New York Empire Announce Star-Studded National Anthem Lineup For Inaugural Season At Legendary Forest Hills Stadium At The West Side Tennis Club

    NEW YORK, NY, July 30, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The New York Empire presented by Citi today unveiled a diverse star-studded lineup of National Anthem singers for its inaugural Mylan World TeamTennis presented by GEICO season at the venerable Forest Hills Stadium at The West Side Tennis Club, the home of the US Open for over 60 years. The Empire season will open on Sunday, July 31, against the five-time defending champion Washington Kastles, with six total home dates on the schedule.

"In addition to being the longtime home of the US Open, Forest Hills Stadium is known as one of the most unique concert venues in the area, and we are proud to be able to present a lineup of national anthem singers who both love the sport and are world class musical talents as well," said Empire General Manager Colleen Hopkins.
Included in the lineup are:

Hamilton's Sydney James Harcourt (July 31 vs. Washington Kastles) Original cast member of the Pulitzer, Grammy and Tony Award winning musical Hamilton, Sydney is currently playing the role of Aaron Burr. He has also appeared in the Bells Are Ringing, American Idiot, The Lion King and Camelot (Lincoln Center), with television credits that include guest stars on "Odd Mom Out," "The Good Wife," "Younger," "Person of Interest" and "Law & Order." He is also the front man for the New Deco Orchestra.

Melissa Errico (August 1 vs. Philadelphia Freedoms) is perhaps best known for her leading Broadway musical roles such as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" and Kurt Weill's "One Touch of Venus," and as an interpreter of the work of Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in Michel Legrand's "Amour" and has roles in such feature films as "Life Or Something Like It" opposite Angelina Jolie and "Frequency". On television, she played series regular Alex on the Darren Star/CBS television series "Central Park West," and Catherine on Steven Soderbergh's "The Knick" for Cinemax. In 2016, she appears as June in the Showtime TV drama "Billions" as well as Gloria on "The Gaffigan Show." She is a concert soloist with symphonies around the world and has released five solo albums to date and one live concert DVD. Melissa is also the wife of Empire coach Patrick McEnroe.

The Stonewall Chorale (August 3 vs. Springfield Lasers) is the nation's first gay and lesbian chorus. Their mission is to enrich people's lives through learning and performing beautiful choral music, and to nurture and celebrate the community we create together. The Chorale originated in December 1977 as the Gotham Male Chorus, and specialized in Gregorian Chant and Renaissance music. In 1979, women joined the chorus for the first time, and the name was changed to Stonewall Chorale, the nation's first Lesbian and Gay chorus.

Matthew Morrison (August 9 vs. Washington Kastles) is a Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe nominated American actor and artist. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and for his role as Will Schuester on the hit Fox television show Glee (2009-2015).

The Empire schedule, which includes promotions ranging from an opening night celebration of all-time tennis greats Billie Jean King and Virginia Wade, LGBTQ Pride Night, Salute to Strong Women and International Night and a full roster of players can be found at http://www.NYEmpireTennis.com. You can also follow the team on Twitter (@nyempiretennis) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/NYEmpireTennis). To become a sponsor, purchase individual or season tickets or to get more information about VIP packages, please email [email protected], visit http://www.nyempiretennis.com or call the New York Empire office at (844) 5-EMPIRE (844-536-7473).

About the New York Empire
The New York Empire presented by Citi will play their first season at Forest Hills Stadium at The West Side Tennis Club. The restored facility will be configured to seat 2,500 for six home matches from July 31 through August 13. Patrick McEnroe will serve as the coach of the Empire, former US Open champion Andy Roddick will be a marquee player on the team, and New Jersey native and one of the top American women, Christina McHale headline the roster. The Empire roster also features Guido Pella of Argentina, and doubles specialists María Irigoyen also of Argentina and Neal Skupski of Great Britain. The stadium hosted the US Open Tennis Championships a total of 60 times, first from 1915 to 1920, and then again from 1924 to 1977. In addition, the finals of the Davis Cup were held at the club 10 times, more than any other venue. Currently, the stadium is also used as a music venue for concerts such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon among many others.

About Mylan World TeamTennis
The New York Empire is one of six Mylan World TeamTennis presented by GEICO teams that will compete in the innovative professional team tennis league for the King Trophy, the championship trophy named after co-founder Billie Jean King. For more information on Mylan WTT, visit http://www.WTT.com.

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