FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenni Shrum,
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
(405) 231-0145 jenni@okcphil.org
OKC Philharmonic Returns to Scissortail Park to Host Free Concert “Sunday In The Park with Frank Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald”
featuring special guests Jay Wilkinson & JaLeesa Beavers
Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma City Philharmonic returns to Scissortail Park Sunday, September 15, 8:30 p.m. with a free concert for the entire family, Sunday In The Park with Frank Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald featuring special guests Jay Wilkinson & JaLeesa Beavers.
Jay Wilkinson is the Coordinator of Jazz Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He has also taught privately at the Norman Music Institute, Infinity Music, and Imagine Music and Arts. His students have been accepted in honor bands, prestigious graduate programs like IU and UNT, professional touring shows, touring big bands, as well as local dance bands and concert groups. More than his work as an educator and composer, Wilkinson has excelled as a performer. Jay has performed at various locations across the U.S. as a vocalist and trumpet player and is a major performer in the Oklahoma City metro area. He is a member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and has been featured as a vocalist on multiple occasions. His connection with the Philharmonic has allowed him the opportunity to perform with artists like Ray Charles, Mercedes Ellington, Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, Byron Stripling, Chris Botti, Kristin Chenoweth, Renee Fleming, and Kelli O’Hara. He is a member of the Lyric Theatre Orchestra and often plays for traveling shows through Celebrity Attractions which feature some of this country’s finest Broadway performers.
JaLeesa Beavers is a multi-disciplined artist with a vocally symphonic breadth of styles and genres. She has been showcased in concerts at Joe’s Pub inside the Public Theatre, 54 Below, Green Room 42 in New York City and has shared the stage with many renowned artists including Debra Monk, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, and Andrew Polec. She’s also a frequent collaborator of music director Drew Wutke. JaLeesa is a graduate of the music theatre program at the University of Central Oklahoma. Regional credits include: Les Misérables (MUNY St. Louis), Godspell (OKC repertory Theatre), and Big River (Lyric Theatre). When she isn’t singing or acting, JaLeesa is passionate about creating safe work spaces for creation, collaboration, and play. Offstage, she leads culture shaping work at organizations within the educational tech industry as a workshop facilitator, coach, and speaker.
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