Audra McDonald Will Headline New York Philharmonic's Spring Gala

The New York Philharmonic's annual Spring Gala will feature Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald performing songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Bernstein, and Sondheim, as well as works by other composers - both established and emerging - whom she continues to champion. The performance will mark both her first reunion with the New York Philharmonic in more than four years and her first major solo concert in New York City since 2015. Andy Einhorn, a Broadway conductor and Ms. McDonald's long-time music director, will conduct the performance, Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.

Acclaimed by The New York Times as a "one-of-a-kind musical super-talent," Audra McDonald has won a record-breaking six Tony Awards, making her the most decorated performer in American theater. She was named one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people of 2015 and received a 2015 National Medal of Arts - America's highest honor for achievement in the arts - from President Barack Obama.

Audra McDonald made her New York Philharmonic debut in May 2000 as the Beggar Woman in the Philharmonic's production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. She has since appeared with the Orchestra 20 times, including in Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins (2001), Sondheim: The Birthday Concert (2010), and songs by Ellington at Carnegie Hall's 120th Anniversary Gala (2011). For her most recent Philharmonic appearance in Sweeney Todd in March 2014, she both hosted the Live From Lincoln Center telecast of the performance, which won an Emmy Award, and made a surprise return in the role of the Beggar Woman. The New York Times wrote of this unannounced appearance: "The unexpected presence of this Broadway star certainly sent a thrill of pleasure rippling through the audience."

The Spring Gala Co-Chairs are Diane and Paul Guenther, Ann and Charles Johnson, and Sana H. Sabbagh. The Spring Gala honors Board Member Daisy Soros for her generosity and dedication to the Philharmonic. For information about the Gala, which includes a pre-concert reception, concert, and post-concert seated dinner on the Grand Promenade, please call the Office of Special Events at (212) 875-5755, or email specialevents@nyphil.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos