Excitement abounds in the Renaissance camp!  Our Kickstarter campaign is coming to a close – thank you for your generous support! And almost one year since our last sold-out concert tour, we are proud to announce the first run of performances of the 2012-2013 touring schedule.

We will present two different programs on the tour:

• Classic album Novella along with timeless favorites and selections from our soon to be released album Grandine Il Vento,
• Reprise of the successful ‘Turn Of The Cards and Scheherazade and Other Stories’ concept

As more shows are added there will be updates via the Renaissance mailing list, the band’s Facebook page and official website.

Please note that this is the first run of shows being announced and that performances in additional cities and countries are planned.

April 25 2012
Sea of Tranquility
Pete Pardo

Here’s a wonderful deluxe live set from the current incarnation of Renaissance, that lovely ’70s prog band who so successfully merged classical with symphonic rock and medieval themes. Recorded and filmed at The Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania on September 23rd, 2011, the band thrilled the audience with a performance of both their classic albums, Turn of the Cards and Sheherazade and Other Stories in their entirety. Joining the ‘classic line-up’ members Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford are keyboard players Rave Cesar & Jason Hart, bassist David Keyes, and drummer Frank Pagano. If you got a chance to see Renaissance on either the 2011 tour or previously in 2009, you know that this line-up is red hot and does their vintage material justice.

Read complete review at Sea of Tranquility

Thomas Gagliardi interviews Annie Haslam TONIGHT Saturday April 14 2012 at 11pm EDT (8pm PDT / 4am GMT) on Gagliarchives Radio. Rebroadcast on Aural Moon internet radio at 11am-3pm EDT on Sunday.

Gagliarchives Radio 10:00pm to 2:00am EDT

88.9 FM (South Jersey/Philadelphia/Jersey Shore)
95.1 FM (Burlington/Bristol)
100.7 FM (Mt. Holly/Lumberton/Mt.Laurel)
http://z889.org/
http://auralmoon.com/

The program can be heard live on the internet at http://z889.org/ and http://auralmoon.com/ from 10pm to 2amEDT Saturday night. Then the radio program is replayed at 11am EDT to 3pm EDT at http://auralmoon.com/ only.

Dear Friends and Family:

A big hello and thank you to all for your continuing support. We appreciate the loyalty so many of you have demonstrated during our renewed musical journey. 2011 was a groundbreaking year for us.

We have been busy composing what we believe will be the best Renaissance music ever recorded.

With that in mind, we find ourselves facing the most crucial time in our career: funding the recording of our first studio album in over ten years, called Grandine il Vento.

We must raise all the monies to pay for the production, promotion and distribution ourselves, since major labels no longer care about the music we make nor most of the music you love. Together with you is the only way we can make it happen.

We have put together a program on the fundraising website Kickstarter. There you will find a vast array of pledge opportunities with rewards ranging from advance copies of the album to VIP tickets to concerts, original paintings, executive producer credits, home concerts, plus special items from our private memorabilia collections including two historic guitars and the dress Annie wore on BBC’s Top Of The Pops. Every dollar, pound, euro or yen raised will be put to good use.

Please visit our Kickstarter project and play an integral role in helping us bring Grandine il Vento to life, and to the ears of fans around the world.

Many Thanks,

Annie and Michael

Dear Friends:

On behalf of the entire band, our crew, management, and those who helped to make our recent tour such a wonderful success and experience for all, we thank each and every one of you for your devotion and support.

We recorded and filmed the Keswick Theatre performance. Being it all sounds and looks great, we will be releasing a CD and DVD available only through our website in time for the Holidays (along with some very special Renaissance goodies).

As we now move forward with our own Renaissance, it is the loyalty and love we receive from each of you that makes this all so very worthwhile.

With much love and appreciation,

A limited number of Very Special Guest  packages will be made available to fans already holding tickets for the upcoming September tour. This package includes the following:

• Attend soundcheck with Renaissance (approximately 5-6pm on day of show, no photography or video)
• Personalized autographed Very Special Guest laminate pass on lanyard
• Personalized autographed official tour poster
• Attend a Meet and Greet with Renaissance directly after the show, plus your photo taken with the band (bring your own camera)

Cost: $99.00 per person. Available for purchase here.

Michael Dunford, principal songwriter and guitarist of renowned symphonic progressive rock band Renaissance, will be offering two of his guitars for auction in August 2011:

• Yamaha FG-230 12-string acoustic guitar featured on every Dunford-era Renaissance studio album
• Ovation Adamas 12-string acoustic-electric guitar featured on every tour since 1978

Please visit the Michael Dunford Guitar Auction page for more information about the guitars and the auction.

