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On March 12th, 2026, the 21st annual “Michael Dorf Presents: The 21st Annual Music Of” tribute concert took place at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium to celebrate the music of the legendary Billy Joel. With a star-studded lineup, the concert sold out immediately, with Joel himself in attendance. One hundred percent of net proceeds from the event went towards music education programs for underserved communities, such as Music Will, The Grammy Museum Foundation, Theatre Within, and many more. With over 3,500 attendees, the concert raised over 225,000 dollars for its selected beneficiaries.
Joel’s own touring band served as the house band for the night, which included musical director David Rosenthal leading the rest of the ensemble: Mark Rivera, Crystal Taliefero, Tommy Byrnes, Andy Cichon, Chuck Burgi, and Carl Fischer. Kristine Stone of the SiriusXM “Billy Joel Channel” introduced each musician between acts.
Michael Dorf himself began the show by welcoming the audience before Yola kicked things off with “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).” Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty continued on with “Vienna,” followed by Train’s Pat Monahan with “She’s Always a Woman” and Mary Chapin Carpenter with an earnest delivery of “And So It Goes.”
Singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson got the party going, following up a heartfelt solo rendition of “I Go To Extremes” with an electrifying full-band performance of “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out On Broadway).” The grandeur of Carnegie Hall perhaps met its match with the enormity of Nathanson’s personality and magnetic stage presence, with many attendees out of their seats to dance by the end of his second song.
Jon McLaughlin continued the evening with “Everybody Loves You Now,” before Joel’s own daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, took the stage to perform “This Night” after a heartfelt dedication to her parents. The highly decorated Rufus Wainwright delivered a powerful rendition of “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel),” followed by Ledisi with a moving, solo piano performance of a newer Joel track, “Turn the Lights Back On.”
In one of the evening’s highlights, Marc Roberge of O.A.R. was joined on stage by legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman for “The Downeaster Alexa,” with Perlman reprising his role on the original recording from 1989. American soul-singer Bettye Lavette then performed “She’s Got a Way,” followed by David Rosenthal with a unique classical piano instrumental take on “The Longest Time.”
Todd Kamelhar of The Joel Foundation then took the stage briefly to thank attendees and the performers for their support. Then, in one of the best performances of the night, Wyclef Jean brought out a student ensemble from the nonprofit Music Will to perform “My Life,” highlighting the very real impact such programs make on their communities. Neal Francis continued the music with “Stiletto” before Sammy Rae took the stage for “River of Dreams” and “Get It Right the First Time.” Rae treated the former to a bright and jazzy solo performance on mandolin, and the latter to a bombastic full-band jam that allowed the singer’s natural stage presence and charisma to shine.
Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs led a deeply personal piano-driven performance of “Allentown,” followed by a spotlight on the entire Billy Joel Band on “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.” The energy carried through Curtis Harding’s singalong performance of “Uptown Girl” and Gavin DeGraw’s electric rendition of “Big Shot.” Brother-sister duo Gracie and Clyde Lawrence of their band Lawrence, joined by their saxophonist Jordan Cohen, delivered an energetic performance of “Only the Good Die Young” that had the entire room up and out of their seats.
Finally, modern-day piano man Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate took the stage to close the show with “Piano Man.” The experience was particularly meaningful for McMahon; having started playing piano by ear at only nine years old, his parents gifted him Joel’s Greatest Hits: Volumes I and II, which became, in his own words, “my bible.” His very first concert was Billy Joel in Cleveland, and years later, in 2017, he would open for him in the very same city. McMahon certainly did the iconic song justice and was met with a standing ovation. Lastly, the entire cast of the evening came out for a celebratory encore performance of “You May Be Right.”
You can read more about the annual Music Of tradition, and explore the many deserving recipients of this year’s fundraiser here. For over two decades, Michael Dorf has leveraged the power of music for good while developing and continuing one of New York City’s most anticipated events year after year. We look forward to what he continues to do in the future and seeing which musical legend next year’s benefit will honour.