Moon River, Josh Groban Fills the Appel Room With Colbert and Marsalis

Josh Groban's annual Find Your Light benefit raised a record $1.6 million for arts education on Monday, October 19, in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, with Stephen Colbert and Wynton Marsalis on the bill.

The Appel Room hangs above Columbus Circle, with a wall of glass behind the stage and Central Park going dark beyond it. On Monday it held a choir of kids, Stephen Colbert and a trumpet player who helped build the house.

BroadwayWorld reported the night and calls the total "a benefit record of $1.6 million."

What Is the Find Your Light Benefit?

It is the yearly fundraising concert for Groban's Find Your Light Foundation, which gives grants to arts education programs. Music Times reported in September that the foundation had already awarded more than $1.5 million to programs around the country this year.

The evening mixes a reception, auctions and a concert. A VIP reception for sponsors and patrons came first, in the Ertegun Ballroom, and concert tickets started at $125, according to Music Times.

Groban hosted and sang. Before the night he said he was "so grateful to the extraordinary artists, friends, and icons who continue to join me on this stage," as Music Times quotes him.

Who Performed?

The night opened with kids. Groban sang "Stand By Me" with the Harlem School of the Arts Choir, dancers from MOVE NYC, the Boston Music Project and the Upbeat NYC Strings, BroadwayWorld says.

Then came the Broadway names. Betsy Wolfe and Lorna Courtney sang "That's The Way It Is" from & Juliet. Groban and Oni Marsalis took on "Moon River." Simon CiFuentes joined Groban for "Remember Me" from Coco.

Colbert and the musician Louis Cato came out for "Bring It On Home" and "You've Really Got a Hold on Me." Both also spoke from the stage about arts education.

On Monday it held a choir of kids, Stephen Colbert and a trumpet player who helped build the house.

The evening closed with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," with Groban, the Harlem School of the Arts Choir and the Boston Music Project.

Did Joey Fatone Perform?

Not according to the report from the night. Music Times listed Joey Fatone of NSYNC among the scheduled performers when tickets went on sale on September 2. BroadwayWorld's account of the program does not credit him with a song, though one of its photos shows him with Groban, Wolfe and Courtney.

So he was in the room. Whether he sang, the published record does not say.

Why Did Wynton Marsalis Get the Award?

Marsalis received the Find Your Light Award from Groban and a student from Artists for Humanity, then gave a performance of his own.

Music Times describes him as managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School. He is a nine-time Grammy winner and the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

For the honoree, the Appel Room is home ground. Marsalis was one of the founders of Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1987, a history we traced in our story on Gordon Davis, the man who gave jazz a house.

Who Else Was Honored?

The Oliver Sacks Foundation received the Arts for Healing Award, which BroadwayWorld says recognizes the late neurologist's work and legacy on the health benefits of music. Dr. Connie Tomaino spoke for the foundation.

What Does the Night Have to Do With Groban's Album?

Several songs came straight from Cinematic, Groban's album of movie songs on Reprise Records. BroadwayWorld names "Stand By Me," "Moon River," "Remember Me" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" as album tracks heard on the night. Greg Wells produced the ten-track record, which was recorded in Los Angeles and London.

What to Know Before You Go

The concert has passed. Jazz at Lincoln Center sits in the Deutsche Bank Center at Columbus Circle, and its box office handled tickets for the benefit, Music Times says, so watch the venue's calendar for next year's date.

Groban sang "Moon River" in a room that looks out on the city at night. The money heads for classrooms.