Live At the Orinda is back with a brand new concert season! Now that the world has started to take notice of these special musical evenings at the Orinda Theatre, we're inviting the world to Orinda. From music legends of the stage, to new discoveries, to internationally renowned artists making their Bay Area concert debut - they'll all be here, at the beautiful, historic Orinda Theatre. 

Music can bring people and communities together. With all the craziness going on in the world right now and with performing arts funding being deeply cut, we need community and live music more than ever. This season will prove once again that the universal language really is love and music. 

Subscribe now to get reserved seats for the season, ticket discounts, complimentary drinks and more! 

Live At the Orinda 2025-2026

50 Threads: An Artist's Journey

October 5, 2025

We're honored to open our Live At the Orinda 2025 -2026 concert season with Grammy winning singer/songwriter legend Melissa Manchester. In her brand new multi-media show, 50 Threads: An Artist's Journey, Melissa offers a heartfelt look back at her remarkable 50 years in music. With 25 albums in her name, including her latest, "RE:VIEW", which features duets with her friends Dolly Parton and Kenny Loggins, Melissa offers fresh perspectives and insight on some of her biggest hits, including "Don't Cry Out Loud", "Whenever I Call You Friend, "Midnight Blue", and "Come In From The Rain." In this very special evening, Melissa weaves together unforgettable songs and personal stories, tracing the milestones of a storied career that began in her hometown of New York City.

A Grammy nominee in 1980 for her powerful rendition of “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” Melissa took home the award for Best Female Vocalist in 1982 with the hit “You Should Hear How She Talks About You.”

As an actress, Melissa co-starred with Bette Midler in the Oscar nominated film For The Boys. Melissa Manchester also holds a unique place in Oscar history — the first artist ever nominated for two Academy Awards in a single year and the first to perform them both during a single telecast: “Through the Eyes of Love” from Ice Castles and “I’ll Never Say Goodbye” from The Promise.

Most recently, Melissa appeared as Mrs. Brice in the national touring production of Funny Girl, adding to an impressive theatrical resume that includes roles in the touring versions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song and Dance and Music of the Night. On TV, Melissa created the role of Maddy, mother of the lead character, on NBC’s popular series, Blossom. 

In November 2021, Melissa Manchester was inducted into the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Hall of Fame.

"...the evening was a fascinating musical stroll through Melissa Manchester’s five-decade career. Can it get any better than this? An electrifying vocalist, a proficient pianist, an award-winning composer, and wonderful actress, with a creative output that has been so enormously consequential, telling you about it in story, and song, with a voice that sends chills down your spine."  - Stephen Sorokoff, Broadway World

November 9, 2025

ALI EWOLDT

When You Wish Upon A Star

We're excited to present Broadway star Ali Ewoldt, making her West Coast concert debut at the Orinda Theatre! In 2016, Ali created Broadway history when she not only became the first Asian-American to star as Christine Dae in Phantom Of the Opera but also the first woman of color to play the role, earning universal praise and rave reviews. Prior to that, Ali made her Broadway debut as Cosette in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables. She also appeared in Lincoln Center’s recent Tony Award winning revival of The King and I and as Luisa in The Fantasticks Off-Broadway, the world’s longest running musical. Her other credits include: The Secret Garden (Rose) at CTG in Los Angeles, Chicago (Mary Sunshine), 1776  (Martha Jefferson) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Philia), all at The Muny in St. Louis, Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown) at Sacramento Music Circus, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s The King and I (Tuptim), and a one-woman adaptation of Anne of Green Gables Off-Broadway. National tours and regional productions include Les Misérables,The King and I, West Side Story, Into the Woods, She Loves Me, A Christmas Carol, and The Secret Garden.
 
Ali has performed her solo cabaret shows at 54 Below in New York, has sung in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim, The Town Hall with Adam Jacobs and made her Carnegie Hall debut with Matt Doyle and Maestro Steven Reinecke. Her other concert work includes The American Pops Orchestra under the direction of Luke Frazier, Houston Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Kaohsiung Symphony, Danville Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Music in the Mountains Orchestra and the Boston Pops with Maestro Keith Lockhart. Her TV/Film credits include The Michael J. Fox Show, Yield, Drama: The Web Series and the short film Mia. Ali has a BA in psychology from Yale University, which has proved surprisingly relevant to her career...

