Editing Barbara Cook (section)

===Later years===
After Wally Harper's death in October 2004, Cook made adjustments to new accompanists in solo shows like ''Tribute'' (a reference to Harper) and ''No One Is Alone'' that continued to receive acclaim; ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote in 2005 that she was "at the top of her game.... Cook's voice is remarkably unchanged from 1958, when she won the Tony Award for playing Marian the Librarian in ''The Music Man.'' A few high notes aside, it is, eerily, as rich and clear as ever."<ref name="nymag"/> In January 2006, Cook became the first female pop singer to be presented by the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in the company's more than one hundred-year history. She presented a solo concert of Broadway show tunes and classic jazz standards, and was supported on a few numbers by guest singers [[Audra McDonald]] and [[Josh Groban]] and Elaine Stritch (although Stritch did not appear on the CD of the concert). The concert was recorded and subsequently released on CD.<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/100180-DIVA-TALK-Chatting-with-Dollys-Tovah-Feldshuh-Barbara-Cook-at-the-Met-and-Tonys-2006/pg2 "FOR THE RECORD: 'Barbara Cook at The Met' "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022032119/http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/100180-DIVA-TALK-Chatting-with-Dollys-Tovah-Feldshuh-Barbara-Cook-at-the-Met-and-Tonys-2006/pg2 |date=October 22, 2012 }}. ''Playbill'', June 9, 2006</ref> On June 25, 2006, Cook was the special guest star of the Award Winning [[Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.]], celebrating GMCW's Silver Anniversary in a performance at the [[Kennedy Center]] in Washington DC.<ref>[http://www.kennedy-center.org/events/?event=RGXBF "Gay Men's Chorus of Washington 25th Anniversary Concert with Barbara Cook, Jun. 25, 2006"] kennedy-center.org, accessed September 7, 2011</ref>

Cook was the featured artist at the ''Arts! by George'' gala on September 29, 2007 at the Fairfax campus of [[George Mason University]]. On October 22, 2007, Cook sang at the [[Broward Center for the Performing Arts]] with the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus in the chorus's concert entitled "An Evening With Barbara Cook".<ref>Rothaus, Steve. [http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2007/10/broadway-legend.html "Broadway legend Barbara Cook to sing with Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus"], October 18, 2007</ref> Upon completion of the concert, an almost full house greeted her with a round of "[[Happy Birthday to You|Happy Birthday]]" in honor of her impending 80th birthday, which, on December 2, 2007, she celebrated belatedly in the UK with a concert at the [[Coliseum Theatre]] in London's West End.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/diva-talk-chatting-with-young-frankensteins-sutton-foster-plus-betty-buckley-at-town-hall-com-144833|title=Diva talk: Chatting with Young Frankenstein's Sutton Foster Plus Betty Buckley at Town Hall|last=Gans|first=Andrew|date=October 26, 2007|work=[[Playbill]]|access-date=August 9, 2017}}</ref>

As she entered her ninth decade, Cook performed in two sold-out concerts with the [[New York Philharmonic]] at Lincoln Center in 2007. The ''New York Times'' [[Stephen Holden]] wrote that Cook is "a performer spreading the gospel of simplicity, self-reliance and truth" who is "never glib" and summoning adjectives such as "astonishing" and "transcendent", concluding that she sings with "a tenderness and honesty that could break your heart and mend it all at once."<ref>Holden, Stephen. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/arts/music/21barb.html "Heartbreak and Healing, Sometimes Both at Once"]. ''The New York Times'', November 21, 2007.</ref>

In June 2008, Cook appeared in ''Strictly Gershwin'' at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London, England, with the full company of [[English National Ballet]].<ref>Shenton, Mark. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/115655-Barbara-Cook-to-Join-English-National-Ballet-for-Strictly-Gershwin "Barbara Cook to Join English National Ballet for Strictly Gershwin"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103091900/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/115655-Barbara-Cook-to-Join-English-National-Ballet-for-Strictly-Gershwin |date=November 3, 2013 }}. ''Playbill'', March 6, 2008.</ref> An advertised appearance with the [[Ulster Orchestra]] as the Closing Concert of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's at the [[Waterfront Hall]] in [[Belfast]] on October 31, 2008 was cancelled due to scheduling difficulties.<ref>[http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/news/2008/new28082008.html "Arts Council Events at Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's.Closing Concert"]. Artscouncil-ni.org, August 28, 2008</ref> Her other 2008 appearances included concerts in Chicago and San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/07/16/a-rough-night-for-cabaret-star-barbara-cook-at-ravinia/|title=A rough night for cabaret star Barbara Cook at Ravinia|last=Reich|first=Howard|date=July 16, 2012|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=August 10, 2017}}</ref>

