Shields, who was scheduled to narrate the concerto penned by Glen Roven, is recovering from surgery and unable to perform. Roven confirmed to Playbill.com that three-time Tony Award- winning actress Glenn Close will now lend her voice to the proceedings on April 29.

Close will serve as the reader in Roven's concerto for violin, reader and orchestra. Presented through the Medical Development for Israel, "The Runaway Bunny" will benefit the Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel.

Though Shields is unable to perform for Carnegie Hall audiences, her voice is present on the Sony/BMG recording of "The Runaway Bunny" concerto, which was released in 2006. The disc features London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and renowned Israeli violinist Ittai Shapira.

The concerto is described as "a classical music adaptation of the book told in the style of 'Peter and the Wolf.' A narrator tells the story as the solo violin and the orchestra take the audience through the journeys of the wayward bunny. The piece is 20 minutes in duration and the music is contemporary in feel, yet totally accessible."

The 1942 book by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd "begins with a young bunny who decides to run away: 'If you run away,' said his mother, 'I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.' And so begins a delightful, imaginary game of chase," according to notes for the book. Glenn Close earned Tony Awards for her work in The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden and Sunset Boulevard. Close's stage credits also include her Tony-nominated performance in Barnum as well as Rex, The Member of the Wedding, The Crucifier of Blood and Benefactors. Her extensive film appearances include "The Big Chill," "Fatal Attraction," "The Natural," "The World According to Garp," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Mars Attacks" and "Reversal of Fortune."

Tickets to the 7:30 PM performance of "The Runaway Bunny" at Carnegie Hall are available by phoning (212) 247-7800 or by visiting www.carnegiehall.org.