"...with her exquisite voice and incredibly charming demeanor...she has a gracefulness that encompasses both emotional strength and depth of feeling." - Berkshire On Stage

"You know the real deal when you see it...and hear it. So let me confirm for you: Ali Ewoldt is the real deal." - The Washington Post

"Ali Ewoldt is a delicate beauty who sings with clarity, beauty and power." - WAMC Radio

January 18, 2026

CHRISTINE ANDREAS

S'Wonderful...

Multi-award winning singer, actress, two-time Tony Award nominee and Broadway star Christine Andreas returns to Live At the Orinda and Northern California for the first time in 3 years with her brand new show, S'Wonderful... Reflecting on the best of the human spirit, Ms. Andreas performs some of the very best of the American Songbook, old, new and everything in between. From Berlin to Bacharach, Gerswhin to Billy Joel, some Rodgers with Hammerstein, Mancini with Mercer, Silvestri with Higgins and much more! S'Wonderful... is the musical elixir that we all could use right now, it will embrace your heart and raise your spirits to soar. 

On Broadway, Christine starred as Jacqueline in the most recent revival of La Cage Aux Folles, with Kelsey Grammer, and created the role of Marguerite St. Just in The Scarlet Pimpernel. She captured theatergoers’ hearts as Eliza Doolittle in the 20th anniversary production of My Fair Lady (Theatre World Award), Oklahoma! (Tony Nomination) and On Your Toes (Tony Nomination). National audiences remember her portrayal of Margaret Johnson in a critically-acclaimed national tour of The Light in the Piazza.

Concerts include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, concert stages in London, Paris, Rome, Australia and the White House, as well as the Café Carlyle and 54 Below in New York, garnering her the prestigious Mabel Mercer, Bistro and Donald W. Smith Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Music Direction by Martin Silvestri

"Ms. Andreas gives completely new readings to every song she sings.  Superbly arranged and beautifully played by her accompanist, Martin Silvestri, himself a noted Broadway composer. It was an evening of pure cabaret magic." - Stu Hamstra's Cabaret Hotline (Australia)

"A luscious diva with beauty to enhance and a voice to enthrall…. a heartbreaker…. In a tired old world of psych-out, burn-out and sell-out, she brings sanity and order to confusion and anxiety with a voice as pure as an angel’s." - The New York Observer, Rex Reed

"Ms Andreas's voice... is infused with a high-voltage current of electricity that rides on a quickend vibrato and gives everything a sense of urgency. Her engagement with lyrics is so intense...you feel you are her, living the song she is performing." - The New York Times

CLAYBOURNE ELDER

We're happy to present Grammy nominated Broadway and TV star Claybourne Elder as he celebrates the release of his debut solo album, "If The Stars Were Mine". Widely known from his role as the star-crossed John Adams on HBO’s hit series The Gilded Age, Claybourne's career is rooted on the Broadway stage. He was most recently seen on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revival of Company, co-starring with Patti Lupone and Live At the Orinda allum Bobby Conte. He is also known for his Broadway performances in Bonnie and Clyde, Sunday in the Park With George, and Torch Song as well as Sondheim on Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl. Claybourne began his career originating the role of Hollis in Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show, he also originated the role of Ollie in Tennessee William’s One Arm. Some of his other credits include: Do I Hear A Waltz at City Center, Allegro at Classic Stage,Two by Two (starring Jason Alexander),Venice at the Public Theatre, Giorgio in Passion, Tony in West Side Story, Joe in Angels In America, Curly in Oklahoma, Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. He also played Pete O’Malley in the CW’s The Carrie Diaries and can be seen in the Hallmark Original, Deck the Walls. On top of receiving a Grammy Award nomination, Claybourne has also been honored with Screen Actors Guild Award, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations.

Claybourne Elder's solo show has played to sold-out crowds across the country and in London and he has been a soloist at Carnegie Hall, LA Philharmonic, American Pops Orchestra and Utah Symphony. Recently, Claybourne launched an initiative called City of Strangers to provide free tickets to Broadway shows for people who might not have the means. They have given away over 3,000 tickets and have gained unexpected attention nationally being featured on This American Life, CBS This Morning and The Kelly Clarkson Show.  

