Richard Kaufman has devoted much of his musical life to conducting and supervising music for film and television productions, as well as conducting film and classical music in concert and on recordings. He is thrilled to be returning to the Soraya for this very special Disney in Concert celebration. Kaufman is in his nineteenth season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra film series, CSO at the Movies, holds the permanent title of Pops Conductor Laureate with the Dallas Symphony, and was recently given the permanent title of Principal Pops Conductor Laureate with Pacific Symphony.

Kaufman regularly appears as a guest conductor with orchestras throughout the world. The 2023-24 concert season includes return engagements with The Cleveland Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He also makes his conducting debut with the Tonkuenstler Orchestra in Austria.

Kaufman received the 1993 Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category. He has conducted for a who’s-who of performers including John Denver, Andy Williams, Nanette Fabray, the Beach Boys, and Amy Grant.

Kaufman joined the music department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and for almost two decades, supervised music for all of MGM’s television and animation projects, receiving two Emmy nominations. He has also coached various actors in musical roles, including Jack Nicholson, Dudley Moore, and Tom Hanks.

As a studio violinist, Kaufman performed on numerous film and television scores, recording with artists including John Denver, Andy Williams, Burt Bacharach, the Carpenters, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra. He also played on numerous Disney television scores and Disneyland projects.

His wife, Gayle, is a former dancer in film, television, and on Broadway, and his daughter, Whitney, is a successful singer and actress.
Richard Kaufman is proud to be represented by Opus 3 Artists.

Armed with a warm, soulful sound, Moreno creates music that offers an intoxicating invitation into her musical world for English and Spanish speakers alike. Since moving to Los Angeles from her native Guatemala, singer-songwriter-producer Gaby Moreno has released 7 albums, earned a Grammy nomination for her albums Alegoría (Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album, 2023) and Illusion (Best Latin Pop Album, 2017), and won a Latin Grammy (Best New Artist, 2013). Moreno has shared the international stage with pop music luminaries such as Bono, Andrea Boccelli, Tracy Chapman, Ani DiFranco, Punch Brothers, Hugh Laurie, Buena Vista Social Club, Calexico, David Gray, and many more. Through her various projects, Moreno has redefined Americana as the only prominent Latina in the genre today, opening the doors for other marginalized voices and transforming the landscape overall.

In addition to her critical acclaim within the music industry, Moreno has also amassed a long list of accolades within the TV and film worlds. Most famously, she co-wrote the seminal theme song for cult classic TV show, ‘Parks and Recreation’. Her moving version of the classic song “Cucurrucucú Paloma” was chosen to play at the end of the emotional episode “God Bless America” for the last season of Netflix’s original show, “Orange Is The New Black”. Most recently, her music was featured in Guillermo Del Toro’s new Netflix show ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ as well as receiving a 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards nomination for her song on the film ‘Valet.’

Her album “¡Spangled!” – a collaboration with musician, songwriter and arranger, Van Dyke Parks – is a set of ten songs celebrating the migration of song across the  Americas and spans more than a century, including a bolero from Panama, a  bossa nova from Brazil, and an elegiac ballad from the Southwest United States. The album features a duet with Jackson Browne and an art cover designed by Klaus Voormann (who designed The Beatles’ Revolver cover). Gaby was also chosen to sing the theme song and voice a character (Marlena) on the multi-Emmy Award-winning Disney children’s television series, “Elena of Avalor,” which features Disney’s first Latina princess. More recently, she composed all the music for the movie “Language Lessons”, directed by Natalie Morales and co-written/starring Morales and Mark Duplass.

In 2020 she produced, co-wrote, and sang the duet “Bolero a La Vida” with legendary Cuban singer Omara Portuondo from Buena Vista Social Club fame and received a Latin Grammy nomination in the “Best Tropical Song” category. In 2022, Moreno released her latest album, Alegoría, produced by herself, featuring among others her guitar heroes Marc Ribot and Davíd Garza. The album comprises 11 songs both in English and Spanish, exploring themes of hope, love, nostalgia, and desolation. Alegoría received a US Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album in 2023 with fellow nominees including Rosalía, Mon Laferte, Fito Páez, Jorge Drexler and Cimafunk.

In 2023 Gaby released her new project X Mí (Vol. 1) via the trailblazing label Cosmica Artists. Ushering in a new chapter for the beloved artist, X Mí (Vol. 1), pronounced “Por Mi”, is a collection of rich and soulful acoustic songs that have remained dear to Gaby’s heart for years now in both English and Spanish. It’s lined with Gaby’s one-of-a-kind sound that has garnered large critical acclaim and the attention of some of today’s most esteemed artists.

The acoustic project featured a striking collaboration between Gaby and Golden Globe-winning / Emmy-nominated actor, producer, and musician Oscar Isaac through a moving rendition of the beloved Guatemalan treasure, “Luna de Xelajú.” The collaboration saw the two artists and close friends coming together to celebrate their shared roots, honoring their beloved country of Guatemala and their families, through a combined love for music. 

In addition to her dynamic work within entertainment, Moreno has cemented a long trajectory as a champion for immigration rights and social issues dear to her. She was recently named the first Unicef Goodwill Ambassador from Guatemala. She is focused on mentoring young female artists and creatives.

Most recently, Gaby received two Latin Grammy nominations for “Mejor Album Tropical Tradicional” and “Mejor Álbum de Música Infantil” as part of the awards presented in Spain in November 2023. It’s clear that Gaby remains a force to be reckoned with within the larger music arena.

Special Guest Performance for 3PM and 8PM show.

Anika Noni Rose won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Caroline, or Change (also receiving the Lucille Lortel, Theatre World, Obie and Clarence Derwent awards and a Drama Desk nomination). Her additional Broadway credits include A Raisin in the Sun (Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Cat on A Hot Tin Roofdirected by Debbie Allen and Footloose. Additional stage credits include Carmen Jones (Lucille Lortel and AUDELCO awards; Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations); and the New York Philharmonic’s production of Company. Rose drew notice for her acclaimed performance as Regina in Netflix’s most-watched limited series to date, “Maid” (2022 NAACP Image Awards nomination, one of nine she has received). Previously, Anika hosted the third season of the Being Seen podcast where she led important conversations on in-depth exploration of the Black female experience. Rose appeared in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix), Lena Waithe’s “Them” (Amazon) and “Little Fires Everywhere” (Hulu). Additionally, Anika led the cast of BET’s series “The Quad” as Eva Fletcher, starred in the film Everything, Everything and in the History Channel’s adaptation of “Roots” as Kizzy (NAACP Image Award nomination). On the big screen, Anika starred as Lorell Robinson in Dreamgirls (AFI Ensemble Award, SAG Award nomination, Grammy Award nomination). Additional TV and film credits include “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” (HBO), For Colored Girls, Half of A Yellow Sun, Assassination Nation and recently, Showtime’s series “Letthe Right One In.” Anika voiced Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and The Frog, featuring the first African American Disney Princess. The film received three Oscar nominations and Anika became the youngest inductee to ever be honored as a Disney Legend.

Special Guest introduction for 8PM performance.