Raul Esparza, Barbara Cook, Anika Noni Rose & More Set for Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series

Lincoln Center’s 2011 American Songbook series will include concerts by Broadway stars Raul Esparza, Barbara Cook, Anika Noni Rose and Kate Baldwin, along with a tribute to the Gershwins and an evening of music from rising composer Lance Horne. Running from January 12 to February 20, the American Songbook concerts will be held at the Allen Room of Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Barbara Cook, seen most recently in Sondheim on Sondheim, kicks off the 16-night series on January 12. Two nights later, theater vets Alan Cumming and Cheyenne Jackson have signed on as special guests for a pair of concerts by composer Lance Horne in support of his new album First Things Last. On January 26, Encores! musical director Rob Fisher will welcome as-yet unnamed Broadway singers to perform at a special celebration of the music of George and Ira Gershwin.

Tony winner Anika Noni Rose will make her New York solo debut in a pair of concerts on February 5, and four-time Tony nominee Raul Esparza will pay tribute to his Cuban heritage in two concerts on February 18. Finian’s Rainbow star Kate Baldwin will highlight the music of Yip Harburg, Burton Lane, Stephen Sondheim and Sheldon Harnick in a concert on February 19.

Since its launch in 1998, the American Songbook series has been dedicated to celebrating the achievements of popular American songwriting from the turn of the 20th century to the present. In addition to the Broadway stars highlighted above, the 2011 series will include concerts by bossa nova star Bebel Gilberto, folk singer Mary Chapin Carpenter, opera star Stephanie Blythe and more.