Bloomingdale?s and Sony Bring the Songs of the Holiday Season to Life with Harry Connick, Jr.

Bloomingdale's flagship 59th Street store will unveil holiday windows inspired by the music of the season on Tuesday November 25th at 12:30 pm with a live concert by three-time Grammy award winning artist, Harry Connick, Jr. Third Avenue will be transformed into a stage for Harry's sixteen-piece big band to entertain the crowd with songs included on his most recent album, Harry for the Holidays, which was released on October 28th. Harry For The Holidays features a wide array of holiday classics, including "I'll be Home for Christmas," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Silver Bells," all performed in Harry Connick Jr.'s trademark style. Also included are a number of original, new songs that comprise Harry Connick Jr.'s contribution to the cannon of holiday classics, including "I'm Gonna Be The First One," "I Come With Love," "The Happy Elf," and "Nothin' New For New Year."

Bloomingdale's Lexington Avenue windows will feature seven different vignettes inspired by lyrics from classic holiday tunes included on Harry for the Holidays, as well as by favorites such as "Sleigh Ride," "(It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus," "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which were all included on When My Heart Finds Christmas, Harry's 1993 Christmas album. Each vignette will be framed like a vintage greeting card with Harry Connick, Jr.'s version of these holiday favorites playing on exterior speakers. Bloomingdale's 59th Street will also be a blaze of twinkling white mini-lights covering the flagship's entire fa?ade.

In addition to helping Bloomingdale's flagship unveil the holiday windows, Harry Connick, Jr.'s songs of the season, as well as those of other well-known Sony Music artists will be heard throughout Bloomingdale's stores nationwide. Harry will also be featured on a special limited edition Electronic Gift Card that will be sold throughout the season at Bloomingdale's stores across the country. Copies of "Harry for the Holidays" will also be available for $12.98. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of both of these items ($1 from the EGC and $1 from the cd) will benefit the Music Education Initiative, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering music education in schools and colleges through interactive programs while seeking innovative ways to enhance public and community support for the arts.

For the third holiday season, Bloomingdale's has asked Gund, the oldest leading soft toy manufacturer in the U. S., to create the Little Brown Bear. The bear is available only@bloomingdale's for $12 with any $50 purchase. Each bear sold generates a donation ($0.50 per bear) from Bloomingdale's to the Music Education Initiative, Inc.

"Bloomingdale's partnership with Sony Music and the inspiration of music adds an exciting new dimension to our holiday campaign this year" said Tony Spring, Bloomingdale's Executive Vice President of Advertising and Marketing. "It allows us to entertain our customers and communicate Bloomingdale's holiday message using an entirely different medium."

"Harry For The Holidays is an instant classic, and Bloomingdale's special window displays are a long-standing holiday tradition that add a great deal of magic and fun to season," commented Will Botwin, President, Columbia Records Group. "By combining the two we've created a campaign that will deliver greater value to both music fans and Bloomingdale's customers. We look forward to working closely with Bloomingdale?s on the launch of this innovative campaign."

For more information on Harry Connick Jr., including a biography and artwork, please visit http://www.shorefire.com/artists/hconnick.

Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (SMEI) is a leading global recording company. The three divisions of SMEI are: Sony Music (the U.S. recording company comprised of Automatic Productions, Columbia Records Group, Epic Records Group, Sony Music Nashville, Legacy Recordings, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Disc Manufacturing, Sony Music Distribution, Sony Music Custom Marketing Group, Sony Music Studios, and Sony Wonder); Sony Music International (active in over 67 countries through its network of wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees); and Sony Classical, which includes the Sony Classical Film & Video division.

Bloomingdale's, a division of Federated Department Stores, was founded in 1872 and operates 31 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Florida, California, Nevada and Georgia. For website access, log onto www.bloomingdales.com.
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