Pink Martini assembles dates into 2009

Genre-bending, 12-piece ensemble Pink Martini has booked a handful of performances into next summer.

The group will preview material from its forthcoming album during a hometown show in Portland, OR, Dec. 28, and celebrate New Year's Eve in Los Angeles with two performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Pink Martini's 2009 schedule is currently set to kick off in late May with a two-night stand in Portland and dates in Boston; Vienna, VA; and Spokane, WA. Details are listed below.

The band originally had January concerts scheduled in Seattle and Fort Worth, TX, but those have been moved to 2010. Further information is available at Pink Martini's website.

The multilingual outfit has been out supporting its third album, last year's "Hey Eugene!" which delves into many of the musical styles that Pink Martini is known for: pop, swing, cabaret, Latin-rhythms and romantic, old-Hollywood-style ballads. The set comprises 12 songs sung in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese, and also includes the band's first foray into the Arabic language. The title track is streaming at the group's MySpace page.

Pink Martini was founded in 1994 by classically trained pianist Thomas Lauderdale. A year later, the Harvard grad recruited his classmate, vocalist China Forbes, and the ensemble eventually grew from a quintet to a 12-piece.

The group made its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 and has since performed its diverse repertoire with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Canada and the US, according to its website.

With its first two albums, 1997's "Sympathique" and 2004's "Hang on Little Tomato," Pink Martini built a cult following, selling 1.3 million albums worldwide on its own independent Heinz Records label, according to a press release.

The band's fourth effort is expected next year, according to a blog posting at its MySpace page.

Editor's Note: This story previously incorrectly reported that the tour's Los Angeles date would feature the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It will not; only Pink Martini will perform.