Palace Theatre Celebrates Centennial with Ray Charles Concert

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 6, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The Palace Theatre is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary with a special concert, bringing the music of Ray Charles back to its stage for a one-night-only event. The concert, titled "Palace 100: The Genius of Ray Charles," will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Palace Theatre, located at 34 W. Broad St., Columbus.

The lineup for the concert is an all-star cast spanning various musical genres. Headlining the event will be country artist Jackson Dean and jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles. Other performers include Grammy Award-winning R&B and jazz vocalist Patti Austin, multiplatinum singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, Grammy-nominated gospel singer-songwriter Blessing Offor, Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer Lisa Fischer, Grammy-nominated singer Monica Mancini, and Columbus native Billy Valentine. Etienne Charles, a Guggenheim Fellow, is known for blending jazz with Afro-Caribbean musical traditions.

The concert will feature a special rendition of "America the Beautiful," one of Ray Charles' best-known interpretations. The program will also include performances by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Jazz, and The Ohio State University School of Music, led by Grammy-nominated conductor Chris Walden. Notable musicians joining the orchestra include Grammy-nominated guitarist Dean Parks, bassist Nathan East, Columbus Hammond organist and former Ray Charles band member Bobby Floyd, saxophonist Tom Scott, and Grammy-winning keyboardist Matt Rollings.

Paul Shaffer, David Letterman's longtime musical director and bandleader, will host the evening. Shaffer has a personal connection to Ray Charles, having performed with him on programs including Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman. The concert will be produced by Gregg Field, a Grammy and Emmy recipient and former drummer for Ray Charles.

The Palace Theatre, known as "A Theatre of a Thousand Wonders," opened on November 8, 1926, as a vaudeville house. Over the next century, its stage welcomed generations of artists and audiences across nearly every performing arts genre. The theatre's history is closely tied to Ray Charles, who performed there throughout his career, most recently on June 6, 1992. Bringing his music back to the Palace Theatre marks a significant moment in the theatre's history and honors Charles' extraordinary legacy.

Tickets for the event, which is one of several programs CAPA has planned in celebration of the Palace Theatre's centennial, start at $62.50 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St., online at www.capa.com, or by phone at 614-469-0939. The concert is a homecoming for Columbus native Billy Valentine, a performer and songwriter who co-wrote "My World," the title track of Charles' 1993 album.