Rankings are always difficult to make when it comes to listing the most important, the greatest or the best in any category.
When it comes to the arts, the process is even more challenging because it is a subjective venture. After all, itâs only one personâs opinion.
Crafting a list of the 15 most impactful players in the performing arts was difficult enough, therefore I have listed them them in alphabetical order.
A great artist is not only one that is a leader in his/her own craft. What makes an already great artist an extraordinary force is how that artist develops, changes and grows with time. It is also particularly rewarding when an artist is able to use notoriety to further new and different career paths or to promote causes close to oneâs heart.
There are many great entertainers, actors and musicians, but there are very few that have an impact on the industry they work in or dedicate their lives to make the world a better place to be. It is these criteria I used in making the selections for the list.
Adele
Adeleâs most recent album, â25âł, has proven to be an anomaly in these times of shrinking music sales. The music industryâs uncomfortable efforts to capture value in the transition from physical product sales to the digital world have been well publicized. Adele is certainly a talent and her music has wide appeal like several other artists. The music industry should however carefully study why she has been able to prove that an artist can continue to sell product in these digital times. In 2016, we can look forward to âAdele Live 2016âł, which will include more than 100 dates and will be her first live tour since 2011.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is a an actress and a movie star. Her wholesome good looks and positive persona have attracted an endearing public. What has set her apart however is herentrepreneurialvision. Ms. Alba co-founded the Honest Company in 2011. It brought her vision of eco-friendly, non-toxic household and baby products to the general public. It also spawned new interest in the promotion of ethically-based consumer products. Along the way, Ms. Alba has amassed a new fortune while core compensation for talent in the film industry has fallen steeply. In 2016, we may very well see The Honest Company go public.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
We all know Mikhail Baryshnikov as one of the greatest dancers of our time. We also know about his well-known defection to the West in 1974 while on tour with the Kirov Ballet in Canada.
Although his accomplishments as a dancer and choreographer are undisputed, Baryshnikov has continued to surprise with his work as an actor, producer, arts administrator and promoter of young talent. He has proven his status as a pop icon in his stint as a Russian artist on the television series âSex in the Cityâ. Baryshnikov has also appeared in several films including âWhite Nightsâ and âThe Turning Pointâ, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
In 2005, he founded the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan, which serves as a multi-purpose creative and performance space.  This coming year, Mikhail Baryshnikov is starring in a groundbreaking new theatrical production based upon the works of the Nobel laureate poet Joseph Brodsky, who was a friend and colleague.
Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell has been a star and on tour since he was a prodigy as a teenager. As one of the preeminent classical violinists today, he has performed with virtually every major orchestra across the globe and at every single performing arts venue of note.
As a Grammy award winner, Joshua Bell has recorded over 40 CDs and has recorded and performed with artists of many genres. What sets Bell apart is his musical curiosity and desire to explore collaborations far beyond the limits of classical music. He has collaborated with Chris Botti, Sting, Chick Corea, Gloria Estefan, Allison Kraus and Wynton Marsalis to name just a few.
2016 will bring Joshua Bell and Chris Botti together combining their classical and jazz talents on a duo tour across the country.
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett never stops. Not only is he an engaging artist who continues to perform and tour actively at the age of 89, but he is constantly remaking his career and forging ahead into new directions. The past few years have seen Bennett partner with artists of all genres on his Duets albums. These have included collaborations with Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, LadyGaga , K.D. Lang, John Mayer, Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey and many more. This past year, Bennett kicked off his Cheek to Cheek tour with Lady Gaga, demonstrating how an octogenarian can successfully perform alongside a 29 year old and reach audiences of all ages. 2016 is another massive touring year for Tony Bennett who will be performing all across the US and the world when he turns 90.
Bono
There is no better example of a celebrity using his stardom to make the world a better place than Bono.
It may seem to be a clichĂ©, but Bonoâs monumental campaigns to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa have become legendary. Bonoâs artistic life through his work with U2 is as active as ever. His tours and one-off performances continue to break records.
Bonoâs artistic collaborations have ranged from working with Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra to Luciano Pavarotti, Bob Dylan, BruceSpringsteen, Jay-Z and Rihanna. In 2016, Bono and U2 will release their newest album.
We can also look forward to Bonoâs ONE campaign playing an important role in the U.S. Presidential election, asking candidates to pledge their support to public health, humanitarian aid and economic development in developing nations.
PlĂĄcido Domingo
PlĂĄcido Domingo is a force. I canât think of another singer with an operatic voice that has ever been in full form at the age of 74.
Domingo was not only one of the Three Tenors, but has performed almost 150 role across the globe in many different languages including English, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian and German.
He is commissioning new works in his role as the General Director of the LA Opera, is an acclaimed conductor and has collaborated with artists from all genres including Woody Allen, Franco Zefirelli, Julie Andrews, John Denver, Julio Iglesias and Andrea Bocelli to name a few. Perhaps PlĂĄcido Domingoâs most important work is his Operalia competition, which takes place every year in a different major capital city. Its purpose is to promote young extraordinary talent and to help with the launching of their careers.
In April 2016, The Metropolitan Opera in NY will celebrate the 50th anniversary of PlĂĄcido Domingoâs first appearance there with a performance of Simon Boccanegra.
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is the reigning queen of all operatic sopranos performing today. Her career is a storied one as an opera singer and four-time Grammy award winner, but her versatility singing jazz, rock and Broadway tunes makes her unique. Ms.
Fleming is also working with the Chicago Lyric Opera as a administrator and creative consultant. During the last couple of seasons, she made her debut as an actress on Broadway, sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl and successfully released her newest CD, a collaboration with the Emerson String Quartet.