"Elder is a natural storyteller...a charmingly funny and heartfelt evening of story and song." - Steve Murray, Broadway World

"Equal parts raw honesty and gentle humor, Elder’s solo evening offers a glimpse into the man behind the roles." - Stage and Cinema

"Effortlessly charming, Elder’s show is consistently engaging, offering us a true glimpse into his personality, mischief, and earnestness on full display." - We Live Entertainment

MEGHAN MURPHY

Adventures From A Broad

Get ready Bay Area, as the weather pattern is about to change! After taking the world by storm, vocal powerhouse Meghan "Big Red" Murphy will blow into the Orinda Theatre like the "Big Noise From Winnetka", or more to the point, like Big Red from Chicago! The award winning singer, actress, global cabaret star and world traveler, described as "a cross between Jessica Rabbit and Bette Midler" will dazzle us in an evening of songs, sass and stories, chronicling her global wanderlust and songbird shenanigans. Originally from San Jose, the now Chicago-based entertainer has traveled the globe with her electric one-woman show, selling out theatres in NYC, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Provincetown, Palm Springs, Puerto Vallarta and many more.

As well as conquering concert stages around the world, Meghan has also conquered the musical theatre world, garnering a multitude of nominations over the years and winning Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Leading Performance as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes in 2024. In August 2025, Meghan starred as Jacqueline, along with Tony nominated Broadway legend Norm Lewis in The Muny's spectacular production of La Cage Aux Folles. Other memorable roles include Lady Of the Lake in Spamalot - "Meghan Murphy stops the show. Period. " - Chicago Tribune; Cabaret - "Meghan Murphy as Fraulein Kost is superb." Chicago Sun Times; Mamma Mia! "Meghan Murphy stops the show with the sizzling "Does Your Mother Know?""- Daily Herald; Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Come see what all the fuss is about - and leave those umbrellas behind!  "A sparkling redhead with a dynamite voice," (Chicago Sun Times), a razor-sharp wit, and a stage presence full of Old Hollywood glamour, Big Red will have you laughing, crying, and begging for more! From jazz to pop, from soul to showtunes, she'll sing 'em all and turn you into her next biggest fan! She's an old broad with a new twist. Big voice. Big laughs. Big Red.

"A vocal powerhouse with a sardonic sense of humor and a whip smart, present-tense presence." - Chicago Tribune

"Murphy is one of those stars who changes the temperature of the room when she walks in the door." - Life and Times

"A towering inferno of talent!" - Broadway World

EMMA SMITH

We're excited to present an extremely rare U.S. appearance and the Northern California solo concert debut of UK jazz phenom Emma Smith. Known around the world as 1/3 of the vocal harmony group, The Puppini Sisters, as well as her collaborations and tours with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox and Jeff Goldblum's Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Ms. Emma is ready to let her solo spotlight shine!

Celebrating the release of her brand new solo album, "Bitter Orange", her first to her released on a U.S. record label (New York's La Reserve), Emma Smith has been touring the world with an exhaustive schedule, jetting to Italy, then L.A. then back to the U.K., then on to Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, back to the U.S. and back to Europe again for more. But with her diverse and extensive experience performing everywhere from the Royal Albert Hall and the 02 Arena in London to the world’s leading jazz clubs, it’s no wonder that Emma’s shows are becoming the hottest ticket in town. She has already collaborated and recorded with the likes of Michael Bublé, The Quincy Jones Orchestra, Bobby McFerrin, & Gregory Porter. Along the way, she is building a formidable reputation as a powerful, expressive artist on the global jazz scene and has been winning numerous awards as well as adulations. Some of the many prestigious awards include the Parliamentary Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 2024 and  ‘Jazz Act of the year’ at the Jools Holland Boisdale Music Awards in 2024 (where she was up against Ezra Collective, Courtney Pine and Nybyia Garcia). Stateside, Emma made it to the final 5 participants of the 12th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition (which helped launch the careers of Samara Joy and Cyrille Aimée), chosen from 280+ submissions representing 37 countries by a panel of star judges, Emma was the only non-US based singer to compete.

Emma Smith's career continues to soar with jazz legends, music critics and fans alike citing her as one of the most exciting voices in jazz today.

“One of the most stylish and original interpreters of Songbook classics on the scene.” - All About Jazz

“Emma Smith is a singer with a voice that is a breath of fresh air to the jazz world.” - Jazz Views

“If you want a name for the future, then agents should not wait too long to beat a path to the door of Emma Smith." - The Telegraph

NIKI HARIS

Back by popular demand!

