Renée Elise Goldsberry has performed at the Grammys, the White House and on Broadway’s biggest stages. Early next year, she will perform on the campus where her mother earned a doctoral degree. The Tony- and Grammy Award-winning star of “Hamilton” will appear at Rice University Jan. 23 at the Morrison Theater in the Shepherd School of Music’s Brockman Hall for Opera as a Presidential Visiting Guest Artist. Tickets for the performance go on sale Oct. 16, though Shepherd School annual fund donors at the Ambassador level ($250) and above receive presale ticket access Oct. 12.
“Rice is delighted to welcome the extraordinary Renée Elise Goldsberry to Brockman Opera Hall for this special one-night-only performance,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “As an internationally acclaimed artist and a proud Houstonian, Renée brings a remarkable talent and energy to our campus, creating an opportunity for audiences across Rice and throughout our community to experience her artistry in a truly special setting. We’re excited to open our doors to longtime supporters and new audiences alike for what promises to be an unforgettable evening.”
Goldsberry originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton,” winning the 2016 Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical. Her Broadway credits also include the original cast of “The Color Purple” and “Rent,” and she is known to television audiences for “Girls5eva” and “The Good Wife.”
The performance is a homecoming for Goldsberry, who spent much of her childhood in Houston and first stepped onstage at age 8 during a summer camp at HITS Theatre. Her Rice ties run deeper still: Her mother, Betty Sanders, an industrial psychologist, earned her doctorate from Rice in 1984.
More information about the event, including how to buy tickets, is available on the Shepherd School of Music website. For those interested in supporting the Shepherd School in the fall semester, tickets for orchestra performances will go on sale Aug. 21.