The Tony Awards administration committee has announced that conductor, music director, orchestrator, composer and arranger Mary-Mitchell Campbell will receive the 2026 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy work. The special award, which is presented annually, recognizes a member of the theater community who has volunteered their time to humanitarian, social service or charitable efforts.
Offstage, Campbell has dedicated her time to Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE), an organization that aims to expand access to theatrical music departments via internships, mentorships and professional support to musicians who are historically disenfranchised. She also sits on the advisory board of Maestra, which supports underrepresented artists with a special focus on women and gender-expansive musicians. She has also music directed and supervised numerous events for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Serious Fun Children’s Network and Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp.
Campbell is also a founding member of Artists Striving to End Poverty, now known as Arts Ignite. Founded in 2006, the organization helps children and young adults learn to express themselves through workshops, residencies and arts camps.
“Mary-Mitchell has taken her extraordinary talents and found a way to channel them into something that will have a lasting impact on our community, and help shape its future,” said American Theatre Wing president and CEO Heather Hitchens and Broadway League president Jason Laks in a joint statement. “Her selfless endeavors have made her so very deserving of this year’s Isabelle Stevenson Award, and we are thrilled to honor her in this way.”
Campbell has served as a music director for “The Prom,” “Mean Girls,” “Tuck Everlasting,” “Finding Neverland,” “Big Fish,” “The Addams Family,” “Company,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Some Like It Hot” on Broadway. Her work can currently be heard in “Moulin Rouge!,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Fallen Angels.” Since 2022, Campbell has also served as music director for New York City Center’s Encores, which puts on concert-style productions of older musicals, and recently announced its 2026-2027 season.
Previous recipients of the Isabelle Stevenson Award include Celia Keenan-Bolger, Billy Porter, Jerry Mitchell, Julie Halston, Judith Light, Nick Scandalios, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Stephen Schwartz, Larry Kramer, Rosie O’Donnell, Bernadette Peters, Eve Ensler and David Hyde Pierce.
The 2026 Tonys will be presented on June 7 in a ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
