listener’s guide
2020 - 2021 SEASON Celebrating 100 Years
Tribute to Aretha Franklin Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3, 2021 7:30 p.m. Holland Performing Arts Center Vocals by Capathia Jenkins & Ryan Shaw Christopher Dragon, conductor
VARIOUS Aretha Overture (Arr Wes Tompkins)
DON COVEY Chain of Fools (Arr Sam Shoup)
DESYLVA / BROWN / HENDERSON Birth of the Blues (Arr Rhodes; Orch Stevens)
SAGER / HAMLISCH Nobody Does It Better (Arr Nic Raine)
TRADITIONAL What a Friend We Have in Jesus / (Arr Matt Podd) Climbing Higher Mountains
KATHERINE BATES / SAM WARD America the Beautiful (Arr Sam Shoup)
OTIS REDDING Respect (Arr Roger Holmes)
JIMMY WEBB MacArthur Park (Arr Bill Holcombe)
JAMES BROWN I Got You (I Feel Good) (Arr Kenneth Bernier)
GOFFIN / KING / WEXLER (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Arr John Bachalis) SAM COOKE A Change is Gonna Come
STEVIE WONDER Isn’t She Lovely (Arr Bill Holman)
WOODS / CAMPBELL / CONNELLY Try a Little Tenderness (Arr Sam Shoup)
TRADITIONAL Amazing Grace (Arr Matt Podd) 1 CAPATHIA JENKINS VOCALS
Brooklyn-born and-raised actress and Broadway singer Capathia Jenkins 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, and went on to perform in The Look of Love and was critically acclaimed for her performances of the Bacharach/David hits. 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. Her other Off-Broadway appearances include (mis) Understanding Mammy - The Hattie McDaniel Story for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, and 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, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, 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. Her television credits include 30 Rock, The Practice, Law & Order SVU, The Sopranos, and Law & Order.
RYAN SHAW VOCALS
Ryan Shaw is a three-time GRAMMY® nominated artist for his solo projects, Columbia Records’ This is Ryan Shaw, In Between, and Dynotone’s Real Love. He has shared the world stage with such artists as Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, John Legend, B.B. King, and Jill Scott. His music has been featured on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lincoln Heights, and the films My Blueberry Nights, Bride Wars, and the Sex and the City soundtrack. Mr. Shaw has starred in roles such as Judas in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Olivier Award-winning London production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the original Stevie Wonder in Motown: The Musical on Broadway, and on London’s West End as the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live. Ryan debuted at Radio City Music Hall in the Dream Concert benefit for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. His Carnegie Hall appearances include the Elton John and Bernie Taupin Tribute, A Celebration of The African American Cultural Legacy, and a Nat King Cole 100th concert with the NY Pops. His concert schedule includes Nat King Cole at 100 with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center, and A Tribute to the Queen of Soul: Aretha Franklin with numerous orchestras throughout North America. Ryan’s new album, Imagining Marvin, showcases Marvin Gaye hits alongside Ryan’s original songs and features multi GRAMMY Award-winning co-writers and special guests.
2 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON CONDUCTOR Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is the recently appointed music director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra and resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony after four seasons as its associate conductor. For three years he previously held the position of assistant conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch. Christopher works regularly in Australia and has guest conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with John Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Christopher’s international guest conducting includes Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted at numerous festivals including the Breckenridge and Bangalow Music Festivals, with both resulting in immediate re- invitations. At the beginning of 2016 Mr. Dragon conducted Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony as part of the Perth International Art Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Christopher began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program in Australia under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Jarvi at the Jarvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.
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