October 12, 2008 marked the first annual "Living for Today" concert, to benefit the Gilana Shira Alpert fund.  ‘Living for Today II” was held October 25, 2009 and raised twice as much as the previous year, the third annual concert was held October 24, 2010 and introduced VIP packages, support from the press, new theming ideas, and another sold out house.   The annual concert was conceived and is directed each year by Gilana’s brother David, a professional director in New York.  The event brings together Broadway professionals, as well as young performers who have just moved to the city.  Gilana studied Musical Theatre at Indiana University, and was raised in a household where trips to the theatre trumped the more traditional camping or road trips, and ‘name that tune’ was played in the car-- with a repertoire of showtunes.  Each year the performers are asked to sings songs that they love, something that brings them and the audience joy, and the night always ends with a custom arrangement of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine,’ one of Gilana’s favorites. 

Past performers include:

CAMERON ADAMS (How to Succeed..., Music Man, Shrek, Cry-Baby) - NICK ADAMS (Priscilla, A Chorus Line, Chicago) - SCOTT ALAN (Composer) - NANCY ANDERSON (Olivier Award Nominee, Kiss Me Kate, Wonderful Town) - TODD BUONOPANE (30 Rock, Spelling Bee) - TITUSS BURGESS (Guys & Dolls, The Little Mermaid, Jersey Boys) - ELIZABETH BROADHURST (Annie, Mary Poppins) - CELINA CARVAJAL (Toxic Avenger, SATC Movie, 42nd St., Tarzan, Cats) - BEN CAMERON (Wicked, Aida) - LILLI COOPER (Spring Awakening) - STEPHANIE D’ABRUZZO (Tony Nominee of Avenue Q, “Scrubs”) - NIKKI RENEE DANIELS (Anything Goes, Promises, Promises, Les Miz, Nine, Aida) - PAIGE DAVIS (Chicago, Sweet Charity, ‘Trading Spaces’) - JOHN TREACY EGAN (Sister Act, The Producers, Little Mermaid - RUSSELL FISCHER (Jersey Boys, BIG the Musical) - KATE JENNINGS GRANT (Proof, Guys & Dolls, Frost/Nixon) - JESSICA GROVÉ (Wizard of Oz, Millie, Sunday in the Park) - AUTUMN HURLBERT (Legally Blonde) - CARLY JIBSON (Hairspray, Crybaby) - JILL PAICE (Curtains, 39 Steps) - AMANDA RYAN PAIGE (Zanna Don’t) - CHAD JOHNSON (International Opera Singer) - JONATHAN RAYSON (Little Shop of Horrors, Legally Blonde) - KATE REINDERS (Wicked, Gypsy, Into the Woods) - GRAHAM ROWAT (Guys & Dolls, LoveMusik) - LaQUET SHARNELL (Memphis, The Lion King) - KATE SHINDLE (Legally Blonde, Cabaret, Miss America) - LUCIA SPINA (Legally Blonde, Les Miz, Spelling Bee) - DANIEL TORRES (Wicked, Altar Boyz) - ERIC VAN TIELEN (Fiddler on the Roof, Tale of Two Cities) & many more!

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