THE VOICE Finalist Wé McDonald to Jam with ROCKTOPIA National Tour

ROCKTOPIA is thrilled to announce that NBC's "The Voice" finalist Wé McDonald will be joining the show's National Tour next month. Direct from its smash-hit run on Broadway, the international music sensation kicks off its fall tour on October 18, 2018 at Bergen County Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. Nineteen-year-old McDonald joins the previously announced guest star Dee Snider from Twisted Sister for all tour stops, which include the Tilles Center in New York (October 20), Palace Theater in Pennsylvania (October 24), Akron Civic Theatre in Ohio (October 25), Youngstown Powers Memorial Auditorium in Ohio (October 26), and KeyBank State Theatre at Playhouse Square in Ohio (October 27).

An explosive musical concert event that fuses the most iconic 20th-century rock with world-renowned classical masterpieces, ROCKTOPIA features the works of musical innovators across centuries-including Journey, Mozart, Queen, Beethoven, Aerosmith, Handel, Led Zeppelin, Tchaikovsky, U2, Heart, Puccini, The Who and more- in spine-tingling musical arrangements performed by an elite lineup of vocalists, a five-piece rock band, a thirty-person choir, and a twenty-piece orchestra.

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Created through the unique vision of vocalist and recording artist Rob Evan (Broadway: Les Miserables, Jekyll & Hyde and more, multi-platinum recording artist) and Maestro Randall Craig Fleischer (San Francisco Symphony, Anchorage Symphony), ROCKTOPIA will be performed on tour by a celebrated and diverse array of rock, Broadway, and opera vocalists. Joining McDonald, Evan and Snider, are singers Chloe Lowery (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Chris Botti, Yanni's Voices); Tony Vincent (Broadway: American Idiot, RENT, NBC's "The Voice"); and Alyson Cambridge (The Merry Widow at the Met Opera, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Show Boat). The world-class solo musicians featured in the show include Grammy and Emmy Award nominated violinist Máiréad Nesbitt (Celtic Woman, Lord of the Dance) and acclaimed guitarist Tony Bruno (MD for Enrique Iglesias & Rihanna, "America's Got Talent").

Adored by audiences and critics alike, Billboard Magazine called ROCKTOPIA, "a thrilling musical fusion." Broadway Box declared, "Rocktopia blends classical music with classic rock, a big live orchestra, and an even bigger choir to create an evening that has even the most jaded New Yorkers dancing in their seats." DC Metro Arts raved, "with rousing peaks and powerful performances, you'll be rocking and cheering! All of the musicians are impressive - with Tony Bruno's guitar solos being especially electrifying and Máiréad Nesbitt's performances a thrilling highlight."

The inaugural performance of the show, "Rocktopia: Live from Budapest" produced by Two Hands Entertainment/Jeff Rowland, was recorded in front of a live audience in June 2016 at the 19th century Hungarian State Opera House for PBS. It was performed with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra with six vocalists, a five-piece rock band, the Hungarian State Opera Chorus, and the Jazz and More Choir. ROCKTOPIA toured over twenty cities in the United States in 2016, featuring local symphonies and choirs across the country, and rocked Broadway during its spring 2018 limited engagement.

ROCKTOPIA is produced by ROCKTOPIA Broadway LLC (William Franzblau, Executive Producer and Maggie Seidel-Laws, Associate Producer) in association with Hughes Wall LLC.

ABOUT WÉ MCDONALD

Wé McDonald's star-making turn on her show-stopping blind audition on the hit NBC TV show The Voice drew national attention in 2016. It was the kind of momentous debut she had been preparing for her entire life. Singing since the age of 12, Wé attended the Harlem School for the Arts after school and on weekends, where she studied theater, piano and further cultivated her unique and righteously robust voice.

A thoughtful teenager who learned to respect and value difference at an early age, she revealed on The Voice that she experienced bullying in middle school and has become an advocate for young people facing similar challenges when impacted by bullying behavior by their peers.

Available now is her new single "Head Up High" with her debut EP scheduled for release in early 2019, featuring a diverse slate of songs written by Wé that showcase her soaring vocal presence. A newly published children's and young adult book author, Wé released: Make It Happen! Wé McDonald: Singer, part of the Make It Happen! series of books that help middle school students build skills to reach their own goals; and a picture book, The Little Girl with The Big Voice, written by Wé for younger children. Wé's captivating story as a singer and as a teenager courageously embracing her uniqueness resonates with kids as well as adults looking to expand their own understanding of themselves and the world around them. Video of Wé in performance: