Described by the New York Times as “Broadway musical’s undisputed queen,” Kelli O’Hara is a force of nature on stage and screen.
A Tony Award winner with eight nominations, plus Emmy and Grammy nods, this beloved Broadway leading lady will make her Blacksburg debut, performing selections from the American songbook with her trio at the Center for the Arts on Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m.
O’Hara has appeared in 12 Broadway productions, winning the 2015 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Grammy, Drama League, and Outer Critics nominations for her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in “The King and I.” Her other Broadway credits include “Kiss Me Kate,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” “South Pacific,” “The Pajama Game,” “The Light in the Piazza,” “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Follies,” “Dracula,” and “Jekyll & Hyde.”
Her talent extends well beyond Broadway. In 2015, O’Hara made history as the first artist to move seamlessly from Broadway to opera, debuting at the Metropolitan Opera in “The Merry Widow” alongside Renée Fleming. She returned as Despina in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” in 2018 and most recently appeared as Laura Brown in the Met’s world premiere of Kevin Puts’ “The Hours,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording.
O’Hara received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Katie Bonner in Topic’s hit web series, “The Accidental Wolf,” and can currently be seen on HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” which was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for its second season. Additional film and television credits include Showtime’s “Masters of Sex,” “13 Reasons Why,” “Blue Bloods,” “All My Children,” “All the Bright Places,” “Peter Pan Live!,” “Sex and the City 2,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Key to Reserva,” “The Good Fight,” “Numb3rs,” and “Car Talk.”
O’Hara is a frequent performer on PBS’s live telecasts and the Kennedy Center Honors and performs often alongside the New York Philharmonic and the New York Pops. Her solo albums, “Always” and “Wonder in the World,” are available on Ghostlight.
O’Hara starred in the critically acclaimed, limited Broadway engagement of the new musical “Days of Wine and Roses,” which garnered rave reviews during its off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theatre Company. In 2024 she won the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical, in addition to receiving Tony and Drama League nominations for her role.
O’Hara recently starred opposite Tom Hanks in the world premiere of the off-Broadway play “This World of Tomorrow” and can be seen in the new CBS series “Sheriff Country” and Ryan Murphy’s new FX series, “The Beauty.” She is currently on Broadway in the revival of “Fallen Angels” opposite Rose Byrne.
This performance is supported in part by gifts from Carole C. Davis and Tom Tillar. Additional funding is provided by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech Endowment Fund, established by Edwin and Melinda Talley.
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