Former American Idol star Katherine McPhee headlined and sang hit songs during the Brilliance at the Bankhead Gala on Saturday, Sept. 7. The annual event is a fundraiser for Livermore Valley Arts. See story on page 2. (Photo — Doug Jorgensen)
Katherine McPhee, star of film, television, Broadway and recording, wasted no time in engaging the packed audience inside the Bankhead Theater with her singing prowess, charm and sense of humor. The elegant star in a rosy, pink satin gown filled the room to the rafters with her beautiful voice. Then she brought everything down to Earth, gracefully and literally, when she slithered her way to the stage floor on her stomach to croon Karen Carpenter’s “Close to You” to audience members in the front row.
McPhee first burst onto the scene in 2006 during a successful run on Season 5 of “American Idol,” which made her a household name. She headlined the Brilliance at the Bankhead gala last Saturday night, a fundraiser for Livermore Valley Arts.
The cabaret-style performance weaved in personal stories of McPhee’s career and life with her husband, 16-time Grammy Award-winning musician, composer and producer, David Foster.
McPhee’s musical selections paired perfectly with the Livermore-Amador Symphony. Together, they helped raise more than $525,000 for the Livermore Valley Arts, said Executive Director Chris Carter.
“That’s the challenge, finding the artist to go with the orchestra,” said Anne Giancola, visual arts and education manager at Livermore Valley Arts. McPhee and conductor, Lara Webber, shared a visually playful rapport the audience loved, as they dramatically waited for each other to break into a musical reprise.
McPhee recounted the story of her experience with husband Foster on another singing competition, the Fox network’s “The Masked Singer.” She told the audience they’d said no a bunch of times to doing the show, because they “didn’t want to wear the silly costumes,” but eventually they acquiesced.
Before the main musical event started inside the theater, music flowed across the Bankhead Plaza from the East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars, while attendees enjoyed drinks and dinner al fresco.
Now in its ninth year, East Bay Jazz is a competitive pre-professional music academy that includes big band and combo ensembles directed by founder Spencer Sussman and supported by Livermore Valley Arts. The program, Giancola said, “wouldn’t exist if we didn’t support it. It’s amazing. We would love (even) more support for them.”
McPhee continued to entertain guests throughout her performance with celebrity stories and anecdotes. “I have very fond memories of American Idol” she said, “but there was one song in particular,” written by Foster, “that Simon (Cowell) said after I sang it—to never sing it again.” The audience erupted in laughter as she sang a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”
“I love the spirit of this place, this beautiful theater that all of you have contributed to and (in which you) are keeping the arts alive.” She turned to the symphony and said, “I cannot even believe you guys volunteered to do this,” which brought huge applause from the auditorium.
She later quipped about joining the winner of the ‘Trip to Tuscany’ auction item. “I’m available,” she said. “Just come talk to me after the show, I can contribute to dinners and whatnot.”
McPhee closed out the evening with a charmed performance of Donna Summer’s “Last Dance.” Throughout the entire auditorium, audience members rose to their feet and cheered as she floss-danced her way off the stage to the standing ovation.
News
Hailey Bieber Steps Out for First Time Since Welcoming Baby With Justin Bieber
Less than a month after welcoming baby Jack Blues Bieber with husband Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber stepped out with Kylie Jenner in Los Angeles, marking her first public outing since giving birth. Hailey Bieber is settling into motherhood. The Rhode Skin…
Watch Carrie Underwood and Her Country Hero Randy Travis Unite for a Performance That Left Travis Amazed
Gaining the spotlight when she won season four of American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood continues to entertain audiences all over the world. Since 2005, the country singer released several studio albums and headlined numerous tours. The voice behind hit songs like “Before He…
Britney Spears’s $5M child support payments to struggling ex-Kevin Federline are ending as their youngest turns 18 – and she plans to buy her son ‘a gift more expensive than ANYTHING his dad could afford’
September 12 marks a major milestone for superstar Britney Spears. Her youngest son Jayden turns 18 on Thursday — and sources close to the Princess of Pop have exclusively told DailyMail.com that while she’ll be celebrating, her ex-husband Kevin Federline may not be…
Kelly Clarkson Belting Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” A Cappella Is Otherworldly
elly Clarkson’s fantastic live cover of Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things”—performed as part of an early summer 2024 Kellyoke—still warrants every-day watching. It’s that good. And a recently-released behind-the-scenes video of Clarkson rehearsing the song a cappella may be even better than the…
Famous actor Keanu Reeves takes photo with Airway Heights Police Department
Reeves was on tour with his band “Dogstar,” and performed at the Spokane Tribe Casino. AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — It’s always a fun site to see a celebrity visit the Inland Northwest, and one local law enforcement agency got to…
Katy Perry Reacts to Viral Photo of Orlando Bloom Appearing to Check Out Kim Kardashian
No bad blood here. Katy Perry is speaking out after a photo of her fiancé Orlando Bloom seemingly checking out Kim Kardashian’s, err, assets has gone viral. The image, which was snapped on Sept. 9 at the Kering Caring for Women Dinner during New…
End of content
No more pages to load