By Tammy Reese
On Monday, October 9, 2023, the Renowned Choir & National Nonprofit of Broadway Artists, whose mission is to support and strengthen communities in need through arts, education and outreach programming, hosted the “Hope in Harmony: Award Ceremony & Fundraiser Cocktail Party” at Sony Hall in New York City.
Tammy Reese and Andre DeShields
The memorable evening of entertainment, elegance, and inspiration was filled with uplifting experiences recognizing both the exceptional work BIV continues to do with its arts & education programming as well as the remarkable impact the honorees have made on communities near and far.
More on the event:
Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) hosted the “Hope in Harmony: Award Ceremony & Fundraiser Cocktail Party.” The evening’s guest host was three-time Tony Award and Grammy nominee Joshua Henry, with featured performances by some of Broadway’s biggest names including John Manzari, Naomi Funaki, Emilie Kouatchou, Shoshana Bean, Shayna Steele, two-time Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, Tony-nominated actor Norm Lewis, Tony Award-winner Adrienne Warren, Tony Award winning actor J Harrison Ghee, and Jared Alexander.
LaKisa Renee and J. Harrison Ghee
Additional star power in attendance were Cynthia Erivo, Lena Waithe, Tamara Tunie, and André De Shields. Everyone who attended shared a passion for the arts and positive change. NYWIFT members Tammy Reese and LaKisa Renee covered the blue carpet event.
LaKisa Renee, Adrienne Warren, and Tammy Reese
LaKisa Renee Interviews Adrienne Warren
LaKisa Renee, Tamara Tunie, and Tammy Reese
LaKisa Renee Interviews Tamara Tunie
LaKisa Renee with Brian Stokes Mitchell
LaKisa Renee Interviews Brian Stokes Mitchell
BIV presented their 2023 Inspiration Awards to United States Artist Fellowship Recipient and tap dancer/choreographer Ayodele Casel, multi-Grammy/ Emmy/ Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman, and six-time Tony Award winning actress and singer Audra McDonald.
Jenifer Lewis made a virtual appearance to pay tribute to Marc Shaiman.
Tammy Reese, Cynthia Erivo, and LaKisa Renee
LaKisa Renee, Lena Waithe, and Tammy Reese
Tammy Reese, LaKisa Renee, and Audra McDonald
Tammy Reese Interviews Audra McDonald
Tammy Reese, Ayodele Casel, and LaKisa Renee
Tammy Reese Interviews Ayodele Casel
Follow BIV on Facebook: @BroadwayInspirationalVoices Twitter: @BIVoices Instagram: @BIVoices with hashtags #HopeInHarmony #BIVFundraiser #HopeInspireTransform
Tammy Reese
Tammy Reese is CEO of Visionary Minds PR & Media, and a New York award winning Actress, Writer, and Journalist.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Rachel Schwartz
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rachel Schwartz! Rachel Schwartz has been a staff member at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) since January 2019, in rising roles as the Manager, then Director, and now Head of Daytime and Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. Prior to that, she worked at the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, for eight years. Therefore, she is halfway to an “administrative EGOT.” Rachel graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Women’s Studies in 2005. The crowning achievement of her education was her undergraduate thesis on a proposed new voting system for the Primetime Emmys. She has been obsessed with awards shows since sixth grade, when she passed out Oscar ballots to the rest of her class. She is proud to be a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Linda Nieves-Powell
Welcome to NYWIFT, Linda Nieves-Powell! New York-based Puerto Rican multimedia storyteller Linda Nieves-Powell has spent nearly three decades creating culturally specific, character-driven narratives that center Latina identity. Her work spans theater, film, digital media, and the page, from off-Broadway stages to college campuses nationwide, from a Sundance Screenwriting Lab semi-finalist selection to a Simon & Schuster publication. Her Imagen Award-winning stage work YO SOY LATINA! has been produced at more than 400 colleges across the country and off-Broadway. She is currently completing a screenplay called Idalis and Selenis Go Freestyle.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Jennifer Sklias-Gahan
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jennifer Sklias-Gahan! Jennifer is a New York-based actress, writer, and filmmaker. She is the founder of Demivoula Studios and 18 Bleecker Films, an award-winning production house. She is known for her work in The Urban Ghost Story: Matilda, a short film she wrote and stars in with actor Sean Avery, produced by Academy Award-winner Christine Vachon and 18 Bleecker Films. Matilda took home several honors on the festival circuit, including Best Short Film. She recently completed the indie feature The Cutting Room Floor, and has two other features filmed in 2025 (The Wingers and Windows) being released in 2026. Jennifer’s gothic ghost story book, The House in the Middle of the Street, the first in a series of dark tales, is now available worldwide, distributed by Simon and Schuster. A gorgeous vinyl version, beautifully illustrated by Myles Mullen, is available through Rare Bird publications. The audio version, narrated by Jennifer herself, will have a worldwide release this summer. She’s currently writing the next book in her gothic series, The Last Days and Nights of Ellie Boread. Jennifer plans to create this ancestral narrative into a feature film. In our interview, we discuss her career through acting, directing, writing, and owning a production company; gothic aesthetics; and her upcoming projects.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Katie Shannon
Welcome to NYWIFT, Katie Shannon! Katie Shannon is a producer and casting professional based in Brooklyn, with a storied background in marketing and brand management. She now works in administration at Weiden+Kennedy while bringing her creativity and organizational skills to various New York-based film and theater productions. Katie will be producing the US circuit of a one-woman show at The Brick on October 8th with London talent, Temi Wilkey. Notably, Temi’s European show, Lover Girl, recently got accepted into the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the SoHo Theatre in London.
READ MORE
Comments are closed