“Now it’s Audra McDonald who will headline the Philadelphia Orchestra’s opening night gala in September,” writes Peter Dobrin in Wednesday’s (8/21) Philadelphia Inquirer. “The singer and actress replaces Plácido Domingo, who was disinvited by the orchestra after last week’s Associated Press story detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by the superstar tenor. With orchestra music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium, McDonald will perform works of Gershwin, Sondheim, Hammerstein, and others for the start of the orchestra’s 2019-20 season in Verizon Hall. She has performed with the orchestra before—notably for the 2009 New Year’s Eve concert. McDonald has also appeared with the orchestra at the Mann Center in 1999, at the Academy of Music Anniversary Concert in 2004, and for the Marian Anderson Award in 2006. The singer and actress is known for straddling a variety of genres. Winner of six Tony Awards, she has appeared in Broadway, opera, and with a number of orchestras. She’s known for her role on TV’s Private Practice, and currently appears in CBS All Access’ The Good Fight.”
Posted August 23, 2019
