FAR set for 8/9 release

Lea Salonga's new live CD - The Journey So Far - is set for release by LML Music/Allegro Distribution on August 9. Salonga, the Tony Award-winning Filipina singer and actress, is best known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon (and for which she won the Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk Outer Critics and Theatre World Awards), will highlight the release of the CD with a worldwide tour throughout 2011-12.

"We wanted to make this recording something very personal, touching on my life as well as my career," Salonga explains. "There are songs from my homeland, musical theater, film, and the jazz and pop worlds...this is more than just a recording; it's a memento, a lasting souvenir of this very special time in my life."

Recorded at the Café Carlyle with musical director Larry Yurman on piano, Jack Cavari on guitar, John Miller on bass, and Dave Ratajczak on drums. The Journey So Far features such timeless classics as "My Romance," "Let's Fall In Love," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Salamat Salamat Musika," "I Have Dreamed," "Something's Coming" and "There'll Be Time."

The Journey So Far is produced by Nashville-based music industry veteran Chris Keaton. 

"Lea is the consummate entertainer and, in my opinion, one of the premier vocalists on the planet," says Keaton. "Working on this project is a dream come true for me, especially being a Nashville based industry professional....Broadway/Nashville, who knew? I really do believe this recording will open new doors and introduce Lea to a 'whole new world' of fans."

"The beauty and clarity of Lea Salonga's exquisite voice comes through in this disc of her live performance at Manhattan's Cafe Carlyle...clearly, it's the next best thing to being there. Her performance of "I Have Dreamed" alone is worth the price of the CD, but it is so perfectly combined with a stunning list of other tunes that capture her artistry so vividly, that it guarantees this is a collection no musical theater lover can possibly pass up," according to Jeffrey Ellis, who covers theater for Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com.

The Journey So Far is Salonga's 26th CD release (she began her recording career at the age of 10 with her first album, Small Voice).

"While her musical performance is unparalleled, the charming witticisms and showbiz memories, sprinkled like so many diamonds throughout her between-songs patter - delivered with perfect timing and just enough nuance to feel as if she's opening up her life to you and you alone - makes you feel as though the two of you have become intimate friends," Ellis continues.

Among many other theatrical productions (including the critically-acclaimed revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song), Salonga was the first Asian actress to play the roles of Eponine and Fantine in the musical Les Miserables on Broadway, and also provided the singing voices of two Disney "princesses" - Jasmine in the film Aladdin and Fa Mulan in the films Mulan and Mulan II.

In addition to her roles on Broadway, Salonga has starred in many theatrical productions in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim countries and continues to tour worldwide. She has performed with the likes of Harry Connick Jr., Michele Lee, John Lithgow, Jeff Daniels, and Russell Watson, and is active in such Broadway organizations as the Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and The Actor's Fund. Salonga received a Presidential Award of Merit from Philippine President Corazon Aquino.

For additional information on Lea Salonga, please visit www.leasalonga.com.

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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