Chicago Philharmonic 2021-2022

16 THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY | 2021-2022 SEASON Chicago Philharmonic 2021 2022 SEASON " Aretha helped de ne the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade - our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and hard-won respect. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance ." - Barack and Michelle Obama In January 1967, a 24-year-old Aretha Franklin walked into Atlantic Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record with producer Jerry Wexler. In just a few notes, it was clear to everyone in the room that she was a star. "From there it was like sparkles and shine," songwriter Dan Penn later said, recalling the awe of the moment. "A er everybody heard her sing, 'You're a no good, heartbreaker,' she had ve instant fans. I can tell you, she was getting all the respect one person can get from those cats." I Never Loved A Man was Franklin's rst single that ranked in the top ten of Billboard's "Hot 100" - a major turning point in her career that began as a gospel singer under the management of her father Reverend C.L. Franklin. She recorded her rst secular album in 1961, but it wasn't until her switch from Columbia Records to Atlantic Records that she gained mass commercial success. Franklin used the blues, soul, jazz, gospel, and other traditionally Blackmusic to push for equality as centuries of racial injustice came to a head in the 1960s and 70s. Songs like Respect are dance-along radio hits that demand autonomy and dignity for women and for Black Americans. Franklin also meticulously controlled her own public image; she avoided tabloids and other exploitative media. She wasn't a trendy dresser, but seemingly had a fabulous fur coat or feather boa for every occasion. She was body-positive, race-proud, and unapologetically her own person, long before social justice warriors of the 21st century popularized those words. Franklin is an icon. Few, if any, have ever contained so much range in just one voice: optimism, joy, sorrow, sensuality, stubbornness, tenderness, and bitterness. Her many accolades are a testament to this. Franklin was the rst woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, was the youngest recipient of the John F. Kennedy Center Honors, and won 18 Grammy awards. Perhaps most notably, she sang at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral in 1968 and Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. ARETHA FRANKLIN (1942-2018) CAPATHIA JENKINS RYAN SHAW Brooklyn-born and raised actress and vocalist Capathia Jenkinsmost recently starred as ‘Medda’ in the hit Disney production of Newsies’ on Broadway. Capathia Jenkins made her Broadway debut in e Civil War , where she created the role of Harriet Jackson. She then starred in the O -Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell , where she wowed audiences with her stirring rendition of ‘Turn Back, O Man’ which can still be heard a the original cast recording. Ms. Jenkins then created the roles of ‘ e Washing Machine’ in Caroline, Or Change and ‘Frieda May’ in Martin Short-Fame becomes me where she sang ‘Stop the Show’ and brought the house down every night. An active concert artist, Ms. Jenkins has appeared with orchestras around the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony (with Marvin Hamlisch), Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Colorado Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. She was a soloist with the Festival Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Ms. Jenkins was a guest soloist with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and with the Cincinnati Pops. Her television credits include 30 Rock, the Practice, Law & Order SVU, Ryan Shawmade his New York debut in Tyler Perry’s play I Know I’ve Been Changed . Mr. Shaw further made a name for himself doing Motown covers, joining the group Fabulous Soul Shakers. His rst album, " is is Ryan Shaw," for Columbia Records, earned him a 2008 Grammy nomination for “I Am Your Man.” He opened for Van Halen’s 2007-2008 North American tour. In 2011, Mr. Shaw received another Grammy nomination for “In Between.” In 2014, he received his third for “Yesterday” on his new CD, "Real Love" on Dynotone Records. He has played Stevie Wonder on Broadway in Motown: e Musical ; the cast album has also received a Grammy nomination.