Multitalented entertainer, vocalist, pianist, actor Harry Connick, Jr. to perform at Lafayette Bicentennial Ball
Continuing with its memorable Bicentennial programming, Lafayette College has announced that Grammy and Emmy Award-winning entertainer Harry Connick, Jr. will perform at the Bicentennial Ball Oct. 10 on the Quad.
“We are so excited to have this legendary performer and his band as part of our Bicentennial year celebration,” President Nicole Hurd says. “A performance by Harry Connick, Jr. on the Quad will be an evening long remembered. His mix of American standards and original songs, performed with his unmistakable baritone voice and inventive keyboard work will lift spirits as we celebrate the College’s past and move into our third century.”
Harry Connick, Jr. | Photo by Georgia Connick
Connick, a New Orleans native recognized as part of the continuum of great American vocalists, joins an already impressive Lafayette College Bicentennial guest list.
Lin-Manuel Miranda spoke Feb. 12 as part of the Jones Visiting Lecture, renowned award-winning songwriter, actor, producer, and bestselling author Leslie Odom Jr. will perform at the Bicentennial New York Holiday Party Dec. 10, and Bill Nye “The Science Guy” was the 2026 Founders’ Day speaker on March 30.
The invite-only Ball will be a celebration of the Bicentennial year, with an eye forward to Lafayette’s third century. Alongside Connick’s performance, guests will be treated to food, drink, and mingling with other members of the Lafayette community.
More details and information on the Bicentennial Ball will be shared directly with invitees. Students and community members can look forward to upcoming details regarding additional fall Bicentennial programming, including the Student Ball Oct. 16 and Bicentennial Homecoming Weekend Nov. 20-21, featuring our final Bicentennial events on campus, including the 2026 Rivalry Game.
About Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.’s career has exemplified excellence across multiple platforms in the entertainment world. He has received Grammy and Emmy awards as well as Tony nominations for his live and recorded musical performances, his achievements in film and television, and his appearances on Broadway as both an actor and composer.
The foundation of Connick’s art is the music of his native New Orleans, where he began performing as a pianist and vocalist at age 5. Highlights of his music career include several multiplatinum albums (When Harry Met Sally, Blue Light, Red Light, When My Heart Finds Christmas, Come By Me, and Only You). The Grammy-nominated True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter was released in 2019 in conjunction with a production on Broadway that he wrote and directed honoring the musical achievements of one of America’s most respected songwriters, Cole Porter. In 2020 as the world entered the pandemic lockdown, Connick retreated to his home studio and emerged with an album of songs of faith and inspiration. Alone With My Faith displays the sheer breadth of Connick’s talents as he wrote new songs, arranged all songs, played every instrument, sang every voice, and earned Connick his 16th career Grammy nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album. In January 2025, Connick made his debut on the storied stage of the New York Metropolitan Opera, which relaunched the Broadway production of A Celebration of Cole Porter.
Connick has appeared in 21 films and most recently starred in Find Me Falling, a romantic comedy filmed in Cyprus and released by Netflix in July 2024. Find Me Falling rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Netflix Global English Language chart upon release. Connick starred in Dolphin Tale with Morgan Freeman, Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock, P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Bug with Ashley Judd, and Copycat with Sigourney Weaver, and on television (American Idol, Will & Grace, South Pacific, Annie Live and his Emmy Award-winning concert specials). His national daytime television show Harry, featuring his touring band, earned 11 Daytime Emmy nominations in its two seasons, including two nominations for best host and a Critics’ Choice nomination for best talk show.
On Broadway, Connick received Tony nominations as both a lead actor in The Pajama Game and as composer/lyricist for Thou Shalt Not.
Despite his busy career, Connick has always found the time to be charitable and has done some of his most important work in his efforts to help New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He, along with friend Branford Marsalis, conceived of Musicians’ Village and its centerpiece, the Ellis Marsalis Center. Musicians’ Village provides homes for musicians, while the center uses music as its focal point of a holistic strategy to deliver a broad range of services to underserved children, youth, and musicians from neighborhoods battling poverty and social injustice.
Connick’s honors, including a star on the celebrated Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, honorary doctorates from Tulane and Loyola universities and the Jefferson Award for Public Service, have not led Connick to slow his creative pace; they only confirm his determination to apply his talents in ways that prove inspirational to other artists and publicly spirited citizens.
