Interview with Broadway Star CAPATHIA JENKINS

CAPATHIA JENKINS on her upcoming concert ARETHA: A TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN OF SOUL with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra as well as her latest album PHENOMENAL WOMEN: THE MAYA ANGELOU SONGS. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra begins 2020 with two performances of ‘Aretha: A Tribute to the Queen of Soul’ on Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 2 & 8 p.m. at Bob Carr Theater. Tickets start at $27 and can be purchased online at orlandophil.org, by calling 407.770.0071, or in person at the Box Office, located at The Plaza Live (425 N. Bumby Avenue, Orlando). The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Ticket prices subject to change.)

This Brooklyn-born and raised, actress and singer starred as ‘Medda’ in the hit Disney production of Newsies’ on Broadway. Capathia made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, creating the role of Harriet Jackson. Starring in the Off-Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell, she wowed audiences with her stirring rendition of ‘Turn Back, O Man’. A proud accomplishment, still available on the original cast recording. Her performances, in the Bacharach/David Broadway hit The Look of Love, won her critical acclaim. Under the direction of George C. Wolfe, Ms. Jenkins created the role of ‘The Washing Machine’ in Caroline, Or Change. As ‘Frieda May’ in Martin Short-Fame becomes me, where she sang ‘Stop the Show’, Capathia brought the house down. Every night.

In 2007, her relationship with Broadway secured, she starred in the Off-Broadway production of (mis) Understanding Mammy-The Hattie McDaniel Story, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. She was also a proud member of the cast of 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 and Minnesota Orchestra’s. Her Symphonic appearances also include the Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, Utah, San Antonio, Memphis, Nashville, Toledo, Colorado, San Diego, Toronto, Kansas City, Edmonton, The National Symphony and The Pittsburgh Symphony (with Marvin Hamlisch). Capathia’s international credits include The Calgary and The Hong Kong Philharmonic, along with a solo performance at 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, with John Morris Russell and The Cincinnati Pops and Steven Reineke and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall.

Her Television credits include The Wiz Live on NBC, 30 Rock, the Practice, Law & Order SVU, the Sopranos and Law & Order. She can be seen in the film ‘Musical Chairs’ directed by Susan Seidelman. She can be heard on the following film soundtracks: Nine, Chicago and Legally Blonde 2.

Jenkins most recently released the critically acclaimed album Phenomenal Woman: The Maya Angelou Songs with her collaborator Louis Rosen and they Sold Out the world-famous Birdland Theatre in NYC for 3 nights.

ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is supported by United Arts of Central Florida, host of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com. This project is funded in part by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program,\ and sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida. The Accommodations Sponsor is Comfort Suites Downtown Orlando.

Celebrating its 27th Season, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Music Director Eric Jacobsen and is comprised of creative musicians and artists from around the world. The Philharmonic annually presents the FAIRWINDS Classics Series and Pops Series at Bob Carr Theater and its Focus Series at The Plaza Live, a historic Central Florida venue. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to enrich and inspire the diverse communities of Central Florida through the transformative power of live music, and it presents more than 170 live concerts and impacts more than 70,000 children, youth and families annually through its Young People’s Concerts, Symphony Storytime Series, Notes in Your Neighborhood program, and free outdoor community concerts. A resident company of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the Philharmonic will perform in Steinmetz Hall when it opens in 2020. Learn more at OrlandoPhil.org.