ALICIA KEYS JOINS MAESTRA MUSIC AND RISE THEATRE FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ZOOM CONVERSATION WITH LILY LING, MUSIC DIRECTOR OF HELL’S KITCHEN

Maestra Music, the Obie Award-winning nonprofit organization founded by Georgia Stitt to support the women and nonbinary musicians in the musical theater industry, and RISE THEATRE (Representation, Inclusion, & Support for Employment) are thrilled to announce a special live Zoom Virtual Technical Workshop Special Event featuring 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist and Tony Award-winning producer Alicia Keys in conversation with Maestra Lily Ling, Music Director of the Broadway hit HELL’S KITCHEN. The event, titled “Kaleidoscope Dreams: Unlocking the Potentials in Musical Theatre,” will occur on Thursday, February 27, 2025, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST. Reservations are required at this link.

This dynamic discussion will explore the evolving landscape of musical theatre, examining the crucial role that women and underrepresented voices play in shaping the industry's future. It will also trace Alicia Keys' groundbreaking journey from chart-topping musician to Broadway powerhouse. Inspired by Keys' life and music, HELL'S KITCHEN recently won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and earned 13 Tony Award nominations in 2024, including a nomination for Best Musical, further reinforcing her position as a leading voice in the industry.

“We are honored to welcome Alicia Keys to Maestra and RISE for this special event,” said Georgia Stitt, Founder of Maestra Music. “Her passion for storytelling through music is a beacon for aspiring artists, and we’re eager to hear her insights alongside Lily Ling, whose leadership in musical direction has been instrumental in bringing HELL’S KITCHEN to Broadway audiences.”

The event is free and open to the public, not just Maestra and RISE members. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP early, as space is limited. While registration is complimentary, a suggested donation will support Maestra’s mission of providing support, visibility, and community for the women and nonbinary musicians in the theatre industry and their programs, such as RISE Theatre.

Join Maestra and RISE on March 31st at Amplify 2025 to hear Kecia Lewis perform a song from Alicia Keys’ Tony and Grammy award-winning musical HELL’S KITCHEN.

Alicia Keys is a 17-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, founder of Keys Soulcare, New York Times best-selling author, film/television and Broadway producer, accomplished actress, entrepreneur, and a powerful force in the world of activism. She is one of the original founders of She Is The Music, an initiative to create change for women and build an equal future for music. Since the release of her monumental 2001 debut album, SONGS IN A MINOR, Keys has sold over 65 million records and over 5 billion streams and built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments. Alicia has become the #1 RIAA certified Female R&B artist of the millennium with over 37 Million certified track sales (US) and 20 Million Album Sales (US). She released her eighth studio album, KEYS (Original and Unlocked) - a double album - in 2021 followed by a Deluxe version in 2022 and a sold-out ALICIA + KEYS World Tour that celebrated the KEYS and ALICIA albums. Alicia released her book, “More Myself: A Journey” via Flatiron Books which debuted and spent multiple weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List. In March 2022, she released her first graphic novel titled, “Girl On Fire” with HarperCollins. Keys released her first-ever holiday album, SANTA BABY, in November 2022, which includes 4 original songs, including the single “December Back 2 June.” In 2023 Keys completed a spectacular, 360-degree show, the KEYS TO THE SUMMER TOUR, which hit 22 cities across North America. HELL’S KITCHEN, the Grammy Award-winning and 13-time Tony Award-nominated original stage musical Keys diligently worked for 13 years to create opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theater on April 20, 2024.

Lily Ling is a Chinese Canadian music director, conductor, and educator. She was the first female Music Director for Hamilton and the first person of East Asian descent to conduct the production on Broadway. A strong advocate for education and outreach, Lily is the Program Co-Coordinator for the inaugural Acting for Musical Theatre program at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is an active member and mentor for MAESTRA and MUSE. During her tenure as the Music Director for the And Peggy company of HAMILTON, Lily partnered with the Asian Art Museum and the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and has spoken with community groups and schools throughout the San Francisco Unified School District. Other theatrical credits include Broadway: HELL'S KITCHEN, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, MOULIN ROUGE, HAMILTON. National Tours: HAMILTON (And Peggy & Philip tours). Off-Broadway: JOHN & JEN (20th-anniversary revival), Regional: NINE (Kennedy Center), BRUCE (Seattle Rep). International: THE LION KING (Shanghai - Chinese Premiere), A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER (Chinese Premiere); Canadian premieres of KINKY BOOTS, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, PARADE, HIGH FIDELITY, JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA, and REEFER MADNESS. Lily holds a BMus in Piano Performance from the University of Toronto and an MFA in Music Direction from Penn State University. She is currently pursuing an EdD CT in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

ABOUT MAESTRA
​Maestra Music, Inc. was founded by composer/lyricist and music director Georgia Stitt to provide support, visibility, and community to the women and nonbinary people who make the music in the musical theater industry. Maestra envisions a world in which women and nonbinary people have equitable access, visibility, and creative impact in the musical theater industry. In this future, at least half of all music-related theater jobs and leadership roles are filled by qualified women and nonbinary musicians, decidedly inclusive of people of color. These musicians are historically and consistently under-represented in musical theatre. By delivering on our mission, we will be a catalyst and driving force to help achieve gender equity in our business. In 2023, Maestra built a program called RISE (Representation, Inclusion, and Support for Employment) that seeks to build a more equitable and inclusive theatre industry. RISE centralizes DEIA tools and resources through a network of partners and a national personnel directory that focuses on folks from underrepresented backgrounds, including but not limited to people of color, women, trans, nonbinary, deaf, and disabled theatre professionals. Maestra Music, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization based in New York. www.maestramusic.org

ABOUT RISE THEATRE ​
​RISE (Representation, Inclusion, & Support for Employment) seeks to build a more equitable and inclusive theatre industry by centralizing DEIA tools and resources through a network of partners and a national personnel directory. It serves all theatre professionals but is intentionally designed to amplify people from underrepresented backgrounds, including, but not limited to, people of color, women, trans, nonbinary, deaf, and disabled theatre professionals. RISE Theatre is a program of Maestra Music. For more information about RISE Theatre, visit risetheatreatre.org. 

IG: @maestramusicorg; ​ /@risetheatreorg
​Facebook: /MaestraMusicOrg; ​ /risetheatreorg

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