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There’s no bigger stage in baseball than the World Series and no one knows that better than Bernie Williams, who won four Commissioner’s Trophies as a member of the dominant New York Yankees team in the Nineties and 2000s. The five-time Major League Baseball All-Star retired in 2006, but he’s back in the spotlight and taking his talents to another big stage with a special musical collaboration at Carnegie Hall.
Williams has long played guitar, and the Yankees center fielder began to take music more seriously after he retired from baseball, going to school for guitar and composition. Williams eventually released two instrumental albums, including 2009’s jazz-tinged Moving Forward, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award.
Now, Williams is headed to Carnegie Hall, with a special co-headlining concert with opera singer Jonathan Tetelman. The duo will perform a variety of music (both solo and together) and will be joined by friends and legends across sports and classical music for a one-night-only event.
The event takes place on January 13 and tickets are available here. In addition to Williams and Tetelman, the evening will feature appearances by former Mets All-StarJose Reyes,and Knicks iconStephon Marbury. Darren Rovell will host the evening with additional guest artists from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City (an additional performance featuring Williams and Tetelman is scheduled for May 6, 2026, at Miami’s Knight Concert Hall, in partnership with Florida Grand Opera).
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Organizers have billed the event as a celebration “between athletic and artistic excellence, highlighting the parallels between elite performance in sports and in music.” They also hope to bring “new and diverse audiences to classical music, including young people and sports fans who may be experiencing opera for the first time.”
“We both see this concert as proof that music has no real boundaries — that people can break out of the boxes others might put them in,” Williams and Tetelman say in a joint statement to Rolling Stone. “When we met, we both immediately recognized the potential of this concert, not only as a first-of-its-kind artistic collaboration, but as a way to expand the reach of classical music and jazz to a whole new audience.”
Rolling Stone caught up with Williams and Tetelman to talk about the concert, the other athletes-turned-musicians who will be joining as special guests, and why operatic music and pop music have more in common than people may think.
Where did the idea for this event come from?
Williams: The collaboration between us was sparked by a mutual friend, Adam Unger, who founded AllStar Encore, the company putting on the show. Adam has a pretty remarkable background: he was a Yankees bat boy, later drafted by the Yankees, became both a lawyer and an opera singer, and now works as a sports lawyer in New York. He came up with the idea of merging his two passions — sports and classical music — by bringing us together; Adam kept saying,‘Imagine if you could have seen Mickey Mantle play piano for Pavarotti while he sang an aria.‘That image stuck with us.
What can the audience expect from the concert?
Tetelman: The program moves effortlessly from opera and Spanish classics to jazz standards, pop favorites, and songs that celebrate New York itself.Our music director, Brian Holman, has created brand-new arrangements that bring the pieces we are doing to life in a whole new light. A traditional operatic aria might suddenly feature a guitar solo where you’d normally expect an oboe — it’s about finding beauty in the unexpected. And there will likely be other special guests that join as well, but that will have to be a surprise.
Some of the special guests have already been revealed, including Jose Reyes and Stephon Marbury. Will they be singing or playing an instrument as well?
Williams: A lot of people don’t know that Jose Reyes is a singer too! He loves music and shares our love for the arts. He has performed alongside Voltio and Omega, two well-known artists in the Latin, reggaeton and merengue scenes. The show is expanding its New York Mets star power too to include Katia Lindor, the wife of Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. She is an accomplished violinist and will be joining the fold.
Tetelman: One of the huge goals of this concert is to bring all kinds of people from around NYC to Carnegie Hall to listen to classical music and jazz in this historic hall who’ve never done so before. Who better to do this than Stephon Marbury? Steph is going to contribute to the show narratively and bring his huge personality and love of New York and the arts to really drive home the fact that Carnegie Hall is for everyone.
Bernie, how has your music career been similar or different than playing baseball?
Williams: I first picked up a guitar at eight years old, around the same time I started playing baseball. I became passionate about it through my childhood and it even led me to attending a performing arts high school versus a traditional high school. Ironically the school had no sports programs and most of my classmates had no idea about my other passion of baseball. Fast forward, the transition from baseball to being a professional guitar player just happened organically — as I was ending my career in baseball, my love for playing the guitar just got amplified with the new free time I had. I truly love getting to play with other musicians and sharing that language.
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Jonathan, you’ve talked about wanting to encourage younger music fans to discover opera. How does opera music draw from pop music or vice-versa?
Tetelman: Even though opera is my home base, I’m constantly inspired by artists who bring that same level of passion, musicianship, and storytelling to contemporary music. Bruno Mars and his band Silk Sonic, for example, have this incredible energy and precision that reminds me of a perfectly tuned orchestra — everything they do grooves with intention and feeling. Lady Gaga’s versatility and artistry are something I really admire; she can move effortlessly between genres while maintaining authenticity. Sam Smith has a special emotionality in his voice that I find moving, and Michael Bublé’s phrasing and sense of style show a real respect for vocal tradition, which resonates with me as a classical singer. And I can’t forget Teddy Swims and his soul, tone, and the way he connects to the heart. I think great singing and a great artist transcend genres, and these artists absolutely prove that.
Are there any current songs that you think would sound beautiful or could work as an operatic piece?
Tetelman: I think ‘The Sound of Silence,’ originally by Simon & Garfunkel and then covered by Disturbed would translate beautifully into an operatic context. It already has this incredible sense of drama and emotional build — it’s practically structured like an aria. The intensity and depth in that song could easily be expanded with a full orchestra and a big operatic italiante voice. Also, ‘Die With a Smile’ by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars — that one feels operatic and romantic in a way that could really soar on the classical stage. It’s got melody, emotion, and storytelling. This is the kind of recipe that makes opera music timeless. With the right arrangement and voices, both of these songs should crossover to the classical world effortlessly.
Bernie, what’s more nerve-wracking: playoff baseball or performing on stage?
Williams: There is most certainly acommon thread in performing under the bright lights, whether it was Yankee Stadium in October or Carnegie Hall this coming January.While both produce nerves, these experiences are the exhilarating culmination of intense hard work and preparation. This rush comes from trusting your abilities, avoiding dwelling on mistakes, and simply having the confidence to go out there and perform.
