Auditorium Theatre 2019-2020 Too Hot - Jazz-Gospel Messiah

JANUARY 18+19, 2020 | TOO HOT TO HANDEL | 9 BIOGRAPHIES Karen Marie Richardson ( Alto ) is a songwriter, vocal arranger, actress, educator, and musician and a Chicago native who is known nationally for her vocals. She has performed in Too Hot to Handel as the alto soloist at the Auditorium Theatre and Detroit Opera House for the last 10 seasons. She is currently starring in the Off-Broadway sensation Sleep No More as jazz chanteuse Stella Sinclair, where she has sung duets with P!nk and John Legend. Richardson can also be seen as the Canteen Chanteuse in the movie adaptation of the Michael John Lachiusa musical Hello Again . She appeared on television in 2015 and 2016, vocally supporting Grammy Award-nominated artist Andra Day on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , The Wendy Williams Show , Good Morning America , CBS This Morning , and Live With Kelly . She was featured in the pilot episode of Vinyl on HBO, directed by Martin Scorsese. Richardson is one of the few artists to perform in Duke Ellington’s Queenie Pie in the title role (at the Long Beach Opera and Chicago Opera Theater). She portrayed the Queen of Night in the “Baz Dazzled” series at Barneys New York under the direction of Baz Luhrmann. She can also be seen on YouTube as a featured vocalist in a few viral videos. She holds a BFA in musical theatre from Millikin University. Richardson would like to dedicate her performance to Linda Shaver-Gleason. Alvin B. Waddles, ( Piano ) is a native Detroiter. He studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan School of Music. After completing his formal education, he returned to the Detroit area and immediately immersed himself in the rich musical culture of the city, benefiting from the diverse influences that would eventually shape his own unique style. Waddles has delighted Detroit music lovers with performances in a variety of musical events, including the Detroit International Jazz Festival and the Detroit International Jazz Festival; the Detroit Festival of the Arts; the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival; and Arts, Beats, and Eats. Waddles’ engagements as a soloist and featured artist have taken him to a variety of destinations, including Barbados, Beijing, Paris, Barcelona, and Ghana. He has also traveled extensively as musical director/pianist for Cook, Dixon, and Young. Suzanne Mallare Acton ( Conductor ) is known for her versatility and dynamic style, with a repertoire that ranges from opera to jazz. For Michigan Opera Theatre, Acton’s conducting credits include West Side Story, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, The Music Man, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, La Bohème, Die Fledermaus, La Traviata, A Little Night Music, The Daughter of the Regiment, Carmina Burana with members of the Cirque du Soleil, The Medium, View from the Bridge, Frida , and Les Pêcheurs de Perles. Additional opera credits include My Fair Lady and La Traviata for Dayton Opera; The Merry Widow and Madama Butterfly for Artpark; La Traviata, Gianni Schicchi and L’Elisir D’Amore for Verdi Opera Theatre; Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Traviata, and Carmen for the Wharton Center; Cavalleria Rusticana for Friends of the Opera; and Tosca for Augusta Opera. Symphonic concerts include the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, The Lexington Bach Festival, the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, and the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. Acton is also the Artistic and Music Director of Rackham Symphony Choir. Under her leadership, Rackham was awarded the 2008 Governor’s Award for Arts & Culture. Acton has been named by Corp! Magazine as one of Michigan’s 95 Most Powerful Women.