When jazz sensation Niki Haris took the Orinda stage for the first time in April 2025, she instantly connected with everyone in the sold out theatre and kept all of us completely enraptured for 90 minutes. Sharing her gorgeous voice, her beautiful heart and soul, it almost felt like a spiritual experience between Niki and her amazing trio of Mitch Forman on piano, Daniel Fabricant on bass and David Rokeach on drums and the audience. Although this was their first time playing together, the synergy and connection between the four of them felt like they’d been playing together for a lifetime. The energy in the room was palpable. From jazz to blues, Stevie Wonder to Stevie Nicks, Rodgers and Hammerstein to Sondheim, every single song was a masterpiece in performance, arrangement and musicianship.

The daughter of Grammy nominated jazz legend, pianist Gene Harris, Niki Haris became known around the world after co-starring in the documentary film, Truth or Dare, as "the big voice" behind Madonna, as well as being featured in many of her music videos. Throughout her 18 years with Madonna, the singer, dancer, choreographer and actress maintained her love of jazz music, working not only with her father, but jazz greats Stanley Turrentine, Joe Sample, the Jazz Crusaders and Ray Charles. Her vocal collaborations read like a "who's who" of the music business, from Madonna to Mick Jagger to Whitney Houston, to Sheryl Crow and many others. She's performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall, to Wembley Stadium, to President Obama's inauguration and remains a favorite featured artist at the Blue Note At Sea and International Jazz Festivals.  www.nikiharisofficial.com

"Niki Haris is perhaps best known for her long career as one of Madonna’s back-up singers, but she proved that she has much more to offer. To put it simply, she is a terrific interpreter of the Great American Songbook...Her warmth, her sense of fun, and her pure joy in performing this material was evident throughout. The chemistry between her and her audience was palpable...." - Cabaret Scenes

 Season Finale

DAVID MARINO

Back by popular demand, with a new show!

Thanks to our Live At the Orinda subscribers, the multi-lingual jazz sensation from Montreal returns to the Orinda Theatre for our 2026 season finale with a brand new show. In March of 2024, David Marino made his West Coast concert debut at the Orinda Theatre, entrancing everyone with his gorgeous voice, his charming and sincere personality and his undeniable charisma on stage. David returned to Live At the Orinda in 2025, showing a surprising growth both vocally and artistically in just a one year span and solidifying his bond with the Live At the Orinda subscribers. David began singing and performing at only 6 years of age, and was instantly inspired by legends such as Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Charles Aznavour, among others. At 16, David went on to become a finalist on Canada's hit TV show, The Voice, where he was mentored by famed French singer/songwriter Pierre Lapointe. Recently, David has toured the world with sold out shows at New York's Birdland Jazz Club, Montreal's Place Des Arts and throughout the US, London, Paris and Rome and received rave reviews starring as Tobias in Opera Maine's 2025 production of Sweeney Todd. David Marino returns to Live At the Orinda - direct from his starring role in the stage production Michel Legrand's Les Demoiselles de Rochefort at the famed Lido Theatre in Paris!

"Move over Michael Bublé, there's a new Canadian heartthrob...and that is one David Marino. David Marino is not to be missed!" - Theatre Pizzazz

"With a voice so pure and pristine you could skate on it..." - Andrew Poretz, Nitelife Exchange

"David is a crazy natural, with an incredible talent. He belongs to the stage and the stage belongs to him." - Pierre Lapointe, The Voice

"One word: Phenomenal! He's just brilliant and his singing is just wonderful" - jazz/cabaret legend Marilyn Maye

"David Marino’s touching voice and presence won all hearts...his duet with Mrs. Lovet, 'Not While I'm Around', easily the most touching moment of the show."  - pArts

Live at Orinda Concert Series

Live At the Orinda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2018, bringing world renowned artists from Broadway, television, film, cabaret and jazz to the Bay Area's historic Orinda Theatre. All shows are presented on Sundays at 5 p.m. in an intimate 170-seat theatre featuring state of the art sound design by Meyer Sound, inside the Orinda Movie Theatre complex (2, Orinda Theatre Square, Orinda, CA). All seating is reserved, with most tickets from $60 - $100, no food or drink minimums and no expensive "ticketing fees". Subscribers enjoy substantial ticket discounts, first choice of reserved seats for the season, complimentary drinks and other benefits. Information and tickets for the concert series are available at OrindaTheatre.com