Aretha: A Tribute

This high-energy, dazzling tribute to the Queen of Soul features Drama Desk Award nominee  Capathia Jenkins and three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist  Ryan Shaw performing iconic favorites including “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Amazing Grace,” and more. 

Program

Various arr. Tompkins
Aretha Overture

Covey arr. Shoup
Chain of Fools

Bacharach / David arr. Waldin
I Say a Little Prayer

DeSylva / Brown / Henderson arr. Rhodes; Orch Stevens
Birth of the Blues

Wonder arr. Mossman
Sir Duke

Sager / Hamlisch arr. Raine
Nobody Does It Better

Traditional arr. Podd
What a Friend We Have in Jesus / Climbing Higher Mountains

Webb arr. Holcombe
MacArthur Park

Bates / Ward arr. Shoup
America the Beautiful

Redding arr. Holmes
Respect

– Intermission –

Various arr. Norris
Salute to Ray Charles

Brown arr. Waldin
I Got You (I Feel Good)

Gordon arr. Holcombe
Unforgettable

Goffin / King / Wexler arr. Bachalis
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Cooke
A Change is Gonna Come

Wonder arr. Holman
Isn’t She Lovely

Warren arr. Hampton
At Last

Woods / Campbell / Connelly arr. Shoup
Try a Little Tenderness

Traditional arr. Podd
Amazing Grace

Franklin / White arr. Shoup
Think (from The Blues Brothers)

Naima Burrs, Guest Conductor

Naima Burrs, M.M., is a violinist and conductor from Richmond, VA, with a Master of Music in violin performance from the University of Northern Iowa and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, and has held leadership roles such as concertmaster and principal second violin.

Burrs has appeared on NPR’s “With Good Reason” to discuss her career and perform works by African American composers. She was selected for the 2014 Scotia Festival of Music and has served as concertmaster for various projects, including Steven M. Allen’s opera The Poet and a PBS documentary on Paul Lawrence Dunbar. In 2019, she participated in the Colour of Music Festival’s orchestra and virtuosi ensemble.

In 2021, Burrs was chosen as a Summit Conductor for the Wintergreen Music Festival and will study at the Domaine Forget conducting academy in Quebec. Recently appointed Music Director of the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, she also serves as the orchestra director at the University of Richmond and a full-time instructor at Virginia State University. Burrs is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in instrumental conducting at The Catholic University of America.