Capathia Jenkins and More Set for I'M EVERY WOMAN with the Cincinnati Pops This Weekend
By: BWW News Desk Jan. 05, 2016
Pops favorite Capathia Jenkins returns along with operatic soprano Measha Brueggergosman (who recently impressed Cincinnati Opera audiences as "Bess" in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess) and jazz sensation Tatiana "LadyMay" Mayfield to perform songs made famous by the likes of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Marian Anderson, and more.
With rich orchestral arrangements performed by the Pops, these three vocalists, who each jump smoothly between genres, will perform classics of the soul, opera, jazz and R&B canons such as I'm Every Woman, Respect, How High the Moon, A Natural Woman and many more. Mr. Russell, a steward of musical appreciation and history, brings soul classics to life in a new way while delighting audiences of all generations with his Pops leadership.
"I have always felt there was a musical story begging to be told by African-American women, a story written in the music of opera, gospel, R&B and jazz, and inspired by extraordinary artists such as Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, Leonine Price, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin. And so, 'I'm Every Woman' was born, and receives its world premiere in our concerts this month," said. Mr. Russell.
Tickets start at $25 (Kids tickets just $10) and are available by phone at (513) 381-3300, on the Internet at www.cincinnatipops.org, or in person at the CSO Box Office at Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or at Will Call at Music Hall on the night of the performance.
About Capathia Jenkins, vocalist - Capathia Jenkins can definitely act but all those who know her also know that this diva can blow and blow and blow you right off this planet. Jenkins grapples with two dueling passions, each with a strong grip: acting and music, yet she refuses to pick one because they both represent her soul. Capathia approaches a song the same way she approaches a script, like an artist. She looks for the nuances, the secret hidden within the notes or text. She seeks the melody, harmony and rhythm. She asks herself: what am I trying to say? What do I want my audience to experience with me? She wants to take her audience on a journey.
This Brooklyn-born and raised actress most recently starred as 'Medda' in the hit Disney production of Newsies' on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, where she created the role of Harriet Jackson. She then starred in the Off-Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell, where she wowed audiences with her stirring rendition of 'Turn Back, O Man' which can still be heard on the original cast recording. She returned to Broadway in The Look of Love and was critically acclaimed for her performances of the Bacharach/David hits. Ms. Jenkins then created the roles of 'The Washing Machine' in Caroline, Or Change and 'Frieda May' in Martin Short-Fame becomes me where she sang 'Stop the Show' and brought the house down every night.
In 2007 she went back to Off-Broadway and starred in (mis) Understanding Mammy-The Hattie McDaniel Story for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. She was also seen in Nora Ephron's Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
An active concert artist, Ms. Jenkins has appeared with orchestras around the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony (with Marvin Hamlisch), National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Memphis Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, San Diego Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. She was a soloist with the Festival Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. In 2011 Capathia had the great honor of performing in the 'Broadway Ambassadors to Cuba' concert as part of the Festival De Teatro De La Habana. Ms. Jenkins was a guest soloist with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and with the Cincinnati Pops.
Her Television credits include 30 Rock, the Practice, Law & Order SVU, the Sopranos, Law & Order. She can be seen in the 2012 film 'Musical Chairs' directed by Susan Seidelman. She can be heard on the following film soundtracks: Nine, Chicago, Legally Blonde 2.
About Measha Brueggergosman, vocalist - Measha Brueggergosman is one of the leading sopranos of her generation. Her first recording "Surprise" includes works by Schoenberg, Satie and Bolcom and is one of the most highly regarded debut album for some time while her latest recording "Night and Dreams" includes songs by Mozart, Brahms, Strauss, Schubert, Debussy, Duparc and Faure. Both of these have been released by Deutsche Grammophon. Other CD releases include "So much to tell" and "Extase" for CBC records and Beethoven 9 and Wesendonck Lieder with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Mo?st for Deutsche Grammophon.
In opera she has performed Giulietta and Antonia (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Elettra (Idomeneo), Madame Lidoine (Dialogues des carme?lites), Liu (Turandot) and Sister Rose (Dead Man Walking). Measha is very committed to Lied recitals and has performed with accompanists such as Justus Zeyen at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, both the Konzerthaus and Musikverein Wien, as well as the Schwarzenberg, Edinburgh, Verbier and Bergen festivals and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
She appears with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Daniel Harding, Michael Tilson Thomas, Franz Welser-Mo?st, Sir Andrew Davis and Gustavo Dudamel.