Dear Renaissance Fan:

We are excited about the upcoming fall U.S. tour, and look forward to seeing as many of you at the shows as possible.

The band would LOVE to perform across the entire country, and for that matter, the planet. Unfortunately, where we tour is mostly a function of local concert promoters’ interest and awareness. To help achieve this we must consolidate and expand the band’s fan base. This will help with not only touring, but also distribution of a new studio album and other output from the band.

With this in mind, we are asking for your help. Please reach out to every Renaissance fan, or anyone you know that should be one. Invite them to sign up for the mailing list at www.renaissancetouring.com/welcome and to ‘like’ the band’s official page on Facebook (also to invite their friends). The email signup form will ask who referred them.  As a thank you to you, the band will reward the the top three ‘enlisters’ with a prize:

• First prize:  Annie’s personalized backstage pass from 1979 Azure D’or tour AND a personal commisioned 8×10 painting by Annie. Annie will call you to discuss the creation of your one of a kind painting.
• Second prize: A rare Turn of the Cards Valentine card (the UK release date was Valentine’s day!) autographed by Annie and Michael, and a promotional Turn of the Cards sticker
• Third prize: Original 1970s press photo autographed by Annie and Michael

Only mailing list signups count toward the prizes (Facebook likes do not.) We want both, but there’s no good way to tally referals on Facebook. The link to refer folks to is:

www.renaissancetouring.com/welcome

As a further gesture of thanks… we are giving all fans a desktop wallpaper of an original painting by Annie (pick your screen shape – regular or widescreen):

The Magical Planet by Annie Haslam

Thanking each of you in advance for your help and fanship.

Annie Haslam & Michael Dunford
www.renaissancetouring.com
www.facebook.com/RenaissanceTouring

What started off as a request for for me to record a video message in support of Japanese earthquake victims and a special benefit concert at The Bottom Line in Nagoya Japan, has turned into my actually going there to perform!

A few weeks after the earthquake there was a photo that came up on my computer ‘news’ page of a 75 yr old farmer, Kunio Shiga, stranded and alone, sitting amongst the debris of his home four weeks after the deadly Tsunami had ripped through his village Minami Soma, and his homeland. It made me cry like so many of the devastating images I had seen every day, but for some reason this image stayed with me. I remember the headline well: ‘Stranded and Alone’.

Then shortly after, I was approached by Kink Kume, a LONG TIME friend who was organizing a benefit show in Nagoya to raise funds for the Japanese people affected by this terrible disaster! My mind immediately went back to when Renaissance performed in Japan last August, and as always, we were greeted so warmly by our Japanese fans.

This is a perfect opportunity to give something of myself for no other reason than to give my time and support in song and art. So, I am looking forward to this very special week in my life that I know will be memorable in many ways…

I will be singing accompanied by Japanese musicians and am also taking some paintings to auction. The show is ‘Music Saves’ Benefit for Japan’, June 19th 2011. It will be ‘streamed’ online at Ustream at:

2:00 PM – 9:30 PM Japan time, June 19th 2011
1:00 am – 8:30 am EST, USA on June 19th 2011

I will be singing some time between 7:40 am to 9:10 am EDT. If you miss it, it will be in the ‘Ustream’ archive section

♥ Annie

Band To Perform Two Of Their Most Successful Albums in Their Entirety

Band takes On New Management

June 1, 2011 – New York, NY – Progressive British rock band Renaissance announced that they will be performing two of their most successful albums, ‘Turn Of The Cards’ and ‘Scheherazade’ in their entirety on a Northeast US tour this Fall.

Band principals Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford noted, “When our agent Wayne Forte (Entourage Talent Associates) and new manager Bruce Garfield suggested that we present to fans the ‘evening with’ and two complete albums concept, we loved it immediately and picked two of our favorites. Fan reaction has been great as are early ticket sales”.

The band recently enlisted manager and former label executive Bruce Garfield of MonsterWorks, Inc. to take over guidance of their career. “I love the musical elegance of Renaissance and have always enjoyed taking on clients with established track records with whom I can work closely and maximize the full potential of their career.”

The first leg of the band’s Fall tour will take place in the Eastern United States as follows:

September 10 – White River Junction, VT – Tupelo Music Hall
September 11 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
September 13 – Buffalo, NY – The Tralfamadore
September 15 – Rochester, NY – German House Theater
September 16 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Hall
September 17 – New York, NY – The Concert Hall
September 20 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head Onstage Theater
September 22 – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Music Hall
September 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Keswick Theater
September 24 – Newark, NJ – Victoria Theater

www.renaissancetouring.com
www.facebook.com/RenaissanceTouring