Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts presents Chaka Khan

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College concludes its 2016-17 season with internationally-acclaimed music icon Chaka Khan on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 7:30pm in a Gala fundraising concert. A ten-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist, she is perhaps best known for her timeless hits "I'm Every Woman," "Feel For You," and "Ain't Nobody." Tickets are $45-$85, with a Gala ticket package available for $250 (which includes prime orchestra seating and a post-concert reception). Tickets can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

Chaka Khan is a true Renaissance Woman. A singer, songwriter, producer, visual artist, author, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, activist, and mother, Chaka is an international music icon who has influenced multiple generations of artists and continues to do so. From the moment she burst onto the music scene in the 1970s as the 18-year-old lead singer of the band Rufus, her powerful voice and show-stopping stage presence have set her apart from any other singer, and during her 40-year career, she has developed a vast international fan base and performed on six continents.

Chaka is a ten-time GRAMMY Award winner (with 22 GRAMMY nominations) who has the rare ability to sing in eight genres:R&B, jazz, pop, rock, gospel, country, classical, and dance music. She has released 22 albums and racked up ten #1 Billboard magazine charted songs, eight RIAA certified gold singles and eleven RIAA certified gold and platinum albums. Chaka's recorded music has produced over 2,000 catalogue song placements.

She is also the recipient of numerous awards for her extraordinary achievements in music and entertainment including a street named after her in her hometown of Chicago (Chaka Khan Way), a BET Honors Award, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and with the United Negro College Fund's An Evening of Stars Tribute; a Soul Train Legend Award, the GRAMMY Honors Award from the NARAS Chicago Chapter, a World Music Lifetime Achievement Award, and an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA. In 2015 Chaka received an award in New York City from the We Are Family Foundation for her various humanitarian endeavors.

In 1999, she established the Chaka Khan Foundation, which includes a variety of programs and initiatives that assist women and children at risk. In 2013, the Chaka Khan Foundation combined forces with Community Partners to expand its reach into the community, where it continues to do so.

In July 2012, Chaka received the McDonald Corporation's 365Black Award, honoring her leadership of the Chaka Khan Foundation. Besides being a successful musician and a devoted philanthropist, she is also a successful entrepreneur, having launched a line of gourmet chocolates - "Chakalates," - which was sold in 20 Neiman Marcus stores around the country. In 2013, she introduced the Khana Sutra candle, the first product in a fragrance line for men, women, and the home.

Chaka Khan was born Yvette Stevens in 1953. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the eldest of five siblings. As teenagers, she and her sister Bonnie formed a singing group, The Crystalettes, with two friends from school, and Chaka later sang with several local groups before she became the lead singer for the band Ask Rufus, which would become Rufus. With Chaka, the group began turning out hit after hit, marking the beginning of a legendary music career.

Having lived for a time in London and Germany, Chaka currently resides in Los Angeles. She has two children, Indira Milini and Damien. Her life and career are chronicled in her autobiography, Through the Fire, which was published by Rodale Books in 2003 and is currently being updated for re-release and adapted into a screenplay. Another book featuring the music and lyrics of many of her hit songs, The Chaka Khan Songbook, was released in December 2014.

Chaka Khan recently celebrated her 40th anniversary in music and entertainment. A documentary series on her, "Being," premiered on the Centric Channel and recent career highlights include tour dates around the world (London, Singapore, Prague, Dubai, NYC, et al), a performance on The Wendy Williams Show, an event in her honor at NARAS/Grammy headquarters in Los Angeles, an appearance with Sam Smith on VH1, special performances for Ebony and Essence Magazines, and being named Grand Marshal for Chicago's Bud Billiken Parade, the largest and oldest African American parade.

Brooklyn Center's presentation of Chaka Khan in concert is part of Brooklyn Center's 2016-17 Con Edison Music Masters Series, which also includes Patti Austin: Ella Now and Then (Apr 22, 2017 at 8pm), and the Yosvany Terry Afro-Cuban Sextet (May 6, 2017 at 8pm).

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' presentation of Chaka Khan is made possible, in part, by Con Edison.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College

2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue

Online orders: BrooklynCenter.org

Box Office: 718-951-4500, Tuesday-Saturday, 1pm-6pm

Groups of 15 or more: 718-951-4600 x3331

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Founded in 1954, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College presents outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Each season, Brooklyn Center welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400 seat Whitman Theatre, including up to 45,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools who attend their SchoolTime series, one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the borough.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are supported, in part, by public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Brooklyn Center's 2016-17 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Major support for the 2016-17 season is provided by: Brooklyn College, Con Edison, TD Bank, National Grid, The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Jazz Touring Network, the Alice Lawrence Foundation, the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the TD Charitable Foundation. Additional support provided by CNG Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn Media Group, The Haitian Times, and WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM. The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Brooklyn is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center's 2016-17 season. Backstage catering is graciously provided by Applebee's.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges generous support from New York State Assembly members Annette Robinson and Helene Weinstein; New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams; New York City Council Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer; New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Tom Finkelpearl.

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