In the Philippines, Cebu is a favorite concert venue of both international and local artists, second to Manila. This March, there are two major concerts in the Queen City of the South.

Brian McKnight

This March, Brian McKnight is coming for two shows for his “Back with Brian McKnight” Philippine concert tour. On March 16, 2012, he will be performing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. He will also be singing for his Cebuano fans at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino on March 17. All the proceeds of his concert in Cebu will be for the benefit of the orphans under the care of Don Bosco Boys’ Home, Inc., in Liloan, Cebu.

Ticket prices are as follows: Gold A reserved seating costs Php2,300, while Gold B reserved seating is Php1,700. Silver costs Php1,300 and Bronze is Php700. You may buy your tickets at the Waterfront Cebu lobby, SM Customer Service, Ayala Customer Service, and all RC Goldline outlets. For inquiries and reservations, please call (+63) (917) 300-3272, (+63) (922) 888-2142 or (032) 406-6471.

This event is co-presented by Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Virginia Food, Inc, Profood Cebu Philippines, Salesians of Don Bosco Phippines South Province, Sun.Star Daily, SM City Cebu, and Ayala Center Cebu.

Brian McKnight is an American singer, songwriter and producer. Known as a soulful R&B singer, McKnight is a multi-instrumentalist who can play nine instruments such as guitar, bass, piano, drums, percussions, tuba, flugelhorn, trombone, and trumpet.

McKnight has collaborated with equally talented musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Marcus Cole, Nelly, Ivete Sangalo, Kirk Franklin, Boyz II Men, For Real, Canibus, Quincy Jones, Christina Aguilera, Shoshana Bean, Willie Nelson, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, and Rascal Flatts, among others. This Grammy Awards nominee is the voice behind the songs “Back at One,” “One Last Cry,” “Anytime,” and “Love Is” featuring Vanessa Williams. He has released 13 albums to date, with several going two and three times platinum. He has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. His 1999 album Back at One is his most successful album to date, selling over three million copies.

In 1999, McKnight grabbed Soul Train Awards’ Best R&B/Soul Male Album award for Anytime. He was also hailed by Image Awards as the Outstanding Male Artist for Back at One in 2000.

Charice

Cebu is one of the destinations of international Filipino pop star Charice in her seven-country Asian tour. After her concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, on March 9, 2012, she will head to the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino on March 11.

Promoting her second album entitled “Infinity,” Charice’s concert tour kicks off at Dubai Festival City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 2, 2012. On March 5, she will be at Kallang Theater, Singapore, followed by a night at Tennis Indoor Jakarta, Indonesia on March 7. After her concerts in the Philippines, she will be performing in Japan for three nights: March 14 at Shibuya Public Hall, Tokyo, March 16 at Kobe International Hall, and March 17 at Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Great Hall, Nagoya. She will also be serenading the people of Hongkong on March 19 at the Star Hall, Kowloon International Trading & Exhibition Centre. Her last stop will be at AX Korea, in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul on March 21.

During her solo concert, she will be backed up by her own band composed of keyboardist/musical director Troy Laureta, guitarist Chris Wrate, bassist Lance Talbert, and drummer LaRoi Larkins.

Ticket prices for her Cebu concert are as follows: Platinum and Gold reserved seats correspondingly cost Php4,000and Php3,000 each, while Silver and Bronze free-seating cost Php2,000 and Php1,000, respectively.

For more information, you may call (032) 232-6888 or visit www.charicemusic.com.

Charmaine Clarice Pempengco, popularly known by the name Charice, is a Filipino recording artist and actress who rose to fame through the video-sharing Web site YouTube. Known for her powerful voice despite her small physique, she was hailed by Oprah Winfrey as the Most Talented Girl in the World. In 2010, she released her first international studio album entitled Charice, which ranked number eight at the Billboard 200. This makes this talented young lady the first Asian singer in history to be in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Her single “Pyramid,” which featured American singer Iyaz, was her most successful single yet, charting within the top 40 in a number of countries.

Pempengco was invited to the South Korean talent show Star King twice. She had appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, The Paul O’Grady Show in London, England, and twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was privileged to sing alongside Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

The young singer also appeared on the popular American musical television Glee, as a foreign exchange student named Sunshine Corazon. She sang “Listen” from the movie Dreamgirls, Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” and a Glee original entitled “As Long As You’re There.”

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