TARJA TURUNEN Announces Backing Band For MexicanSouth American Tour

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen has revealed the backing band for her upcoming Mexican/South American tour in support of her latest album, "What Lies Beneath". It is as follows:

* Tarja Turunen: Vocals
* Mike Terrana (MASTERPLAN, SAVAGE CIRCUS, ex-RAGE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Drums
* Christian Kretschmar (SCHILLER) - Keyboards
* Doug Wimbish (LIVING COLOUR) - Bass
* Julian Barrett (BARILARI) - Guitar
* Max Lilja (HEVEIN, ex-APOCALYPTICA)- Cello

The dates are as follows:

Mar. 04 - Circo Volador - DF, Mexico
Mar. 05 - Teatro Estudio Cavaret - Guadalajara, Mexico
Mar. 08 - Teatro Metropol - Bogota, Colombia
Mar. 09 - Teatro Universidad de Medellín - Medellín, Colombia
Mar. 12 - HSBC Brazil - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Mar. 13 - FUNDIÇÃO Progresso - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Mar. 15 - Garden Hall - Brasilia, Brazil
Mar. 19 - Teatro de la Uni - Lima, Perú
Mar. 21 - Coliseo Don Bosco - La Paz, Bolivia
Mar. 23 - Teatro Teletón - Santiago de Chile, Chile
Mar. 26 - Teatro El Círculo - Rosario, Argentina
Mar. 27 - Luna Park - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mar. 29 - La trastienda - Montevideo, Uruguay

Turunen will perform as a guest soprano at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Savonlinna, Finland. She will appear on July 17 with world-famous Argentinean tenor José Cura and the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra.

More than 300 artists from 12 countries will perform during the 2011 edition of the Savonlinna Opera Festival, which will take place between July 1 and July 27.

For more details and ticket information, go to this location.

Tarja's sophomore solo album, "What Lies Beneath", sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 24 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"What Lies Beneath" was released in North America on September 14 via The End Records. The CD's first single, "Falling Awake" (featuring Jason Hook from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH), was released August 17 as a limited-edition seven-inch single through The Omega Order and available August 24 at all digital outlets . The track is backed with "The Good Die Young" — a song from the SCORPIONS' most recent album that features Tarja's vocals.

Fan-filmed video footage of Tarja Turunen's December 15, 2010 concert at Rockhal in Esch, Luxembourg can be viewed below.