Menzel to perform as part of new Lied Center series

Tony Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Idina Menzel will perform as part of the Lied Center for Performing Arts’ GK Platinum Artist Series, which will launch in the 2016-17 season. The series is named in honor of benefactor and UNL alumnus Glenn Korff.

Thanks to a $1 million gift from the Korff estate, the new series will allow the Lied Center to bring iconic Broadway and popular artists to Nebraska. Since 2013, the Korff estate has given an $8 million gift to the university for the Glenn Korff School of Music at the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and a $4 million gift to the Lied Center, establishing the Glenn Korff Broadway Endowment at the University of Nebraska Foundation.

“The Lied Center’s Broadway programming has been transformed thanks to Glenn’s generosity,” said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. “This gift will allow the Lied Center to bring some of the most accomplished performers in the world to Lincoln, fulfilling Glenn’s dream to enlighten and entertain families and generations of Nebraskans for years to come.”

Menzel brings her powerhouse vocals to the Lied Center on Sept. 30. Tickets will be available starting in early June. Broadway Fan Club members, who order tickets to at least three Broadway performances as part of their season ticket order, will gain first access to tickets to Menzel’s concert. Any remaining tickets will be available for purchase individually starting in July.

Menzel has a diverse career that includes stage, film, television and music. Her voice can be heard as Elsa in Disney’s box-office smash “Frozen,” in which she sings the film’s Oscar-winning song “Let It Go,” and in the follow-up short “Frozen Fever.” She is the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting. Menzel earned her first Tony nomination as Maureen in the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Rent” and won the award for her performance as Elphaba in “Wicked.” Other notable projects include “Glee” and Disney’s “Enchanted.” She embarked on a worldwide tour in 2015 that included Asia, Europe and North America. In addition to cast albums, Menzel’s recording career includes the solo albums “I Stand,” “Here” and “Still I Can’t Be Still.” Her Christmas album “Holiday Wishes,” released October 2014, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart, broke into the top 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and received rave reviews. Menzel was most recently seen on Broadway as Elizabeth in the original production “If/Then,” for which she earned her third Tony nomination. Menzel also sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLIX.

Philanthropy is also important to Menzel, who co-founded the A BroaderWay Foundation in 2010. The organization is dedicated to offering girls from underserved communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through arts-centered programs. The emphasis is on building self-esteem, developing leadership qualities and striving for personal and social achievement. In 2014, Menzel was recognized as one of Variety Magazine’s Power of Women honorees for her work with the organization. For more information on A BroaderWay, click here.

For more information on Menzel, click here.