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.

They were dressed as a banana split, with McPhee dancing as the ice cream, and Foster as the banana. “We had a fricking blast,” she said. She sang “Cry Me a River” over and over, the song Foster had chosen, and won every time during the season. Then, they came to the semifinal round, when for the first time, she insisted on choosing their song, “Singing in the Rain.” She said the song “got us kicked off.” The crowd roared with laughter as she launched into the losing tune.

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.