Kollaboration New York, the New York chapter of the national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Asian-American performers, will hold its annual showcase on August 30, 2014 in the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Aside from being the organization’s biggest event of the year, the showcase is also the nation’s premiere talent competition showcase for rising Asian-American performing artists.

Headlining the showcase is rapper Awkwafina. Other guest performers include dance group I Love Dance and Kollaboration New York 8’s winner IZZY. Guest judges include Ted Fu of Wong Fu Productions, Ashok Kondabolu formerly of Das Racist, YouTube personality Melodee Morita and Ellie Lee of VH1. Comedian Becky Yamamoto and singer-actress Adira Amram will host the show.

Six talented finalists from the Tri-state region, ranging from singer-songwriters to classical music groups, will compete against each other for a comprehensive winner’s package. The showcase winner will also win a chance to fly to Los Angeles, CA to compete in the national Kollaboration Star show against other local winners for a grand prize of $10,000. Our six finalists consist of: beatboxer Sung Lee, instrumental group Yut & The Hot Four, pianist Lionel “MusicalBasics” Yu, multi-instrumental group Red Oak Lane and singer-songwriters Grace Shay and Ivan Polanco.

“Asian-Americans have been an integral part of the entertainment industry for a long time, but the underlying issue is a lack of visibility, said Awkwafina. “That’s why I’m excited to perform at Kollaboration New York’s 9th showcase with the next generation of the talented APA musicians.”

“We’re proud of our work this year, which not only includes our showcase but also our monthly events, such as our open mic series, Spotlight events and community-focused workshops,” said Executive Director Tanner Chung. “This is all thanks to our dedicated volunteer staff, who have devoted their weeknights and sanity to help bring visibility and opportunities to Asian-Americans in the entertainment industry.”

General admission tickets are $20. VIP tickets are $40. All tickets are available for purchase online at www.kollaborationnewyork.org/tickets. The step & repeat will take place at 6:00 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:00 p.m. Details for the official showcase after party are forthcoming.

For the latest on all participants and event details, please visit www.nyuskirball.org/calendar/kollaboration2014. For more information on Kollaboration New York, please visit www.kollaborationnewyork.org.
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