Award-winning singer-songwriter Elza Libhart—known to her fans simply as “Elza”—will be featured among national headliners at an April 15 benefit concert for ALS at The Performing Art Center in Purchase, NY.
Along with Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) and Patty Smyth, the event, entitled Musicians United for ALS, will feature Paul Schaffer (of David Letterman fame), Average White Band, Bernie Williams (of Yankees fame), the Bacon Brothers (featuring Kevin) and many others.
Elza, a 17-year resident of Ridgefield, has raised twin daughters in town while maintaining a career that has brought her from NYC stages to composer credits on network television.
When her former mentor and producer, Wayne Warnecke (Chaka Kahn, Luther Vandross, Train), invited her to perform at the benefit, Elza immediately agreed. “Wayne was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, and the music community has rallied around him and this important cause,” she says.
A classically trained musician, Elza toured as singer-songwriter for nearly a decade, performing at festivals, arts centers, universities and such famous venues as The Bluebird Café in Nashville and New York’s Cutting Room. “I’ve played colleges in every state except Idaho and Colorado,” she notes.
Over her career, Elza has shared the stage with the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, Train, Martin Sexton and Andrea Bocelli. She has released three albums, and her music continues to be heard on such hit shows as the CW’s “Smallville,” ABC’s “Hopkins” and Netflix’s “Charmed.”
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis and respiratory failure. Approximately 30,000 people in the US live with the disease, which has no known cure.
Tickets for the April 15th event are available online at https://alsunitedgreaternewyork.ticketspice.com/a-night-for-wayne. Proceeds go to ALS United New York.