Broadway Bound Kids Puts the Fun in Fundraiser for Their Fourth Annual Benefit Concert!

Put on a concert! It was that simple for Broadway Bound Kids (BBK), a nonprofit that provides accessible performing arts education for NYC Youth. At a time where New York City was all too familiar with the pandemic; home schooling, masking, social distancing, the future of BBK was promising even in uncertainty. Midway through 2021 gradual changes were happening including theaters reopening and classrooms becoming in-person again, offering a glimmer of hope and a spark of inspiration. It was at this moment that BBK knew that in order to continue to serve more students and create new programs, they would need to grow, reconnect with community, and remind New Yorkers of the power of togetherness. The Broadway Bound Benefit was born.

Recognizing the enormous scale of talent within BBK’s classrooms, McGuire and Samantha Parrish-Khan, Director of Education, launched the inaugural Benefit combining the dazzle of Broadway guests stars with the gifts of students like Gabriella “GG” and BBK’s Teaching Artists.

GG joined BBK in 2019 as a sixth grader starting her theatrical career in school. She is now a senior and recently starred as Maria in the prestigious arts institution LaGuardia High School’s West Side Story. “Being in West Side Story was an incredible experience I’ll never forget, but I can’t imagine I’d have gotten there without my teachers and all the programs I’ve lived through with BBK,” GG expresses. “BBK has molded me in such a way that I have been able to find authenticity and confidence not only in myself, but as an actor. It has built such a great educational foundation on how to own my presence on stage, how to find the character, and how to be in the story, truthfully.” 

As a senior and soon to be alumni – GG has grown alongside BBK, seeing new programs get introduced like BBK Bridge to Higher Education – the most recently added tuition-free program for college audition prep. “BBK Bridge to Higher Education gave me a space to work one-on-one with industry professionals in all three facets of musical theatre. Not only did these coachings help me by providing technical feedback, they also gave me time to prepare material for college prescreening, auditions, and exposed me to Broadway casting! All of these wonderful opportunities were so valuable moving into the college process, the fruits of which I am so grateful for.” 

These initiatives at BBK are largely funded by the Broadway Bound Benefit and give much needed opportunities to New York youth when the future can feel uncertain. “Right now, BBK is poised for tremendous growth. We have connected to more students without access to the arts than ever before. However, we face serious challenges and in a turbulent world, the path to ensuring service to our deserving kids is still unclear. That is why this year's Empower State of Mind event is so pivotal: Not only are we bringing together truly exceptional Broadway talent to perform alongside our students and staff, making this our biggest and brightest gala yet, we are also proving to our students that they are worth celebrating, that they matter and are worth fighting for,” McGuire expounds. 

There’s no doubt that this year’s Fourth Annual Benefit, Empower State of Mind, will be an unforgettable night with such stars as Kate Baldwin, Olivia Donalson, Kelsee Kimmel, Storm Lever, Daniel Quadrino, Jacob Keith Watson with the recipients of the second Broadway Bound Legacy Award; Cori Gardner and Donnie Kehr of The PATH Fund, Inc.®. The evening celebrates the incredible city of New York and will be chock full of iconic songs.

“What makes this year's concert so exciting is the wide variety of genres we're pulling from, and the wide variety of folks singing! You'll hear AC/DC, you'll hear musical theater, and you'll hear Lady Gaga! The music is a celebration not only of finding your voice, but of the unique voices that can only come from New York City. There are Broadway stars dueting with BBK students, several epic mashups, and we even have a BBK parent hopping behind the mic. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dance, you'll feel the power of a group of folks uniting to share their love of community and music,” Samantha Parrish-Khan says excitedly about the show.

This is GG’s last year performing at the Benefit as a BBK Student, “This year’s Benefit really excites me. After spending such a significant chunk of my life in this community, I feel so honored to keep performing and contributing to BBK’s continuation. I know how valuable these free programs have been for me the past seven years, and I sincerely hope I can keep helping make them happen. Although it is bittersweet since it’s my last as a student, I am simply so happy to be a part of events like this to keep empowering the next generations.” 

The Broadway Bound Benefit Concert is an integral part of BBK’s continued growth, join Broadway Bound Kids at their Fourth Annual Broadway Bound Benefit, Empower State of Mind at City Winery NYC on February 2, 2026 at 7:30PM ET to experience the one-of-a-kind evening – help raise essential funds and empower the next generation of young artists.

Get tickets here