James Earl Jones honored at the 2012 Marian Anderson Award gala

    Brought to you by Freemans Auctioneers, The Circuit, with Caroline Stewart, takes you to the Kimmel Center for the Marian Anderson Award gala. Become a regular of our new blog to keep up with the hottest philanthropic events.

    Actor James Earl Jones received the city’s Marian Anderson Award Nov. 19 at the Kimmel Center before an audience of 1,400. Before the award program began, Jones attended a black-tie dinner for 450 guests at the Kimmel, which was chaired by David Cohen of Comcast.

    The gala concert, hosted by actor Terrence Howard, featured the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Assistant Conductor Cristian Macelaru. The program included music from one of Jones’s films, Star Wars, and performances by opera singer Lawrence Brownlee, jazz, and pop artist Jean Carne with keyboardist Bill Jolly, and 18-year-old Christian Eason, a local rising opera star and a recipient of a Marian Anderson Young Artist Study-Grant.

    Also in the spotlight was actress Phylicia Rashad, known for her role as Claire Huxtable on NBC’s “The Cosby Show,” who gave the tribute to Jones.

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    The gala raised $100,000 in support of the Marian Anderson Award and its programs.

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