In 2009, she performed with the Princeton Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and gave concerts in [[Boca Raton, Florida]], and at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton.<ref>Bacalzo, Dan. [http://www.theatermania.com/new-jersey/news/06-2009/barbara-cook-to-perform-june-6-at-mccarter-theatre_19389.html "Barbara Cook to Perform June 6 at McCarter Theatre"]. Theatermania.com, June 1, 2009.</ref> She performed in a cabaret show at Feinsteins at the Regency (New York City) which opened in April 2009.<ref>Suskin, Steven. [https://http Review:Barbara Cook, Feinstein's at the Regency"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519173408/https://http/ |date=May 19, 2011 }}. ''Variety'', April 14, 2009.</ref>

Cook returned to [[Broadway theater|Broadway]] in 2010 in the [[Roundabout Theatre]]'s [[Stephen Sondheim]] revue ''[[Sondheim on Sondheim]]'', created and directed by long-time Sondheim collaborator [[James Lapine]], at [[Studio 54]]. She starred opposite [[Vanessa L. Williams]], Norm Lewis and [[Tom Wopat]].<ref>Jones, Kenneth. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138914-Good-Thing-Going-Sondheim-on-Sondheim-a-Docu-Musical-Opens-on-Broadway "Good Thing Going: 'Sondheim on Sondheim', a Docu-Musical, Opens on Broadway"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103090309/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138914-Good-Thing-Going-Sondheim-on-Sondheim-a-Docu-Musical-Opens-on-Broadway |date=November 3, 2013 }}. ''Playbill'', April 22, 2010.</ref> Cook was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the category of Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.<ref>[http://broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=2010 "2010 Tony Award Winners"]. Broadwayworld.com, accessed September 7, 2011.</ref> On April 12, 2011, Cook appeared with [[James Taylor]], [[Bette Midler]] and [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], at [[Carnegie Hall]] for a gala called "Celebrating 120 Years of Carnegie Hall".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.cntv.cn/20110414/104560.shtml|title=New York's Carnegie Hall marks 120 years with James Taylor concert|date=April 14, 2011|work=[[China Network Television]]|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809041602/http://english.cntv.cn/20110414/104560.shtml|archive-date=August 9, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Cook was named an honoree at the 2011 [[Kennedy Center Honors]], held on December 4, 2011 (the ceremony was broadcast on CBS on December 27, 2011). Performers paying tribute to Cook on that occasion included [[Matthew Broderick]], [[Sarah Jessica Parker]], [[Patti LuPone]], [[Glenn Close]], [[Kelli O'Hara]], [[Rebecca Luker]], [[Sutton Foster]], [[Laura Osnes]], [[Anna Christy]], and [[Audra McDonald]].<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/157247-UPDATED-Patti-LuPone-Audra-McDonald-Rebecca-Luker-Kelli-OHara-Sutton-Foster-Paid-Tribute-to-Barbara-Cook-at-Kennedy-Center-Honors ''Playbill'' notice of Cook's Kennedy Center Honor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107100424/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/157247-UPDATED-Patti-LuPone-Audra-McDonald-Rebecca-Luker-Kelli-OHara-Sutton-Foster-Paid-Tribute-to-Barbara-Cook-at-Kennedy-Center-Honors |date=January 7, 2013 }}, December 5, 2011.</ref>

In 2016, Cook published her autobiography ''Then & Now: A Memoir'' with collaborator [[Tom Santopietro]].<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/arts/music/barbara-cook-on-life-before-and-after-sobriety.html?_r=0|title=Barbara Cook on Life Before and After Sobriety|author=Stephen Holden |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 19, 2016 |access-date=August 19, 2016}}</ref> She announced her retirement in May 2017.<ref>{{cite news | work = [[The New York Times]] | access-date = August 8, 2017 | date = May 7, 2017 | first = James | last= Barron | url = https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/07/nyregion/barbara-cook-retirement.html | title = The Coda to a Career: Barbara Cook Has Retired }}</ref>