On the 18th and 20th of March, 2016, Renée Fleming will be singing a star-studded duo concert with Plåcido Domingo with the LA Opera orchestra in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
Lady Gaga
Everyone, including most of the mainstream entertainment industry, thought that Lady Gaga was done for one year ago. They thought her duet album with Tony Bennett,  âCheek to Cheekâ, was a mistake and that her career was off the track that made her such a big star. Gaga had done the outrageous, the absurd and the promotional to build her career. It became increasingly difficult to outdo her last stunt, costumes and show. What she did do was to refocus on her real talent as a gifted artist. At the core, Gaga is a singer with a purity of talent that most others in the pop industry do not possess. Who else would attempt the solo medley of songs from the âSound of Musicâ that she pulled off live so convincingly at the Academy Awards this year? I think Lady Gaga will be surprising and tantalizing us for years to come. In 2016, we will see the release of her highly anticipated new album.
John Legend
I have always respected John Legend for his pure talent as a singer and songwriter.
It would be difficult to find another singer with such a beautiful voice and the ability to carry off full performances with just his piano on stage alongside him. It was in the last couple of years however that I began to respect the 9 time Grammy winner as a unique artist.
Legendâs performance of âGloryâ from the film âSelmaâ with the rapper Common at the 2015 Grammy Awards and Academy Awards was an emotional standout. It deservedly won both a Grammy and an Academy Award for best original song.
John Legend has also been a prolific philanthropist focusing on a wide range of issues from education equality to sustainable development.
John Malkovich
John Malkovich is a master of communication. Whether he is acting, directing a play, designing the latest additions to his fashion line Technobohemian or staging one of his multi-discipline performance pieces, Malkovich has always been an electric force on stage.
He is a magnet for audiences. John Malkovich has been nominated twice for Academy Awards and became a star with his portrayal of Valmont in the film âDangerous Liasonsâ. He is also one of the few actors to star in a film named after the actor itself, âBeing John Malkovichâ.
I witnessed Malkovichâs cunning work as a director for the staged production of âLiaisons Dangereusesâ at the LâAtelier theater in Paris in 2012. John Malkovich is a curious artist always on a journey to discover and create new work and collaborations. His multi-discipline staged projects âThe Infernal Comedyâ and âGiacomo Variationsâ are courageous amalgamations of acting, operatic voices and orchestra.
This coming year will see Malkovich unveiling and touring new works for actor, orchestra and musicians.
Benjamin Millepied
A renowned dancer and choreographer, Benjamin Millepied is also a partner and artistic director of the L.A.
Dance Project, the groundbreaking company he recently co-founded in Los Angeles. In 2014, he was appointed the director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. Millepied was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and has become known for his work as a choreographer.
He was an advisor and choreographer for the Academy Award winning film âBlack Swanâ, in which he also appeared as an actor. As a choreographer, Millepied is a forward thinker and a brilliant collaborator bringing musicians, composers and dancers together from disparate worlds.
Millepied will be surprising us in the 2015-2016 season with new works of his own choreography both at the Paris Opera Ballet and the LA Dance Project.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is a pop icon not only recognized in the USA as a major star, but around the globe.
Because of this, her tours are an international sensation proven recently by the success of her âPrismatic World Tourâ.
According to Forbes, she is the highest paid female celebrity in the world, taking in $135 million in 2015. Ms. Perry is a prolific endorser and has now launched her own mobile app Katy Perry Pop as well.
She is a positive force in the music industry, a muse to the fashion industry and a style icon for young women.
Steve Jensen, Katy Perryâs manager, has announced that he expects Katy to release her newest album in 2016.
Robert Redford
To say that Robert Redford is a Hollywood legend is almost an understatement. He is a classic âmovie starâ known for his iconic roles in films such as âButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidâ, âThe Stingâ, âOut of Africaâ and âA River Runs Through Itâ.
Redford has also made his mark as a director. winning an Academy Award for his work on âOrdinary Peopleâ in 1981.
Redford has been a revolutionary force in whatever he has touched from his philanthropic work to his work empowering the independent filmmaker. Today, everyone is on the philanthropic bandwagon: many view philanthropy as a tool for positive media.
Redford was an environmentalist far before it was cool to be one.
Robert Redford founded Sundance, the now well-established film festival promoting independent film and filmmakers, in 1978.
âIndyâ films are now of the moment, but Redford wasnât afraid to buck the studio system in the late seventies when it was a powerful machine.
In 2015, Robert Redford has been just as active as ever: acting, directing and overseeing the varied elements of his Sundance world.
Redford will again be active in 2016 releasing new films as an actor and as a producer.
Robert Redford
To say that Robert Redford is a Hollywood legend is almost an understatement. He is a classic âmovie starâ known for his iconic roles in films such as âButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidâ, âThe Stingâ, âOut of Africaâ and âA River Runs Through Itâ.
Redford has also made his mark as a director. winning an Academy Award for his work on âOrdinary Peopleâ in 1981.
Redford has been a revolutionary force in whatever he has touched from his philanthropic work to his work empowering the independent filmmaker. Today, everyone is on the philanthropic bandwagon: many view philanthropy as a tool for positive media.
Redford was an environmentalist far before it was cool to be one.
Robert Redford founded Sundance, the now well-established film festival promoting independent film and filmmakers, in 1978.
âIndyâ films are now of the moment, but Redford wasnât afraid to buck the studio system in the late seventies when it was a powerful machine.
In 2015, Robert Redford has been just as active as ever: acting, directing and overseeing the varied elements of his Sundance world.
Redford will again be active in 2016 releasing new films as an actor and as a producer.
