Encompass New Opera Theatre Will Pay Tribute to John Kander on May 15

Encompass New Opera Theatre will pay tribute to composer John Kander, the longtime collaborator of the late lyricist Fred Ebb, with a one-night-only gala performance featuring an all-star cast on Sunday, May 15 at 6pm at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South).

Following a welcome by Harold Prince, a selection of Kander’s songs will be sung by Chita Rivera, Jason Danieley, Marin Mazzie, Debra Monk, James Naughton, Richard Thomas, Karen Ziemba, Peter Howard, and several surprise guests. Lyricist Sheldon Harnick is the honorary chair of the gala. Benefit tickets are priced at $250; they can be purchased by phoning 718-398-4675 or by e-mailing encompassopera@yahoo.com.

Encompass New Opera Theatre has offered full productions and staged readings of more than 100 new works in the musical theater and opera genres. The company’s next production will be A Gertrude Stein Musical Trilogy at Symphony Space, June 15-18.