|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Singer-actress Katharine McPhee might be making her first real trip to the Livermore Valley next weekend when she headlines the annual Brilliance at The Bankhead gala, but she’s no stranger to the Bay Area.
In fact, the entire trajectory of her life changed right here nearly 20 years ago.
During a phone interview this month, the Southern California native told me she took many vacations up north to visit family in Millbrae, reminiscing fondly about those “cold summer trips to San Francisco”.
But one moment in the Bay probably stands above any other: She made her fateful “American Idol” audition at the Cow Palace as a 21-year-old in 2005.
She would ride that momentum from Daly City all the way to the finale of the singing competition show, finishing runner-up in the fifth season. McPhee has gone on to release multiple albums across genres, star in TV dramas “Smash” and “Scorpion” and play the lead on Broadway in “Waitress”.
2024 has been very busy so far, but things were calming a bit for her ahead of the Sept. 7 show at the Bankhead Theater, the largest fundraiser of the year for the nonprofit Livermore Valley Arts.
McPhee said she traveled heavily the first part of the year, touring with her husband, Grammy-winning producer and composer David Foster, including three weeks in Asia. This second half of the year will be fewer gigs as their son gets back into school and McPhee gets back into the studio.
She recently signed with a new label, and while plans for her new album are still coming together, she’s doing this next musical project “for me … try to have it be a really fun experience.”
McPhee acknowledged that her acting prospects have slowed, like for a number of others in the industry, in the aftermath of last year’s strike, but she continues to be active in pursuing opportunities. In the meantime, she said, her ability to tour musically has kept her creative juices flowing.
“My show is a compilation of all the things that I’ve done over the years,” she said.
“I like to tell stories and use songs as references to support the stories,” McPhee added, later quipping, “I talk sometimes too much.”
She’s particularly excited about Brilliance offering her the chance to sing while supported by the “romantic … luscious strings” of the Livermore-Amador Symphony. “It’s always such a different experience with a symphony, from just your regular band,” she said.
McPhee knows the Bankhead show may have a bit of a “different dynamic” from her normal concerts, recognizing that some in the audience likely bought tickets to support local arts more so than to see her specifically. It’s all for a good cause and a vision she supports.
“They really want to have a push for the arts and arts education,” McPhee said.
Chris Carter, LVA’s leader who recently got a title change to CEO, said he’s really looking forward to McPhee’s performance on “our biggest night of the year”.
“This year’s Brilliance at The Bankhead will be a celebration with glamour indeed, as Katharine brings with her a class and sophistication far beyond her years wherever she performs,” Carter told me by email.
“We always bring for our biggest performance a star, someone who is known in the cultural zeitgeist for their ability to command a stage; Katharine is a modern version of those great stars of Broadway and Hollywood,” he added. “There is a sophistication and grace to her songbird talents that audiences will be blown away by.”
McPhee is adding her name to an impressive (and eclectic) list of headliners in Brilliance history.
I wrote about experiencing last year’s gala, where Tony Award winner and “Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander had us in the palm of his hand. Other past hosts included Ben Folds (2022), Vanessa Williams (2021), Matthew Morrison (2019), the late BJ Thomas (2018), The Indigo Girls (2017) and Judy Collins in the inaugural event in 2016.
But, as Carter noted, “Brilliance is so much more than just a show.”
“Besides entertainment, this special evening also includes dinner, drinks, silent and live auction, and dessert; it is an all-in-one party to kick off our season and the fall in the Tri-Valley,” he said. “The largest fundraising event of the year for LVA, proceeds support activities at both the Bankhead Theater and the Bothwell Arts Center, as well as our nonprofit educational and cultural arts outreach activities, helping subsidize events like our reduced price special student matinees or our free Cultural Celebration Series.”
“By being a part of Brilliance at The Bankhead, one is making sure that the ‘Power of the Arts’ continues to work its magic right here in the Tri-Valley for years to come,” Carter added.
For tickets or more information about the gala, visit livermorearts.org.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
