Broadway superstar N’Kenge, who has been nominated for an Emmy, Tony and Grammy award, came to Prep on Jan. 16 to give a Masterclass about careers in the arts! N’Kenge pointed out that she sings in 11 languages, and had the crowd engaged as she had them guess which ones.
There was also a light moment when N’Kenge took questions from the crowd and a student asked her if she faced any “roadblocks.” Many in the crowd heard that as “Roblox,” the video game.
WATCH the complete assembly in the Prep auditorium, above.
From fwsymphony.org: Emmy & Grammy-nominated and International Award-winning Songstress N’Kenge (pronounced “nuh-KEN-JEE”) has been heralded by the New York Times as “a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway to Pop, Soul and Opera.” Trained at both The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, N’Kenge’s vocal and musical range spans five octaves and 11 languages.
N’Kenge made her Broadway debut in Sondheim on Sondheim and slayed the game on Broadway originating the role of Mary Wells in Motown: The Musical, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Motown Founder Berry Gordy described N’Kenge as “the most versatile artist I know.” The NY Post called her performance of Mary Wells “ELECTRIFYING.”
As a vocal soloist, N’Kenge has performed at world-renowned performance venues, such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Madison Square Garden. She has headlined Pop and Opera concerts with Seattle Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra, to name a few.
N’Kenge has sung for Presidents and Dignitaries around the globe, including for President Clinton and for President Obama’s historical Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball.
