Arts news: Jazz winners, Sondheim honor and summer Shakespeare

Kobe jazz audition winners

The sixth annual Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition was held Monday night at Jazz Alley, to choose two local singers to participate in this spring's Jazz Vocal Queen Contest in Seattle's sister city of Kobe, Japan, with all travel expenses paid.

In the high-school division, pianist-vocalist and Newport High School (Bellevue) student Ariel Pocock, winner of pianist and vocalist awards at Lincoln Center's 2009 Essentially Ellington Festival, was selected. Lucy Horton was chosen as alternate.

The adult division winner is Kelly Eisenhour, a singer-songwriter-arranger and music-faculty member of Green River Community College. The alternate is Kelly Ash.

The auditions are sponsored by the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association. The judges this year included Seattle Times arts critic Misha Berson.

Sondheim lights up a marquee

The highest honor Broadway can bestow was accorded to famed composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim on Monday night. On the occasion of Sondheim's 80th birthday, a theater on the Great White Way was renamed in his honor. The former Henry Miller's Theatre on West 43rd St., recently restored and currently housing Roundabout Theatre productions, is now the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

GreenStage's summer season

Seattle's long-running GreenStage ensemble will present free productions of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and "As You Like It" from July 9-Aug. 24 at parks in Seattle, Lynwood, Burien, Fall City and Redmond. The troupe also is planning in indoor staging of "Macbeth" in October, with details pending.

Along with Theater Schmeater and Wooden O Theatre, GreenStage will also co-host this year's annual, free-of-charge Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival, July 10-11 at Volunteer Park in Seattle.

More information: www.greenstage.org.

Misha Berson, Seattle Times arts critic