Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr. Will Go It Solo at the Kennedy Center

The concerts are part of the Renée Fleming Voices series.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Artistic Advisor at Large Renée Fleming have announced the artists who will be part of the 2017-18 season of the Renée Fleming Voices concert series, which heralds the power of the voice across a wide range of genres.

The second season of the series includes Hamilton Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr. (October 14 at 8 PM in the Eisenhower Theater), Tony winner for The Color Purple Cynthia Erivo (November 3-4 at 7:30 PM in the Terrace Theater), Barbara Hannigan—one of the world’s leading performers of contemporary opera—performing with pianist Reinbert de Leeuw (November 14 at 7:30 PM in the Terrace Theater), world music legend Angélique Kidjo (November 30 at 8 PM in the Eisenhower Theater), stage and cabaret star Ute Lemper and the Vogler Quartet in Paris Days, Berlin Nights—a journey through the European songbook of the Weimar years (March 16, 2018, at 8 PM in the Eisenhower Theater), opera star Isabel Leonard, who performs a recital co-presented with Fortas Chamber Music Concerts (April 15, 2018, at 2 PM in the Terrace Theater), A Night of Jazz with Gregory Porter and the NSO Pops (June 27, 2018, at 8 PM in the Concert Hall), and Fleming performing alongside acclaimed jazz bassist Christian McBride (October 13, 2017, at 7 PM and 9 PM in the Terrace Theater).

“I have been so gratified by the audience response to the first season of the Voices series, and I am thrilled that our second season expands to include an even greater diversity of vocal talents from all over the world,” said Fleming in a statement. “These are some of the most exciting singers I know, and I can’t wait for Kennedy Center audiences to experience their incredible talents.”

Fleming had this to say about Tony winners Erivo and Odom, Jr.: “I was so fortunate to see Cynthia Erivo’s blazing, Tony Award–winning performance in The Color Purple on Broadway. My family and I were on our feet shouting when she blew out the sound system in the penultimate anthem! …Her gift for unsparing, emotional honesty paired with vocal fireworks makes her performances simply unforgettable.

“Imagine a performer who could edge out Lin-Manuel Miranda for a prize, any prize. Last year, Leslie Odom Jr. won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Hamilton, which I was fortunate to see. I also heard him at the 2016 Kennedy Center Spring Gala. He is a consummate, elegant artist, and this is a performance not to miss.”

Subscriptions for the series are on sale now. To purchase a subscription, visit the Box Office, call the Subscription Office at (202) 416-8500, or go to kennedy-center.org/subscribe.



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