Kennedy Center concert-goers are in for a treat when vocalist Audra McDonald performs one of her adventurous programs. The recipient of more than 20 major honors, including three Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, two for Best Featured Actress in a Play and two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, she surprises at every turn. “I’m excited about going back to the Kennedy Center, the first time since I appeared there with Barbara Cook,” she said. ” The evening will be a mixture of things I love and adore. A couple are by Stephen Sondheim and one is a new song by Adam Guettel that I’ll play and sing.”

The piano accompaniment may be a first for the self-confessed hyperactive McDonald, who continually adds to her accomplishments. Even before she graduated from Juilliard in 1993, she was on tour in “Secret Garden;” within a year, she was on Broadway as Carrie Pipperidge in “Carousel.” Befitting the impact of that debut performance, she won her first Tony Award, a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. Her next Tony was for Sarah in “Ragtime,” followed by one for “Marie Christine,” LaChiusa’s musical based on the Greek legend of Medea set in the Gay Nineties.