POPS TWO Soul Songbook Shayna Steele Sings Aretha & More TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019 • 7:30 p.m. • MARK C. SMITH CONCERT HALL, VON BRAUN CENTER Presented without Orchestra • GREGORY VAJDA, Music Director
What you want—baby, she’s got it! Shayna Steele’s credits include a Billboard No. 1 Dance single with Moby, Broadway appearances in Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Hairspray, and collaborations with Snarky Puppy, Steely Dan, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, John Legend, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. “In one performance,” the London Jazz News reports, “vocalist Shayna Steele unleashed enough voltage to light up the West End.”
“Music does a lot of things. It’s transporting, for sure,” said the great Aretha Franklin, “Queen” of Soul. “It can take you right back, years back, to the very moments certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, encouraging, and strengthening.”
Tonight will be a New Year’s Eve to remember: Shayna and her band play tribute to Aretha and other legendary artists whose contributions to American music—the Soul Songbook—brought together earthy gospel traditions, rhythm ‘n’ blues vernacular, and the grooves of funk and disco to create an entirely new genre that captivated the world.
Shayna Steele, vocalist David Cook, musical direction, piano Robin Macatangay, guitar Brian Cockerham, bass Ross Pederson, drums
Musical selections will be announced from the stage.
S3, Inc. Pops Series Concert Sponsors: LORETTA SPENCER WENDY WILSON AND CURT BENZLE
56 • HSO SEASON 65 • FALL Guest Artist
Shayna Steele, vocalist • Performances with Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic • Appearances at Nice, North Sea, and Singapore Jazz Festivals • Collaborations with Chris Botti, Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah, John Legend, Bette Midler, Moby, Dolly Parton, Rihanna, Steely Dan • Recordings on Ropeadope and Membran Music
HSO SEASON 65 • FALL • 57