GREAT COMET's Josh Groban Headlines Benefit for The Broad Stage Tonight

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents the multiplatinum singer and songwriter Josh Groban, at The Broad Stage's intimate 500-seat venue. The concert will be headlining The Broad Stage's 10th Season Celebration tonight, September 14.

Funds raised from this 10th Season Celebration help sustain The Broad Stage programming and student education and community initiatives. An annual audience of nearly 65,000 enjoys the diverse mix of artists presented on The Broad Stage and in The Edye.

The 10th Season Celebration is presented by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. It is produced by Scott H. Mauro, Scott Mauro Entertainment, Inc.

"We are fortunate that one of the great superstars of our time has graciously agreed to support The Broad Stage by returning in concert for the first time in over a year," said Jane Deknatel, Director of The Broad Stage. "This celebratory evening will help support our Education and Community programming. Since its inception, The Broad Stage has presented a vast array of artists in genres across the performing arts spectrum. Our dedication to creating an inclusive space has never been greater; we proudly present programming where we trust there is something for everyone."

Tickets are on sale at www.thebroadstage.org and by calling 310-434-3200. The Broad Stage's 10th Season Celebration tickets and packages are available from $500 to $10,000. For event patrons at various pricing levels, the evening can include a pre-show reception, an exclusive meet and greet with Mr. Groban, and a post-show dinner under the stars. For information regarding Celebration VIP packages, call David Coscia at 310-434-3572 or email development@thebroadstage.org.

Groban, fresh from his Tony nominated Broadway debut in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, is an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, and actor whose baritone voice is instantly recognizable and unparalleled among his peers. He has entertained fans across the globe with his multiplatinum albums and DVDs (selling more than 30 million worldwide), electrifYing Live performances, and comedic film and television appearances.

In 2016, Groban made his Broadway debut, starring in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, which opened to glowing reviews. The New York Times raved that, "Josh Groban is absolutely wonderful ... he invests his singing with the pain and frustration that define Pierre. And his acting is superb, as he all but trembles with the existential despair that courses through Pierre's veins." Time Out NY said, "Josh Groban plays the melancholy Pierre with intensity and a simply ravishing voice." The musical received twelve 2017 Tony nominations, including for Groban as Best Lead Actor in a Musical. Earlier this year, Groban also contributed "Evermore" a new song for Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2017), released on the original motion picture soundtrack.

Recently, Groban released his seventh studio album, Stages - a collection of some of the greatest musical theater songs of all time, which Groban describes as "gorgeously arranged songs that have stood the test of time," and which he was drawn to because of their combination of "incredible melody with an incredible story." Recorded with producers Humberto Gatica and Bernie Herms in both Los Angeles and London's Abbey Road (with a 75-piece orchestra), Stages features songs from Les Misérables, Carousel, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, The Fantasticks, A Chorus Line, Phantom of the Opera, and others. The gold-certified Stages was nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Groban also released a CD/DVD package, entitled Stages Live, featuring performances recorded at a historic Los Angeles Theater in downtown L.A. for a PBS special entitled Josh Groban: Stages Live. The album has been nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Last July, Groban embarked on an extensive North American tour to support Stages, entitled "Josh Groban: On Stage."

In addition to his music, Josh Groban also started the Find Your Light Foundation, dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to experience a quality arts education.

The 36-year-old Los Angeles native first broke through in 2001 with his self-titled 5x platinum debut, followed by 2003's 6x platinum Closer, and 2006's double-platinum Awake. In 2007, he became the best-selling recording artist of the year thanks to sales of Awake and his blockbuster 6x platinum, Grammy-nominated Christmas album, Noel, the best-selling album of 2007. At the end of 2010, Groban released the Rick Rubin-produced, gold-certified Illuminations. All That Echoes followed in 2013, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, Groban's first No. 1 debut and third chart-topper.

As an actor, Groban has appeared on Glee, The Simpsons, The Office, CSI: NY, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Crazy Ones, as well as in the feature films Crazy, Stupid, Love, Coffee Town, and Muppets Most Wanted. In 2015, he hosted ABC's unique singing competition Rising Star. Groban is also a popular television talk-show guest, appearing in various late-night comedic sketches with Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosting Live With Regis and Kelly with Kelly Ripa, and paying tribute to Oprah Winfrey during the final week of her long-running show.

An active arts education philanthropist and advocate, Groban is a member of Americans for the Arts Artists Committee, on whose behalf he testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior on the value of the arts during Arts Advocacy Day in 2009. In July 2011, Groban established the Find Your Light Foundation, which helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness. It covers a wide array of possibilities, from providing instruments and funding for arts programs in schools to introducing people to the arts and culture around them through the use of technology.

The Broad Stage, beginning its landmark 10th season, offers theatre, dance, film, opera, jazz, world music, musicals, symphony and chamber orchestras, family programming and more. Each genre features superlative talent from every generation and around the globe. No other performing arts center west of the 405 can boast such consistently stellar lineups of performers, including André Watts, Anna Netrebko, Sir James Galway, Sutton Foster, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Patti LuPone, Aaron Neville, Lee Ritenou, Dave Grusin, Joshua Redman, Lil Buck, Bobby McFerrin, Helen Hunt, Academy of St Martin in the Fields and many others.

In addition to The Broad Stage, The Edye, our 100-seat black box theater, presents new, developing and innovative work in theatre, music and dance as part of our Under the Radar Series, as well as offerings from our other genres. Featuring younger, emerging artists, chamber pieces and plays, programming at The Edye reflects the dynamic nature of the space and allows for the latest, most exciting artists to be booked on short notice.

The Broad Stage's Education and Community Programs offer opportunities for cultural exposure through various student events, currently reaching more than 20,000 children, parents, educators and community members every year.

IF YOU GO:

The Broad Stage 10th Season Celebration

Featuring Josh Groban

Thursday, September 14 at 7:30pm

At The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage
1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401. Limited free parking.

Single tickets starting at $500.
Online: www.thebroadstage.org
Phone: Box Office at 310.434.3200
In Person: 1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401 beginning three hours prior to performance.