Mahaiwe Gala
The Mahaiwe’s 2023 Gala was held on July 15, 2023. The evening began with an outdoor reception and dinner at Memorial Field, followed by a live performance at the Mahaiwe with Brian Stokes Mitchell. Stokes performed with a trio — Tedd Firth on piano, Clint de Ganon on drums and Paul Beaudry on bass.
Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, Brian Stokes Mitchell is a star of Broadway, television, film, recordings, and concert appearances. He won the Tony Award as Outstanding Actor for Kiss Me, Kate, and was nominated for Tonys for Man of La Mancha, Ragtime, and King Hedley II. His humanitarian work earned him a second Tony, the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Award, and he is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame. While recovering from Covid, he won acclaim for singing “The Impossible Dream” from his apartment window nightly for weeks to honor essential workers.
An extremely versatile and in-demand singer, Stokes has worked with John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, Gustavo Dudamel, Keith Lockhart, Michael Tilson Thomas, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Big Band, The Mormon Tabernacle choir and the Muppets. He has been invited twice to perform at the White House (both times aired on PBS’s “Great Performances”).
