Bernadette PetersTony Award-winning triple threat Bernadette Peters will headline the 2026 VIVA Health Gala at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on Friday, Oct. 9.
The VIVA Health Gala is a spectacular night supporting the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for the Arts, a collective organization for visual and performing arts at UAB. All net proceeds will directly support programming by the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, ArtPlay, UAB Arts in Medicine and the Alys Stephens Center, for the Birmingham community and beyond.
Join Peters, critically acclaimed star of stage, film, television and recordings, for a magical and inspiring evening of song from the great music masters. The multi-award winner creates an intimate audience experience when she performs celebrated selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerry Herman, among others. Come and enjoy the incomparable Peters for a one-of-a-kind evening of spell-binding songs that are certain to touch your heart.
About the UAB 2026 VIVA Health Gala
The evening will begin with a pre‑reception featuring passed hors d’oeuvres, beverages and a contemporary art gallery experience, where attendees will help select the next work of art to be added to AEIVA’s permanent collection. See Arts in Medicine musicians in action and enjoy a special performance by ArtPlay’s talented young artists as they open for Peters in the Jemison Concert Hall.
Seating is determined based on the order in which ticket reservations are received. Included in the $199 ticket are valet parking, access to all pre-performance festivities and experiences, with hors d’oeuvres and beverages, including a new specialty mocktail, and a complimentary show cup, along with premium seating for the performance. Buy tickets.
Also available are VIP tickets and sponsorships, which in addition to valet, full access, hors d’oeuvres, beverages and premium concert seating, will include an elegant dinner after the performance across the street in the AEIVA galleries, crafted by the award‑winning team at Helen. Learn more.
The 2026 gala will honor Nancy and Ray L. Watts. Gala chairs are Jay Ezelle, Cardwell Feagin and Valerie Collins Thomas. Cannot attend but still want to support the event and its honorees? A donation of any amount will directly support the UAB Center for the Arts programs.
About Bernadette Peters
Known for her distinct soprano voice and celebrated lead roles in iconic shows like “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Gypsy,” Peters is one of the most acclaimed stars in musical theater history. Her unforgettable performances include “Into the Woods,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Follies,” “A Little Night Music,” “Hello, Dolly!” and more. Her legendary concert appearances have dazzled audiences, and her work in Sondheim’s canon is hailed by critics as a master class in vocal control, emotional delivery and theatrical legacy.
Winner of multiple Tony Awards, Peters has earned three Drama Desk Awards and a Golden Globe Award, along with many Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony nominations. On the big screen, she starred in the cult-classic comedy “The Jerk,” in a role Steve Martin wrote specifically for her, the 1981 musical film “Pennies from Heaven” and as Lily in the 1982 film adaptation of “Annie.” Her impressive roster of small screen appearances includes “Frasier,” “Smash,” “Will & Grace,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ugly Betty,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” “High Desert” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” among many others. Peters was awarded the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of her humanitarian contributions to the arts.