The launch of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s new Presenting Series season is the culmination of several timelines. First, it marks the 15th anniversary of the Center opening its doors in 2004 and holding presentations in its five venues. Second, there are performances in the coming months that have been in the works for two or more years become coming together in this particular year. Third, the Center chose this anniversary year to embark on a new collaboration with Notre Dame’s Department of Music. A renewed commitment to presenting chamber arts takes the Presenting Series to the O’Neill Hall of Music’s LaBar Recital Hall. There this season, two soloists and one ensemble have their Notre Dame debut.
August 19 begins single ticket sales for the 2019–2020 Presenting Series season. And just one month later the fall season opens Friday, September 20 with the much-anticipated performance by Tony and Grammy Award-winner superstar, Leslie Odom, Jr. In constant demand on tour, he continues to make his mark across music, film, and television.
Odom, Jr. is best known for his breakout role as Aaron Burr in the smash-hit Broadway musical, Hamilton, for which he received a 2015 Drama Desk Award nomination. He went on to win the Tony Award for “Best Actor in a Musical.” He also won a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the original cast recording. The Philly native made his Broadway debut in Rent at just 17 years old and starred in the stage adaption of Leap of Faith. He also starred opposite Lin-Manual Miranda in a 2014 City Center Encores! revival of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick … Boom!.
As a child, Odom has said he thought himself an outsider who was “incredibly average.” But the boy who sang in church and, identified by a mentor, turned out to be a gifted speechwriter and orator, would grow into a teen with the confidence to explore dramatic theater at Philly’s first all-African-American theater, the New Freedom Theatre. “Freedom Theatre was where it all began for me,” Odom, Jr. has said. “My past, even the recent past, goes into every song I sing. I want the inspiration of all of my life to be available to me.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to be “in the room where it happens” when Odom makes his Presenting Series debut in a very special season-opening concert performance. Jazz and standard lovers from all generations can expect an impeccable performance full of punchy anecdotes and insights into the artist’s creative choices. Expect a smooth set brimming with beloved classics from a Nat King Cole classic like “Unforgettable” to the timeless “Autumn Leaves,” and almost spirituals like “Look for the Silver Lining” to signature songs from Hamilton like “Wait for It,” Leslie Odom, Jr. leaves no emotional stone unturned while he commands the stage with an incredible backing band.
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LESLIE ODOM, JR.
Toast the kickoff of our 15th anniversary by joining us for the incomparable Leslie Odom, Jr. The Tony- and Grammy Award-winning star continues taking the entertainment world by storm on Broadway (Hamilton’s original Aaron Burr) and television, in film, and as a recording artist.
Friday, September 20, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
