Billy Porter joins I AM HOUSE Orchestrated as Crystal Waters prepares to bring her acclaimed celebration of house music back to New York City.
The legendary singer, songwriter and house music trailblazer has announced that Porter will join the lineup when I AM HOUSE Orchestrated returns to Palladium Times Square on Thursday, November 19, 2026.
House Music Reimagined With a Full Live Orchestra
Conceived and produced by Waters, I AM HOUSE Orchestrated takes some of dance music’s most enduring voices and anthems and reimagines them with the sweep and drama of a full live orchestra.
It’s a concept that treats house music as both a dance-floor force and a musical and cultural legacy worthy of the concert-hall treatment.
And what a lineup.
The House Music Voices Joining Crystal Waters
Alongside Crystal Waters, whose “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” and “100% Pure Love” helped define an era, the New York edition brings together CeCe Peniston, Barbara Tucker, Inaya Day, Duane Harden and Thea Austin — artists whose voices are woven deeply into the history of house and dance music.
Now add the incomparable Billy Porter to the mix.
Crystal Waters shared her enthusiasm for Porter joining the upcoming show, expressing that Porter feels right at home on the dance music stage with a live orchestra:
“Billy is a force, so I was thrilled when he officially joined the lineup. He brings an incredible presence and individuality to the stage that feels like a natural fit for I AM HOUSE Orchestrated, especially as he is foraying back into House Music. I can’t wait to share the stage with him in New York and have him be part of this celebration of house music.”
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Hearing the news, “Billy Porter joins I AM HOUSE Orchestrated” feels especially resonant for an event celebrating a musical form born from Black, Brown and queer communities.
The Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning performer has built a career at the intersection of music, theater, fashion and LGBTQ+ culture. His individuality, theatrical presence and return to house music make him a natural addition to Waters’ orchestral vision.
Crystal Waters and House Music’s LGBTQ+ Legacy
That history is something Waters has made a point of honoring.
For more than three decades, Crystal has maintained a special relationship with the LGBTQ+ community — appearing at Pride celebrations long before they became mainstream cultural events and at a time when doing so carried considerably more stigma.
She has recalled early New York Pride appearances where protesters hurled insults and objects, as well as a period when many mainstream performers wanted little association with Pride events.
Crystal stayed.
She has often credited queer audiences with embracing her from the very beginning of her career, particularly New York’s ballroom houses, dancers, clubgoers and drag performers. She has even credited drag queens with helping a once-shy young performer learn about makeup, presentation and commanding a stage.
As Crystal has said of those early years, “The queer community has had my back since day one.”
Celebrating the Artists Who Built House Music
That history makes I AM HOUSE Orchestrated feel like more than a collection of dance-floor favorites backed by strings and brass.
It also provides an opportunity to celebrate where this music came from — and the communities that helped sustain it before much of the world caught up.
Waters has increasingly made the preservation of that history part of her mission, emphasizing that house music was born in America through Black, Brown and queer communities. The singers, songwriters and performers behind its defining records deserve to be remembered alongside the music itself.
I AM HOUSE Orchestrated Returns to New York
Following a sold-out New York debut and a packed Miami edition, I AM HOUSE Orchestrated now returns to New York for its one-year anniversary — bringing those voices and songs together on an even bigger stage.
The announcement that Billy Porter will join I AM HOUSE Orchestrated adds another distinct voice to a concert already filled with artists who helped shape the sound, reach and cultural legacy of house music.
And apparently, Crystal Waters isn’t finished with the guest list yet.
More iconic artists are still to be announced.
I AM HOUSE Orchestrated Tickets and Event Details
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Palladium Times Square — New York City
Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
For lovers of house music, this is shaping up to be much more than a concert. It’s a celebration of the artists who created the soundtrack, the communities that gave it a home — and the extraordinary staying power of house music itself.