Broadway’s Lea Salonga headlines ARTS by George! | Arts & Entertainment

The Tony winner will sing theater and Disney classics

Lea Salonga, beloved in the theater community and renowned across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch, will be the headliner at this year’s ARTS by George!, the annual benefit to help raise awareness and funds for scholarships to George Mason’s College of Visual & Performing Arts.

Since its beginning in 2016, ARTS by George! has raised more than $4.1 million. This year’s event takes place on Sept. 28 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. It includes performances by George Mason students, a buffet dinner, and Salonga’s engaging performance, followed by a dessert reception and champagne toast onstage with the singer.

Salonga was the first Asian actor to win a Tony Award for her performance as Kim in “Miss Saigon,” and also made eternal impressions on Broadway and in London as both Éponine and Fantine in “Les Misérables,” and Erzulie in “Once on This Island.”  

In film, the Filipino actress lent her singing voice to two classic Disney animated films, portraying Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan and Mulan II. 

Her performance is one that she’s been touring around the U.S. for a while.

“There’s a little bit of Sondheim, there’s definitely a ton of musical theater, and of course, we have Disney,” Salonga said. “We have a Filipino tune embedded in the middle of the program, and there’s just all kinds of stuff I enjoy singing. It’s not all the same genre, and it’s songs that keep me engaged when doing a program.”   

Thankfully, her schedule was accommodating for this benefit event, as Salonga enjoys performing to help young people in the arts.

“To get to do a concert like this in colleges and universities, it gives access to young people who are thinking, ‘Maybe this is something I can do,’ and confirm that the arts is something they should get involved in,” she said. “It also gives students who may not get a chance to see a show be more involved in the arts.” 

Last year, Salonga teamed with the legendary Bernadette Peters for “Old Friends,” a Cameron Mackintosh-produced tribute to Stephen Sondheim, which was a must-have ticket in London. 

“That went so well, and everyone had a really great time; we were singing Sondheim eight shows a week, so it was just a joy,” she said. “To be in the company of people who got to work with him directly—not just Bernadette but Julia McKenzie, his closest collaborator on the other side of the pond. It was just a great company of people.” 

In 2025, Salonga and Peters will bring the show to the U.S., with stops in L.A. and Broadway.

Salonga will also release a new holiday album, “Sounding Joy,” at the end of 2024, her first Christmas-themed recording in over a decade. 

“It’s dropping on Nov. 1, and there’s a whole bunch of songs,” Salonga said. “‘The River’ was one of those that jumped out as something I really wanted to do. You could really appreciate the storytelling by Joni Mitchell, and it’s probably my favorite song on this album.”

One of the other tunes is a duet on “Angels We Have Heard (Glory Be)” with American Idol season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken; others are Christmas classics and original holiday songs.

“My brother, who acts as producer and music director, included a lot of jazz-influenced arrangements on the album, and it took us about four years to make,” Salonga said. “We had about half done when lockdown happened, and then other things happened, and we just were not able to find the time to finish until this year.” 

Another cool thing in her life is that her wax figure was added to the Music Zone at Madame Tussauds Singapore. She was there for the unveiling in September, and then she is getting ready to perform in “Request sa Radyo” in Manila, Philippines, this October. 

She’ll do holiday concerts after that and rehearsals start for “Old Friends” in January. 

“It’s a very busy time, but I’m not complaining,” she said. “I love having a show or concert to look forward to. It makes me happy that I get to do what I love to do, create art, and collaborate with some incredible people.” 

For tickets or more information about ARTS by George!, visit cvpa.gmu.