Audra McDonald & The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center

Audra McDonald is an accomplished performer, singer, theater, TV, and film actress best known for her work with A Moon for the Misbegotten, Porgy and Bess, 110 in the Shade, and many more. Her incredible three-decade career has resulted in multiple accolades, including six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award. In 2016, she received the state’s highest civilian honor for the arts, the National Medal of Arts, presented by then-President Barack Obama. McDonald was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame the following year.

Her vocal technique has made her an exceptional performer. McDonald has also performed with several esteemed orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic and New Philharmonic. Her classical soprano voice has also graced the stage of the Houston Grand Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. In 2008, she recorded the vocals of Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. The record later won the Grammy Awards for Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album.

McDonald has released several highly-acclaimed studio efforts. In 1998, she released his debut solo recording, Way Back to Paradise. Her sophomore effort followed this, How Glory Goes, which contained new and old musical theatre songs, such as “Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home,” “When Did I Fall in Love,” and “Lay Down Your Head.” In 2018, McDonald released her latest effort, Sing Happy.

Apart from performing on stage, McDonald has also starred in notable TV and film roles, such as The Good Fight, Private Practice, The Good Wife, The Gilded Age, and more. Moreover, her performance in hosting Live from Lincoln Center has earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program. In 2015, McDonald was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. This is thanks in part to her charity work and activism. She helped launch Black Theatre United in 2020 and recorded the album Singing You Home, which proceeds to help families separated at the border. In 2014, she joined the board of directors of a homeless youth program called the Covenant House.

This August, McDonald's will join the Cleveland Orchestra on stage, and together, they will deliver an epic performance! It would be a crime to miss this truly-phenomenal event. So hurry and secure your tickets to this rare opportunity before it’s too late!