Tony winners Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel will perform Stephen Flaherty and William Schermerhorn’s “American River Suite” as part of the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks celebration.

New York Pops’ music director Steven Reineke conducts the commissioned work that features a score by Tony winner Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island, The Glorious Ones) and lyrics by William Schermerhorn. “American River Suite” commemorates the 400th anniversary of the exploration of New York Harbor and the Hudson River.

In addition to McDonald (Ragtime, Carousel, Raisin in the Sun) and Menzel (Rent, Wicked), “American River Suite” will include the voices of the Choir Academy of Harlem.

“American River Suite” originally premiered as part of The New York Pops’ 26th Birthday Gala in April, featuring Menzel and Tony winner Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change, “Dreamgirls”).

The 9 PM Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks celebration will be telecast live on NBC television and on 1010 WINS radio from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York Harbor.

- Playbill.com

Also, just a reminder that Chess in Concert is now available on CD & DVD in the US & UK (at Dress Circle)! However, the Warner Bros limited edition set that was/is available for pre-order was pushed back until July 21 to put finishing touches on the extras that come with it. Just an FYI.

First and foremost, I’d like to wish Idina a very happy (and very belated) birthday! Feel free to leave birthday wishes for Idina in the comments of this entry.

Secondly, I’ve been adding tons of photos to the gallery from past events and performances (thanks mostly to Flor!). You can check out all the updated galleries by clicking the thumbnails and links below. There are a lot, so get comfortable!

And just in case you don’t want to click into all those galleries, remember, you can always access the latest uploads by clicking here. (The link is also located in the menu within the gallery.)