Julie Benko, who is currently the Fanny Brice standby in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, has announced a debut duets album, Hand in Hand, in which she joins forces with her husband, jazz musician Jason Yeager.

The album will be released by Club44 Records August 26, coinciding with Benko’s next scheduled weekend of performances in Funny Girl.

Hand in Hand will include a blend of theatre favorites (including “People” from Funny Girl and “All I’ve Ever Known” from Hadestown), jazz standards (“The Nearness of You”), and pop classics (“Mercedes Benz”) as well as two of Yeager’s original songs. 

Benko will be featured on vocals, clarinet, flute, and percussion, and Yeager will play the Wurlitzer, Rhodes, celeste, organ, and percussion. 

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to release our upcoming album on Club44 Records,” says Benko. “Jason and I spent the pandemic isolating together, essentially becoming each other’s sole musical collaborator for a while. It was in this time—leading up to our wedding—that we developed most of these arrangements. I think the intimacy and joy of that moment is evident on every track of the record. We had so much fun discovering our own interpretations of Broadway tunes and the Great American Songbook, as well as recording two of Jason’s original compositions. This album is a true celebration of love—for our community, for social justice, for theatre, for music, for each other. I am so proud that Hand in Hand has found its musical home at Club44, and I can’t wait for the world to hear it!”