Lea Salonga (Facebook)

Filipino star Lea Salonga and two other Broadway stars will perform during a state dinner for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the White House next week.

It will be the first time a Filipino artist performs at the White House state dinner.

Also joining Salonga at the state dinner are Broadway stars Norm Lewis and Jessica Vosk.

Hosted by first lady, Jill Biden, the event has also invited Korean-American James Beard Award-winning chef, Edward Lee, to serve as a guest chef for the event, according to broadwayworld.com. 

On Saturday, April 22, Salonga tweeted the article that announced her upcoming performance.

There have only been a few international celebrities who have performed at the White House. They include Usher, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, Ricky Martin, Regina Belle, B.B. King, and Esperanza Spalding.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

Here's a portion of the article written by A.A. Cristi about Salonga and the two other stars who will perform at the state dinner:
 
"Multiple award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga is renowned across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch. She is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards, in the field of musical theatre. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway, and returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. Many fans of all ages recognize Lea as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II. For her portrayal of beloved princesses, the Walt Disney Company bestowed her with the honor of "Disney Legend".

Jessica Vosk (Facebook)

"Lea's 2019 The Human Heart Tour saw sold-out audiences and record-breaking sales across North America and the United Kingdom. On Broadway, Lea most recently starred in the 2018 Broadway revival of Once on This Island as the Goddess of Love, Erzulie. The show's return to the Broadway stage earned a Tony Award for "Best Revival of a Musical" and also garnered Lea and the cast a Grammy nomination for "Best Musical Theater Album."

"In the fall of 2015 Lea began her critically acclaimed run as Kei Kimura in the Broadway production of Allegiance. The musical, inspired and developed by legendary actor George Takei, tells the story of a Japanese American family forced into an internment camp during World War II. Lea garnered a Craig Noel nomination for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical for her performance in the Old Globe production, and can be heard on the show's original cast album. Following this, Lea made a guest appearance on the hit CW television show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

"Lea has toured all over the world, performing sold-out concerts in such locations as the Sydney Opera House, 02 Arena, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Singapore's Esplanade, Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Hong Kong Cultural Center), Queen Sirikit Convention Center in Bangkok and Carnegie Hall in New York. She was also the first artist to sell out two shows at Brigham Young University's deJong Concert Hall in Provo, Utah since The Kings Singers in 2009."

Norm Lewis (Facebook)

Lewis starred in the SAG, Critics' Choice, and NAACP Image Award-nominated Netflix film Da 5 Bloods by Spike Lee, and in the groundbreaking FX series, "Pose." He was previously seen in the NBC television special, "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert," alongside John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Alice Cooper. He recently appeared in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island and as Sweeney Todd in the Off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Barrow Street Theatre, receiving the AUDELCO Award for his performance. In 2014, he made history as The Phantom of the Opera's first African American Phantom on Broadway.

Vosk is a celebrated singer and actress known for stirring roles on the musical theater and concert stage. She starred as the Narrator in the 50th anniversary of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lincoln Center. She also created the role of Aunt Val in the world premiere of Becoming Nancy, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. Before that, Vosk finished an acclaimed run as Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, having played the role for two years. Vosk starred in New York City Ballet's Jerome Robbins tribute Something to Dance About, directed by Warren Carlyle, and re-created the role of Fruma Sarah in the most recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Other Broadway credits include Finding Neverland and The Bridges of Madison County. She starred as Anita in West Side Story with the San Francisco Symphony; the recording of the concert was nominated for a Grammy. Her debut, Billboard-charting solo album Wild and Free was released in 2018 and was followed by 2020's A Very Coco Christmas.