Michael Maliakel is an actor and singer, and a classically trained baritone whose repertoire spans the Golden Age of Broadway, the American Songbook, and contemporary musical theatre. He made his Broadway debut in the title role of Aladdin, a run that stretched to three years, and went on to play Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby on Broadway from March 2025 to March 2026. Earlier stage work includes the world premiere of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston (his off-Broadway debut), Leonard Bernstein’s MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers, and a North American tour of The Phantom of the Opera‘s 25th anniversary production. In December 2024, he starred in Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, the PBS special performed with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. More recent credits include an Encores! presentation of Titanic in New York, The Little Mermaid at The Muny in St. Louis, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard at the Kennedy Center.
Hailed by Wynton Marsalis as “a remarkable virtuoso, a consummate artist,” Judith Lynn Stillman is Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Music at Rhode Island College. She holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School, where she won the concerto competition and the Dethier Prize for Outstanding Pianist, and has since won 18 competitions internationally, including First Prize in the International Opera Vision/Opera Harmony Quarantine Competition as composer, music director, and pianist for her mini-opera starring Grammy winner Will Liverman. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and the Grand Teton Music Festival, at international festivals across France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain, and as a guest with the Borromeo, Cassatt, and Shanghai String Quartets, among others. Her collaborations range from The Beach Boys to Herbie Hancock, and her duet album with Wynton Marsalis on Sony Classical reached the Billboard Top Ten. She was named Honored Artist of The American Prize in both piano and composition, and Creative Services Industry Leader by PBN. She was also an inaugural winner of the Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts, performing a solo piano tribute for Tina Fey and Kelli O’Hara at the ceremony. In 2024, her play-within-a-concert® format received official trademark status. Visit judithlynnstillman.com.