With “The Great American Songbook” in hand and the “oldest and greatest generation in mind,” Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz and Broadway star Capathia Jenkins planned an Independence Day Celebration that will make the audience sing along.
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, led by Chafetz and joined by vocalist Jenkins, takes to the stage at 8 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater. The Fourth of July program is extensive as always and “will have something for everybody,” from Americana classics to soul blues. Jenkins is “most excited” about a special tribute to Roberta Flack, a Grammy-winning singer and pianist who passed away in February. She got to meet Flack after singing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” Jenkins said, and “she was just lovely and kind.”
In the Independence Day Celebration, Jenkins will be singing “Killing Me Softly” — along with other hits that the audience will have to come to find out — and Chafetz “couldn’t imagine a more perfect person than Capathia to honor (Flack) with her beautiful voice.”
Chafetz is also conducting a song performed at his own wedding: rock band Ambrosia’s “Biggest Part of Me,” featuring soloist alto saxophone Jeffrey Wills. When Chafetz conducted the Columbus Symphony last weekend for an evening of yacht rock, the lineup included Ambrosia — the band even introduced the song as “Stu’s wedding song.”
“It’s one of those iconic Ambrosia songs, which many in the audience will love. So far, we’ve had some patriotism, we’ve had some swing, we’ve had some musical, and now we’re getting into this era where we’re getting things going — we’re going to get everybody dancing,” Chafetz said. “The goal is to have that moment within the concert where we’re all just kind of singing and dancing.”
No stranger to singing and dancing, Jenkins starred as Medda for Disney’s production of Newsies on Broadway. While this is not her first time performing at Chautauqua, Jenkins and Chafetz haven’t had the opportunity to “work together in a long time,” he said. “She’s perfect for this concert.”
“When she came (to Chautauqua) the first time, she blew the roof off the place. You’re not going to believe how wonderful she is, along with her personality and character — the audience just loves her,” Chafetz said. “I’m so excited to have her back and to reunite with her.”
Jenkins is also thrilled to work with Chafetz. For her, “feeling safe on stage is everything,” so to have that “special” and “intuitive” relationship with Chafetz is incredibly valuable — plus he’s just a “lovely human being,” she said.
“My back is normally to him, I’m singing and doing my thing, but he can feel me breathe and adjust or massage a tempo without us having to say anything to each other,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins “feels fortunate” that music “represents her soul,” a feeling enhanced by having performed in musical theater since a young age.
“Becoming a character and telling a story is a skill that never leaves you,” Jenkins said. “It is such a powerful thing to use that gift on the symphony stage.”
“When you embody the story, then tell that story from your perspective, it makes the audience lean in and listen in a different way. That, for me, is where the magic is, because now I am sharing my soul with you,” Jenkins said. “What lights me up from the inside is when I can show up on stage as my full, authentic self.”
As a general rule, Jenkins always shows up and tells the truth because there lies the draw for the listeners.
“Showing up with my whole soul, my heart wide open — that is where my joy is,” Jenkins said.
From her vantage point, the audience resembles a sort of amoeba that moves collectively — “When you do something, they all stand to their feet in a standing ovation,” she said.
Even as, on its birthday, the country feels divided in many ways, she said this performance is a chance to come together and sing.
“I want the audience to come and celebrate this country,” Jenkins said. “Sometimes you can feel so bogged down by the news and everything, so I just want the audience to come and choose joy.”
