Julie Benko, an award-winning actress, singer, and writer based in NYC,  is currently marching her band out on Broadway as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl every Thursday. For her performance as Fanny, she was named the 2022 Breakout Star for Theater in the New York Times, honored as one of 40 Under 40 for Crain's New York Business, and hailed by CBS Mornings as "Broadway's breakout star." Her new album, Hand in Hand (Club44 Records) won the BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for Best Commercial Album and also received a MAC Award for Best Major Album. You can hear it wherever music is streaming, and catch her debut jazz album Introducing Julie Benko on Spotify here!

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She has played leading roles in various off-Broadway and regional productions, and enjoys a vibrant concert career, having headlined sold-out shows at Birdland, 54 Below, as well as other prestigious venues around the country. She won first prize and the Johnny Mercer Award in the national American Traditions Vocal Competition and holds a BFA in Drama and an MFA in Acting (yes, both) from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

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Julie is also a writer. In 2020, Julie wrote, directed, and starred in her first short, "The Newlywed's Guide to Physical Intimacy," a heartwarming comedy which follows a Hasidic Jewish couple on their wedding night. The film has since won praise in numerous international festivals. Her first full-length play, "The District," set in New Orleans' legal red light district prior to World War I, was named a semifinalist at the 2022 Eugene O'Neil National Playwrights Conference.

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She spent the pandemic raising money for various charities via her "Quarantunes" musical duo series with jazz pianist (and her spouse) Jason Yeager, picking up Yiddish on DuoLingo, and fulfilling her lifelong dream of learning to play the clarinet.

To keep up with Julie, follow her on Instagram/TikTok @JujujulieBee, or check the UPCOMING page to catch her wherever she may be performing next!