Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is proud to present “Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken,” the beloved idols from the second season of Fox’s “American Idol” in 2003, for a special 20-year reunion on Saturday, April 22 at 8 p.m.
Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, with a combined 12 albums, eight million album sales worldwide and four Billboard Music Awards, are thrilled to reunite after 20 years to showcase the hits that made them fan favorites and household names on the Lehman Center Stage.
Studdard rose to fame as the winner of the second season of “American Idol.” With six studio albums under his belt, including the platinum-selling “Soulful” and top-selling gospel album “I Need an Angel,” Studdard is best known for hits like “Flying Without Wings” and “Sorry 2004.” His tribute album to Luther Vandross, “Ruben Sings Luther,” was re-released in 2019 and has been followed by a successful North American concert tour. He recently returned to the Broadway stage with fellow “American Idol” finalist and friend Clay Aiken in their critically acclaimed show, “Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show.l
Aiken, upon catapulting to fame as a contestant on the second season of “American Idol,” made history as the first Idol alum to have his debut single reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and the first to earn a platinum-certified single and triple-platinum album. As a concert artist, Aiken played some of the most iconic venues in North America, including on the 2003 Independent Tour, which he co-headlined with Kelly Clarkson. His album, “Measure Of A Man,” also debuted at No. 1 with the highest first week sales by a debut artist. His 2004 holiday release, “Merry Christmas With Love,” set a record for the fastest selling holiday album of the SoundScan era and remains tied for the highest charting debut of a holiday album in Billboard history. The idol most recently starred on Broadway in “Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show” at the Imperial Theater in which The New York Times called the production “A Christmas Miracle.”
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W. Tickets for “Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken” ($25, $40, $50, $60 and $100) can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at (718) 960-8833; para Español: (718) 960-8835 (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and beginning four hours prior to showtime on weekends), or through online access at https://www.lehmancenter.org/events/ruben-and-clay.
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