Los Angeles, Ca. – The October 14th concert by Martin Nievera on behalf of Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M) has taken the Philippine “Concert King” back to memories of his youth. In addition, the singer/songwriter, who will be backed by his own multi-piece band, has written a brand new song entitled “Miracle” dedicated to the cause of those fighting bone marrow diseases which, along with his brand new 25th anniversary CD “Milestone”, he will be debuting at the show.
In a recent interview, Martin spoke candidly about why he wanted to participate with A3M and their efforts to help save lives of patients in need of marrow transplants. “In our native country, my best friend and I would make plans and imagine that we were part of some celebrated band, growing up. We would dream of what we would do when we became famous.” Indeed, Martin’s childhood friend, Francis Ruivivar, did get to sing in several Broadway shows. He made history by becoming the first Asian to play the role of “The Engineer” opposite Lea Salonga in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Unfortunately, his promising career was cut short and he died without benefit of a marrow transplant because there was no match for him in the national registry.
Even though the numbers of Asians and other minorities in the National Marrow Donor Program are growing every day, few Filipinos register at A3M’s donor drives. When Martin found out about the need for marrow donors, he felt that creating awareness about bone marrow donation within his community was vital.
He said, “I know why they [Filipinos] don’t register. They are afraid. They need to know that it is safe and done with anesthesia. Even registering is easy.” Martin is very inspired not only because of his childhood experience but also because of the positive stories of patients like Christine Pechera, who is now able to live the life of her dreams because of the generosity of someone who didn’t even know her.
To mark the concert with his own inimitable style, Martin penned a new song entitled “Miracle” which he will be premiering at the October 14th show. He has dedicated the song to A3M and will be performing some songs from a special repertoire he is creating specifically for the show. Furthermore, his long-awaited 25th Anniversary CD, “Milestone” featuring some songs he wrote, mad popular and continues to perform, will be available ONLY at the “Miracles” concert.
A3M is committed to helping patients who have been diagnosed with life-threatening diseases like leukemia; we are committed to saving lives. Because marrow types are inherited, ethnicity is a determining factor when patients are searching for unrelated matching donors. Asians and Pacific Islanders comprise approximately 6% of the national donor registry. Not only are patients from these communities afflicted with life threatening illnesses, but they are also forced to deal with the likelihood of not finding suitable donors in time. A3M’s mission is to improve access to bone marrow transplants, in part by building a diverse marrow donor registry so that every searching patient has a second chance for life.
On Sunday, October 14, 2007, Martin Nievera, the “Concert King” of the Philippines brings his own unique style of entertainment to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in a benefit concert “Miracles” for Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M). Martin's stage presence and amazing vocal range earned him the rank of world-class pop music performer in the Philippines and across the globe. The singer/songwriter, who has performed before audiences from Australia to Singapore, Japan to England, Canada to the Middle East; , has sold millions of records worldwide and is a Las Vegas headliner. He is backed by his own ten-piece band in an evening of classic ballads, up-tempo rock 'n roll classics, hits from the Broadway stage and pop tunes from yesterday and today! Martin is "personality mixed with charisma, seasoned with showmanship.”
For information please contact (888) 236 4673 or visit our website at www.AsianMarrow.org
INFORMATION
Martin Nievera in Concert – “Miracles”
A Benefit for Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (www.asianmarrow.org)
In Association with TDRZ Productions, Inc.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Cerritos Center for Performing Arts
www.cerritoscenter.com