James, according to composer Brown's monthly newsletter, will join the previously announced Alice Ripley, Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess for the 8 PM concerts.

Michael Baron will direct the evenings, which will feature composer and musical director Brown on piano. The concerts are a collaboration between Virginia's Signature Theatre and Strathmore.

Songs for a New World is a series of tunes loosely focused on change, newness and discovery. "Stars and the Moon" — which has been recorded by Audra McDonald and Betty Buckley — was the break-out hit of the show. The song cycle also features comic numbers — the frantic and dark "Just One Step" and the Christmas parody "Surabaya-Santa" — as well as quiet ballads like "The World Was Dancing" and "I'd Give It All for You."

Brian d'Arcy James was seen on Broadway earlier this season in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Apple Tree. The singing actor made his Broadway debut in Blood Brothers, and his other Main Stem credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Carousel, Titanic and Sweet Smell of Success, earning a Tony nomination for his performance in the latter. James' Off-Broadway credits include The Good Thief (Obie Award), The Wild Party, Ancestral Voices, Velvet Vise, Public Enemy and Floyd Collins.

The Music Center at Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda, MD. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.strathmore.org.