[May 21, 2013] BRIEF: Get a peek at Audra McDonald's latest album Tweet May 21, 2013 (The Fresno Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The New York Times gives a video sneak peek of Audra McDonald's first solo album in seven years, "Go Back Home," which comes out today. In the video, she accompanies herself on piano as she sings Adam Guettel's "Migratory V." (For a link to the video, go to fresnobeehive.com.) If you went to McDonald's last Fresno concert, in 2011, you'll remember she sang the same song in what became the most emotional moment in the show. Afterward, she explained that she always wanted to overcome the fear of playing the piano in public. Her father, the noted Fresno educator Stan McDonald, used to encourage her to do that. He died in 2007 in one of the solo experimental planes he loved to fly. "So that was for my dad," she said. In a recent interview, McDonald told the Associated Press why she includes the classic "Edelweiss" on the new album: "That's the first song I ever auditioned for anything with. I was 9 years old and my dad played it on the piano for me during my audition. It was for (Good Company Players) in Fresno. I got in, and that started me on my theater journey. That song has always had this huge influence." (ASTERISK) The reporter can be reached at [email protected], (559) 441-6373 and @donaldbeearts on Twitter. ___ (c)2013 The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.) Visit The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.) at www.fresnobee.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]