Recent engagements include solo tours with the Camerata Salzburg and the WDR Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Deutsche Symphony Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.
Measha Brueggergosman champions the education and involvement of new audiences and holds several ambassadorial titles with international charities.
About Tatiana "LadyMay" Mayfield - Refreshing and beautiful are how many have described the voice and persona of Tatiana "LadyMay" Mayfield, a jazz vocalist, musician, and educator from Fort Worth, Texas. "LadyMay" (as she has been named) has been singing and playing jazz music since the tender age of thirteen. Since then, she has performed in various venues and festivals throughout the U.S., which in turn have earned her rave reviews from listeners and musicians in addition to numerous awards.
In October of 2010, she was chosen as one of the twelve semi-finalists to compete in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition that was held in Washington, D.C before a legendary panel of judges. She is also a 2006 Young Arts winner for Jazz Voice. She has opened for several well- known artists such as Kirk Whalum, Will Downing, Randy Brecker, Dave Valentin, Bobbi Humphrey, and The Main Ingredient. She has also appeared on WFAA's "Good Morning Texas" television show four times since 2011.
She has recorded two albums, From All Directions (2009) and A Portrait Of LadyMay (2012). The first album From All Directions was recorded while she was still attending the University of North Texas, where she received her degree in Jazz Studies. Jazz journalist Scott Yanow described her voice on her debut album From All Directions (2009) as "attractive" with "excellent elocution" and a "joyful spirit". On her latest album A Portrait Of LadyMay (2012), Harvey Siders, former writer of JazzTimes and Downbeat magazines, describes her intonation as "flawless" and her scatting "as natural as breathing." In addition to her vocal skills, she plays piano, trombone, composes, and teaches voice and music theory. Currently, she is working on her third album, The Next Chapter, set to release in 2016.
LadyMay's appeal has also reached listeners abroad in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, Nigeria, and Brazil. Her music has been featured on several international radio stations such as "Solar Radio", "Jazz FM", "Tropical FM", and "Premier Gospel Radio" in the UK, "RJM Radio" in France, and "Smooth 98.1" in Nigeria. In November 2012, her song "Real" from A Portrait Of LadyMay reached #1 on the "UK Soul Chart". In July of 2013, she completed her first tour (LadyMay In The UK) to London where she was widely received on radio appearances, as well as at some of their top performance venues such as Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express in Soho, and the Flyover Portobello. UK based record store "Soul Brother Records" labeled "A Portrait Of LadyMay" as one of their "Best New Jazz Releases of 2013". In January of 2014, LadyMay won the "Best Vocalist Of The Month" competition for "SingerUniverse.com" for her song "It's Over Now". As an educator, she is an adjunct professor at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, TX teaching commercial voice and their commercial voice ensemble.
For more information on Tatiana LadyMay, visit www.tatianamayfield.com.
About John Morris Russell, conductor - A remarkable artist with boundless enthusiasm for music-making of all kinds, John Morris Russell is a modern conductor who engages and enthralls audiences with the full breadth of the orchestral experience. Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops since 2011, Mr. Russell's diverse programming and electric stage presence have infused new creativity and energy into one of the world's most iconic pops orchestras.
Consistently winning international praise for his extraordinary music-making and visionary leadership, this Ohio native is also Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina where Mr. Russell's commitment has yielded a new level of artistic excellence. He was also recently named Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, beginning in the 2015-16 season.
A popular guest conductor throughout the United States and Canada, he also holds the title of Conductor Laureate with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada, where he served as Music Director for eleven years.
With the Cincinnati Pops, Mr. Russell regularly leads sold-out performances at Cincinnati's Music Hall. Additionally, he conducts the Pops at the Riverbend Music Center and in concerts throughout the Greater Cincinnati region and on tour. Mr. Russell has collaborated with generations of great performers including the late Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney, as well as Idina Menzel, Vince Gill, Branford Marsalis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Megan Hilty, Michael McDonald, George Takei, Amy Grant, Brian Wilson, Katharine McPhee and Marvin Winans.
A sought-after guest conductor across the continent, Mr. Russell returned to the Hollywood Bowl in July 2014 to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a trio of concerts. Other recent engagements include the New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, among many other ensembles.
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