Jubilant Sykes

About

Official Site: http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=146&c=2

This critically acclaimed artist, lauded in the Wall Street Journal as one of “the next major stars,” brings a new dimension to the traditional career of the classically trained baritone by drawing on gospel and jazz influences. Jubilant has won the attention and respect of the world’s finest conductors, symphonies and opera companies including Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and hundreds of other major venues around the world. The California-born Sykes brings “mesmerizing conviction and remarkable agility of both character and technique” (The Los Angeles Times) to a wide-ranging repertoire.

Jubilant’s versatility has fostered many musical collaborations. Jubilant, his first recording under his exclusive contract with Sony BMG Masterworks brings the singer together with jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. His recording, Wait For Me released in spring 2001, features classic songs by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.

The 2005-2006 season is indicative of Mr. Sykes’ versatility. Mr. Sykes will continue his long and artistically dynamic relationship with guitarist Christopher Parkening, as they tour the United States, Japan and Korea. Mr. Sykes and Mr. Parkening will collaborate on their much anticipated recording of American and Brazilian music. Mr. Sykes’ latest endeavor is performing in concert with his jazz trio Side Street. His concert repertoire this season includes classical, jazz and folks songs which creates a diverse program for his audiences.

Highlights of his 2004-2005 season also included numerous performances with guitarist Christopher Parkening, including engagements in Madison, WI; West Chicago, IL; and in La Jolla and San Francisco, CA. He performed with the Utah Symphony, and with the Des Moines Symphony in a special concert to commemorate the opening of the Carnegie Library. Last season audiences enjoyed Mr. Sykes on stage with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Tucson Symphony Orchestra in a pops concert, and in a variety of recitals that included both classical and musical repertoire. Sykes rounded out this exciting season singing Bernstein’s Mass as his debut performance with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre.

Other notable moments from the past several seasons in Mr. Sykes’ career include recital tours throughout North America, which included repertoire from Schubert to Sondheim and galas featuring popular opera arias and Broadway’s greatest hits. He performed at Carnegie Hall, Benaroya Hall, as well as several established college recital series across America. Mr. Sykes has performed pops and classical programs in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Hartford, West Virginia, and with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and been seen in concert with the San Francisco Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Utah Pops Symphony, the Colorado Spring Symphony and the Richmond, St. Louis, Buffalo and Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestras. Mr. Sykes, who is much in demand for recital performances, appeared at the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, Mercer College, Spivey Hall and Arizona State University among many others. In the 2000-2001 season Mr. Sykes made his musical theater debut to critical acclaim in City Center’s Encores! production of E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen’s Bloomer Girl.

Jubilant’s repertoire spans from Copland’s Old American Songs to Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Brahms’s A German Requiem, to Mozart’s Requiem. He has performed concert versions of Bizet’s Carmen(Escamillo) with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra and Cavalli’s Calisto with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, Jubilant was a featured soloist for the premiere of Torke’s Four Seasons with the New York Philharmonic; and for the premiere of Libby Larsons’ Coming Forth Into Day for baritone and orchestra (set to a text by Jehen El Sadat, widow of Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat).

Career highlights include performances with such noted conductors as Christoph Eschenbach, Marvin Hamlisch, Raymond Leppard, Andrew Litton, Keith Lockhart, Lorin Maazel, John Nelson, John Williams and David Zinman. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Center Chamber Ensemble, London Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Mr. Sykes has appeared in festivals across America including the Grant Park Music Festival, the Chautaqua Festival and Tanglewood. His recital engagements have taken him to the Van Cliburn Foundation, the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma, California Institute of Technology, Houston Society for the Performing Arts, and the University of Arizona.

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