A Schaefer Spotlight Series Event
Series Sponsorship provided by Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer. Supporting Sponsorship provided by App State Campus Store, Broyhill Family Foundation, Appalachian Home Care LLC, The Art Cellar, Explore Boone, Goodnight Brothers, Mast General Store, and SkyBest Communications, Inc.
30th Anniversary Tour
Drawing inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz, and old-fashioned pop – Thomas Lauderdale founded Pink Martini in 1994 to provide more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, the environment, libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks.
Thirty years later, Pink Martini still tours the world, singing in 22 languages at opera houses, concert halls, film festivals, museums, and fashion shows.
“Pink Martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure … If the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band.” —Thomas Lauderdale, bandleader, pianist
Tickets
Contact theschaefercenter@appstate.edu, call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046, visit the box office at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, or purchase online.
$55 Tier 1
$45 Tier 2
$35 Tier 3
$25 App State students
App State Faculty/Staff:
10% off Tiers 1, 2 & 3. Contact Box Office for discount code.
Parking
Parking can be challenging, particularly for sold-out events. Please allow extra time to park and arrive at the theatre before showtime. See map for parking recommendations.
Accommodations
App State is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828-262-3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.
About Pink Martini
Featuring a dozen musicians, with songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages on six continents. After making its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998, the band has gone on to play with more than 50 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, and the BBC Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London. Pink Martini has released 11 studio albums on its own independent label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale’s dog), selling over three million albums worldwide.
In 1994 in his hometown of Portland, Ore., Thomas Lauderdale was working in local politics when he saw the need for most engaging and inspiring music at political fundraisers. Drawing inspiration from music from all over the world — crossing genres of classical, jazz, and old-fashioned pop — and hoping to appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, he founded the “little orchestra” Pink Martini in 1994 to provide more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, the environment, libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks. One year later, Lauderdale called China Forbes, a Harvard classmate who was living in New York City, and asked her to join Pink Martini. Their first songwriting collaboration was “Sympathique (Je ne veux pas travailler),” which became an overnight sensation in France, was nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards, and is still the band’s number one song. The band is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Madelyn Ho in Paul Taylor’s “Syzygy;” photo by Paul B. Goode
About China Forbes
China Forbes was born and raised in Cambridge, Mass., and graduated cum laude from Harvard, majoring in Visual Arts and English, with a minor in Theater. After graduation, and before being lured west to sing with Pink Martini by Harvard friend and classmate Thomas Lauderdale, China lived and performed off Broadway, in New York regional theatre, and as a singer/songwriter in NYC clubs.
China became the lead singer for Pink Martini in 1995 and has co-written many of the band’s most beloved songs with Lauderdale, starting with “Sympathique,” and continuing to the most recent singles “Lemonade Song” and “Let’s Be Friends.” Her original song “Northern Line,” plays over the end credits of sister Maya Forbes’ directorial debut film, Infinitely Polar Bear (Sony Pictures Classics). In May 2024, China released The Road, her first solo album in 15 years, which features all original songs, including the single “Full Circle” and “Rise,” a deeply hopeful and personal song highlighting mental health challenges and suicide prevention.
She is the recipient of the 2022 Ella Fitzgerald Award at the Montreal International Jaz Festival; previous winners include Diana Ross, Etta James, and Liza Minelli.
About Thomas Lauderdale
Active in Oregon politics since college, Thomas Lauderdale founded Pink Martini in 1994 to play political fundraisers for progressive causes such as civil rights, the environment, affordable housing, and public broadcasting. In addition to his work with Pink Martini, he has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the Oregon Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Chamber Music Northwest, and several collaborations with Oregon Ballet Theatre. Most recently, Thomas completed a decades-in-the-making album, Thomas Lauderdale Meets the Pilgrims. He is back in the studio working on a collaboration with the iconic Iranian singer Googoosh.
Thomas currently serves on the boards of the Oregon Symphony, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Oregon Historical Society, Confluence Project with Maya Lin and, the Derek Rieth Foundation. He lives in Portland with his partner, pianist Hunter Noack.
