Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose and cabaret artist Gay Marshall are featured on a new recording of the song, “Gift of Light,” which will benefit The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.’s non-profit mission for projects at Liberty and Ellis Islands, working in partnership with the National Park Service.
With music by Grammy-winning composer Doug Katsaros and words by Emmy-winning lyricist William Schermerhorn, “Gift of Light” was first recorded by Ann Hampton Callaway and The Broadway Inspirational Voices for the 2004 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks score.
In honor of the anniversary of the Statue of Liberty’s 125th Anniversary, the song has been expanded and recorded specifically as a special feature of the musical accompaniment for the Macy’s Fireworks display which will be the grand finale of the upcoming October 28 festivities on Liberty Island. The new version, in English and French, celebrates the Statue as a gift of friendship from France to America.
For more information on the work of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, visit www.ellisisland.org.