Opera/Pops Diva N'Kenge Debuts with Sarasota Symphony in THE BEAT GOES ON

Master vocalist and Symphony Siren Diva N'Kenge (Motown: The Musical and Sondheim and Sondheim) is coming to Sarasota, FL for the first time debuting with conductor Jack Everly at the Sarasota Symphony for the exciting The Beat Goes On show, Friday - Saturday, April 15 - April 16, 2016 (8:00pm).

The NY Post called N'Kenge "Electrifying" in the role of Mary Wells that she originated in Broadway's Smash Hit Motown: The Musical. Last week, N'Kenge performed with Maestro Everly and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra where DCMetroTheatreArts.com writes, "N'Kenge brought down the house with her emotional yet powerful version of "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going". Her Beautiful voice was raw with need, yet still strong - and oh my goodness, those sustained high notes! It was indeed a highlight." N'Kenge is thrilled to return to Florida after recently performing as a soloist with both the Jacksonville Symphony and Naples Philharmonic in February 2016.

Over the years, N'Kenge has been a part of several all-star vocal casts dedicated to various decades, and she is aware that the songs from that decade continue to support that same type of energy and feeling in audiences. It is reminiscent to a time when she performed for President Obama in his "Commander in Chief" Inaugural Ball in 2008. N'Kenge looks forward to performing with the Sarasota Symphony being it is the first time she will be able to bless the audience with her vocals, and to have another rewarding experience in a new "hall" during her Florida Symphonic tour. Florida is special to N'Kenge, it is where she spent her summers growing-up, and where she continues to spend-time being her mother, and most relatives reside throughout the state.

Beyond working with the popular Florida Symphonies, like Naples Philharmonic; N'Kenge also makes time to hone the talent of young African American students with an interest in classical music by utilizing her expertise in opera music. She is a board member of The Coalition of African Americans in Performing Arts (CAAPA) and has recently conducted a successful vocal master class at Morgan State University. It is this effortless dedication and love for preserving classical arts that she continues to share with eager bodies, and has given over 100 vocal masterclasses through Columbia Music Artists Community program throughout the country.

For two days at the Sarasota Symphony, N'Kenge will bring her enthralling sound to a host of solid gold songs from a time when the Beach Boys made summer endless; The Supremes and other Motown legends put Motown on the map; and lyrics were used for daily tasks and good clean fun. And this is why Music Legend Berry Gordy describes N'Kenge as "the most versatile artist I know"; and see why Variety raves about N'Kenge's "show-stopping performances" as she is joined on stage by powerhouse singers Kristine Reese, Farah Alvin, Max Quinlon, Jim Hogan and Ray Chicas. You won't be able to sit down when N'Kenge sings top 40 favorites such as Aretha Franklin's "Think", "Let It Be", "I Say a little Prayer" and more. Check out N'Kenge performing This Is The Moment at The International Women's Forum 2015 Hall of Fame dinner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmclDFFZN3o

Hailed by the New York Times as "a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway, Pop, Soul to Opera. N'Kenge made her Broadway debut in Sondheim on Sondheim alongside Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis and Tom Wopat which was directed by Pulitzer Prize winner James Lapine. In London, N'Kenge made her West End debut starring in The Genius of Ray Charles. N'Kenge starred in the Michael Jackson Tribute Show World Tour and has also been seen as a soloist with Maestro Steve Reineke at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops Orchestra as well as working with Jack Everly at the Cincinnati Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra to name a few.

For over 65 years, the Sarasota Symphony Orchestra has been entertaining audiences from around the FL region and world. The 80-member orchestra performs over 100 classical, pops, and family concerts throughout each year, and thrives as the oldest continuing orchestra in the state of Florida. N'Kenge is excited to join, for the first-time, the Sarasota Symphony Orchestra for The Beat Goes On show. It will be an experience unlike any other!

You can learn more about N'Kenge at www.nkengemusic.com. For more information on the show: https://www.sarasotaorchestra.org/calendar/2016/april.