Audra McDonald will be in the holiday spirit when she performs in the televised broadcast of Rockefeller Center’s 81st Christmas Tree lighting celebration, tonight on NBC at 8 PM ET. The holiday special will be hosted by Today anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Natalie Morales, and will include performances from Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, the Goo Goo Dolls, Ariana Grande, Jewel, Leona Lewis, and The Rockettes.

The 76-foot Norway Spruce tree, estimated to be more than 75 years old, will be decorated with 45,000 energy-efficient multicolored LED lights and topped with a 9½-foot-wide LED-lit Swarovski crystal star.

The following night, on Thursday, December 5, audiences across the United States can see Audra McDonald in NBC’s live production of The Sound of Music at 8 PM ET. She portrays Mother Abbess opposite Carrie Underwood as Maria, Stephen Moyer as Captain von Trapp, Laura Benanti as Elsa Schrader, and Christian Borle as Max Dettweiler.

Last month, Musical America named Audra McDonald Musician of the Year and will present her with the award in a ceremony at Lincoln Center in New York City on December 17. Earlier in the year, McDonald released her most personal solo album to date, Go Back Home, on Nonesuch, marking her first solo recording in seven years. To pick up a copy, head to the Nonesuch Store, where CDs are now 35% off the standard retail price (about 20% off the everyday low prices listed on the site) as part of the current Nonesuch Store anniversary sale.