Kristin Chenoweth Will Star in the New York Premiere of Andrew Lippa's I Am Harvey Milk

Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) will star alongside composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (Big Fish) in the New York premiere of Lippa's choral work I Am Harvey Milk on October 6 at Avery Fisher Hall, producers Bruce Cohen, Robb Nanus, Jessica Leventhal, Bruce Robert Harris, and Jack W. Batman have announced.

Lippa, the songwriter behind the musicals Big Fish and The Wild Party, will play the title role, with Chenoweth as the soprano soloist. The production will feature the Orchestra of St. Luke's and introduce the 12-member All Star Broadway Men's Chorus. Directed by Noah Himmelstein, the creative team for I Am Harvey Milk includes Joel Fram (musical director, conductor), Michele Lynch (choreographer), Andrew Lazarow (projection design), and Scott Lehrer (sound design).

The piece, which is described as "part choral work, part theater piece," traces the life of gay rights activist Milk from boyhood through his political career and eventually to his assassination in 1978. Proceeds from the event will be used to create the Harvey Milk Arts Fund at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which will provide arts education and resources to the students at Harvey Milk High School and other at-risk youth that benefit from HMI's services.

I Am Harvey Milk had its world premiere last summer as part of the San Francisco's Gay Men's Chorus' 35th Anniversary Celebration Concert. A live recording of the event was subsequently released.

Lippa served as Chenoweth's music director at her concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Donmar Warhouse, among many others. For Chenoweth, he has penned the songs "My New Philosophy" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and "The Intervention Song."

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