Harry Connick. Jr A Brings New Orleans Tricentennial Celebration to MPAC

Harry Connick, Jr. performs at Mayo Performing Arts Center for two shows, Monday-Tuesday, June 18-19 at 8 pm. Tickets are $79-$199.

Harry Connick, Jr.'s career has exemplified excellence across multiple platforms in the entertainment world. He has received Grammy and Emmy awards as well as Tony nominations for his live and recorded musical performances, his achievements in film and television and his appearances on Broadway as both an actor and a composer.

The foundation of Connick's art is the music of his native New Orleans, where he began performing as a pianist and vocalist at the age of five. Over the past three decades, he has established himself as a musician, singer and composer par excellence, a legendary live performer and a best-selling artist with millions of CDs sold around the world. Connick has also made his mark as an actor in films (appearing in over 19 films such as "Dolphin Tale," "Hope Floats," "PS I Love You," "Copycat"), on television ("American Idol," Will & Grace," "South Pacific") and on Broadway ("Pajama Game," "Thou Shalt Not").

In the fall of 2016 Connick launched "HARRY," a nationally syndicated daytime television show hosted by Connick and featuring his touring band. "HARRY" is a daily hour of family friendly television that seeks to entertain, uplift and inspire. The show also reflects the unparalleled entertainment skills of Harry Connick, Jr.'s varied career and the television industry recognized the debut season of "HARRY" with five Emmy nominations, including a nomination for Best Host, and a Critics Choice nomination for Best Talk Show.

Despite his busy career, Connick has always found the time to be charitable and has done some of his most important work in his efforts to help New Orleans rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He, along with friend Branford Marsalis, conceived of "Musicians' Village," a community in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Musicians' Village provides homes for Katrina-displaced musicians and its focal point, the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, is an after-school teaching facility for children, a performance hall and recording studio for musicians, and a gathering place for the community.

Connick's honors, including the induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, Honorary Doctorates from Tulane and Loyola Universities and the Jefferson Award for Public Service, have not led Harry Connick, Jr. to slow his creative pace; they only confirm his determination to apply his talents in ways that prove inspirational to other artists and publicly spirited citizens.

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2017-2018 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.

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