McDonald will sing a new work by composer Adam Guettel, which is being commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation through “the generosity of John L. Tishman.” The six evenings of concerts will mark the world premiere of the Guettel composition, which does not yet have a title; concerts are scheduled for June 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12, 2004 at 8:30 PM and June 6 at 5 PM. Ted Sperling will serve as musical director and conductor.

A three-time Tony Award winner for her work in Master Class, Carousel and Ragtime, Audra McDonald was most recently on Broadway in the title role of Marie Christine. The singer-actress recently made her solo Carnegie Hall concert debut in an evening of songs scored for big bands, performing several tunes from her Nonesuch CD "Happy Songs." McDonald's other solo recordings, "Way Back to Paradise" and "How Glory Goes," are also on the Nonesuch label. She also co-stars in the new NBC series, "Mister Sterling.”

Adam Guettel, grandson of famed Broadway composer Richard Rodgers, has been hailed by The New York Times as “a young composer of strength and sophistication.” His works include Floyd Collins and Saturn Returns, and his latest musical, The Light in the Piazza, is a fairy-tale romance about the love affair of an American woman — who is not all that she seems — with an Italian man in Florence. Piazza will premiere at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre May 31-July 19.

Tickets for the McDonald concerts are priced at $48 or $62, and the Zankel Hall entrance and lobby are located on the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. For more information, call (212) 247-7800 or visit www.carnegiehall.org.