Off to the GRAMMYS!!!
How to watch and what I'm wearing
Hello Friends!
I hope 2024 is starting off well for you. I had hoped to send out a newsletter earlier this month, but instead of sitting down and writing, I found myself spending a SPECTACULAR amount of time shopping for the GRAMMY Awards. I’m leaving in the morning for Los Angeles, but I’m not going to bed until I get this out to you. (So please excuse any typos!)
The GRAMMY Awards are this Sunday, February 4th. Dan and Nicholas are coming with me- I’m so happy we will share this experience as a family. Needless to say, I’m very excited and am going to savor each moment.
For those who have asked, my category, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, will be during the pre-show Premiere Ceremony, which starts at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT. If you’d like to watch, you can stream it live on live.Grammy.com or the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel. I’m not sure when my category will air, but if I find out ahead of time, I’ll email you. As for what I’m wearing? I’ll save that for next time.
I had some very special gigs in January, including a beautiful tribute concert to composer Stephen Flaherty at Carnegie Hall. This was a benefit for my alma mater (sort of), the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. I say “sort of” because I only went to CCM for one quarter. As I told the audience, Steve Flaherty went to CCM for 4 years and gained a diploma. I went to CCM for 3 months and gained 10 pounds. (True!) I left college to join an Equity musical theatre repertory company that was starting up in San Jose, CA. But when I arrived in California, the job fell through. So instead, I worked at Marriott’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara. (I had done shows at Great America in Gurnee, IL, when I was in high school.) My sister Ann came out for a very memorable visit - Ann, if you’re reading this, don’t worry, I won’t tell- and announced she was going to leave college and move to New York. I said, “I’ll come with you.” And I did. I was 18, she was 21. And the rest is history.
Another highlight of the month was doing my Sondheim show at the Terrace Theatre at the Kennedy Center. I’ve been wanting to do this show in Washington, DC, for ages, as it’s truly a city of Sondheim lovers. It was a treat to have NPR’s Scott Simon in the audience. Scott was a close friend of my Dad’s, and he kindly wrote the liner notes for my Sondheim album.
Speaking of liner notes, the “To Steve With Love” CD includes a 16-page booklet. If you have downloaded or streamed the album and you’d like to read it, here’s a PDF of the booklet. My friend Robbie Rozelle did a beautiful job designing it.
Some Nice Press
It was nice to be quoted in this New York Times piece about Sondheim.
A beautiful review of my DC show.
A Guide to Stephen Sondheim’s Essential Works and Tributes on Grammy.com
I so enjoyed this interview with Harvey Brownstone. He suggested I record a Karen Carpenter tribute album. Hmmm…
Where in the World is Liz?
I have several trips to the West Coast coming up, including a show outside San Francisco- the great Donna McKechnie was scheduled to do a concert in Orinda, CA, but she’s joining the Broadway cast of Wicked (congrats Donna!) so I’m going to fill in for her. (Just a few tickets are left.) And closer to home, I’m really looking forward to doing my show Broadway and Beyond at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Feb 24.
Feb 4 LOS ANGELES, CA The GRAMMY Awards
Feb 24 NEW YORK, NY Liz Callaway: Broadway and Beyond
March 3 ORINDA, CA An Evening with Liz Callaway
March 23 LAS VEGAS Liz Callaway: Broadway and Beyond
March 28 COSTA MESA, CA A Broadway Birthday: Sondheim, Lloyd Webber, and Friends!
When You’ve Got Friends Like Mine
Oh, how I loved Chita Rivera. It’s hard to believe she is gone. May she rest in peace.
That’s it for this issue of Between Flights. I need to catch a few hours of sleep and then finish packing!
Thanks for reading. I’ll write more next week when I’m back from Los Angeles.
XOXO Liz
Excellent post, my sister! I am beyond excited for this Sunday! Kari and I will be with you in spirit every step of the way! All my love…❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Liz, I would LOVE to have an album of you paying tribute to Karen Carpenter!