Apollo Theater to Expand Programming with
Presentations Employing Technology Developed by Hologram USA
First Presentation, a Billie Holiday Hologram, to Launch Late 2015
Initiative Expands Daytime Programming for New York and Tourist Audiences,
Drawing Upon Apollo Legends and Contemporary Artists to
Celebrate Theater’s Rich Legacy as a Creative Catalyst
Apollo to be First Theater in United States to Offer Presentations
with Hologram Technology on an Ongoing Basis
(Harlem, NY – Sept 9, 2015) – The Apollo Theater announced today that it will expand its
daytime programming that celebrates the iconic Theater’s legacy and enduring impact. In
response to the hundreds of thousands of tourists from the New York area and beyond who visit
the Theater annually, the new initiative will utilize state-of-the-art hologram technology
developed by Hologram USA. The program will draw upon legendary and contemporary artists
to illustrate the Theater’s impact on American music and culture. The first presentation will be a
Billie Holiday hologram show created with Hologram USA and will launch in late 2015.
The Apollo will be the first theater in the U.S. to offer presentations employing this patented
hologram technology on an ongoing basis. In addition to its seasonal programming—
encompassing world premieres, commissions, and collaborations with artists working across a
range of disciplines—the Theater currently offers daytime tours and educational programs that
guide visitors and school groups through milestones and behind-the-scenes stories of the
institution’s role as a seminal force in shaping American popular culture.
―We are so pleased to expand our programming and employ this dramatic, cutting-edge
technology as we continue to find new and innovative ways to celebrate our rich legacy for
contemporary audiences,‖ said Jonelle Procope, President and CEO of the Apollo Theater. ―The
possibilities inherent in this initiative are very exciting, allowing us the ability to show the
enduring impact and relevance of artists across time periods and geographic locations. We’re
looking forward to connecting our audiences with the artistry of great musicians, including Billie
Holiday, through the magic of this technology.‖
Billie Holiday honed her skills on the Apollo stage at every major phase of her career, from her
debut at age 19 and throughout nearly 30 Apollo appearances. Holiday’s influence on
generations of jazz singers and musicians is without peer. Her Apollo engagements included solo
concerts, as well as performances with the Count Basie Orchestra, Roy Eldridge, Duke Ellington,
and Louis Armstrong. Holiday was inducted in the Apollo’s Walk of Fame earlier this year in a
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ceremony that included a performance by jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, one of the many
contemporary musicians who credit Holiday’s influence on their careers.
―As we continue to celebrate Billie Holiday’s centennial, we are thrilled to partner on this
initiative that will help connect contemporary audiences with Lady Day’s music and legacy in a
fresh, exciting way,‖ said Jake Wisely, CEO of The Bicycle Music Company, which manages
Holiday’s estate.
―We are so proud to partner with the Apollo, an institution that has given the world so much,‖
said Alki David, CEO of Hologram USA. ―To be able to bring back epic artists on the historic
stage that gave them their debuts is mind-boggling, and is exactly why I invested so much into
this technology.‖
The Apollo Theater’s 2015-2016 artistic season includes more than 100 performances, including
commissions and collaborations across genres alongside signature series’ Amateur Night and
Apollo Music Café. The first presentation of the season is Breakin’ Convention, a festival that
brings together hip-hop dance artists from around the globe.
Additional programming details will be announced in the coming months.
Follow the Apollo Theater at www.apollotheater.org
Twitter:@apollotheater
Facebook: facebook.com/apollotheater
Instagram: apollotheater
Follow Billie Holiday at www.billieholiday.com
Twitter: @billieholidayhq / #billieat100
Facebook: facebook.com/billieholiday
Pinterest: billieholidayhq
Follow Hologram USA at www.hologramusa.com
Twitter: @hologram_usa
About the Apollo Theater
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating
emerging talents and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of
innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.
With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, performance art,
spoken word initiatives, and more. This includes the October 2014 premiere and 2015
international tour of the dance celebration project - James Brown: Get on the Good Foot, the
annual Africa Now! Festival, Apollo Club Harlem and the upcoming New York premiere of the
opera Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD. The Apollo is a presenting organization that also produces
festivals, large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives: Apollo
Music Signature Programs—Amateur Night, Salon Series, Apollo Music Café; Legacy Series—
work that celebrates and extends the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; Global
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Festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention,
international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special
Projects, multidisciplinary work with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a
testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms, and has ushered in the
emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues,
soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the
Apollo are D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, D’Angelo, Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight,
Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues
to build on this legacy.
The Apollo Theater is a not-for-profit organization and currently in the midst of fundraising for
its 21st Century Apollo Campaign, created to extend the institution’s role in fostering artistic
innovation and in building appreciation of American culture around the world. For more
information, visit www.apollotheater.org.
About Hologram USA
Hologram USA is part of Alki David’s Anakando Media Group of companies which is also
home to the streaming TV platform FilmOn.com, pay-per-view site ETV.com, and digital
distribution site MondoTunes. The company is the only licensed producer in North America of
the patented technology that creates the HD quality holograms that are creating what The
Hollywood Reporter has called a billion dollar industry in the making. Select Hologram USA
productions will stream live on FilmOn.com, on television via its partnership with Endemol, and
be supported by Anakanado company Class 15.
Previously, Hologram USA has beamed Jimmy Kimmel live to the Country Music Awards in
Nashville, announced plans to create shows with the estates of Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly and
Liberace, announced a hologram comedy club to be built at the National Comedy Center, and
presented the hologram town hall campaign that helped Narendra Modi become the Prime
Minister of India. It is the same technology that created the famous Tupac Shakur hologram at
Coachella in 2012. Filmon Music already has a rich tradition in the urban music market working
with such artists as Lil Wayne, Akon, B. Howard, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Grammy-winning
producer Detail, and Chief Keef. More information is available via Owen Phillips,
[email protected], and at www.hologramusa.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Nina Flowers
Apollo Theater
212-531-5334
[email protected]
Cynthia Tate
Apollo Theater
212-531-5340
[email protected]
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Chelsea Bruck
Resnicow + Associates
212-671-5164
[email protected]
Anne Wilson
Resnicow + Associates
212-671-5163
[email protected]
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