John Lithgow announced as celebrity host for Academy of Music Anniversary Concert
The glitzy evening benefits the Philadelphia Orchestra and restoration of the Academy of Music. You can go to the concert for $75. Tickets for the Academy Ball start at $350, concert included.
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John Lithgow will be the major guest talent for next month’s Academy of Music Anniversary Concert, planners announced Monday.
The actor, singer, poet, and author will narrate and host the event, which features the Philadelphia Orchestra led by music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Details such as the exact program and the question of whether Lithgow will also sing have not yet been worked out, an orchestra spokesperson said.
On TV, Lithgow, 74, is known for his work in 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was nominated for Oscars for roles in the films The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment, and has won six Emmy Awards, including one for his performance as Winston Churchill in The Crown.
He has also written and performed for children. Among his books is Marsupial Sue. As vocalist on the 1999 album Singin’ in the Bathtub, he revived for a children’s audience American popular songs from the 1930s and ’40s.
Most recently, Lithgow authored Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse, a book of satirical poetry.
Lithgow appeared at the Academy’s anniversary concert in 2007 — a special 150th celebration attended by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, that featured Tom Brokaw as host and singer Rod Stewart.
The Academy of Music 163rd Anniversary Concert and Ball, which benefits the orchestra and restoration of the Academy of Music, is slated for Jan. 25. Tickets to the concert-only portion of the evening are $75 (215-893-1999), with tickets to the concert and ball ranging from $350 to $2,150 (215-893-1978). philorch.org.