Thanksgiving Weekend: “I Will Survive”—Diva Legends

Lucas Waldin is a dynamic and versatile conductor whose performances have delighted audiences across North America. He has collaborated with some of today’s most exciting artists, including Carly Rae Jepsen, The Barenaked Ladies, Crash Test Dummies, Ben Folds, The Canadian Brass, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, in addition to conducting presentations such as Disney in Concert, Blue Planet Live, Cirque de la Symphony, and the groundbreaking symphonic debut of R&B duo Dvsn as part of the global Red Bull Music Festival.

In addition to the Houston Symphony, Lucas has been a guest conductor for numerous orchestras in the United States and Canada, including The Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, and National Arts Centre Orchestra, among many others.

A native of Toronto, Ontario, he holds degrees in flute and conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Best known to millions of TV viewers as a top-four finalist during the 2007 season of

American Idol, LaKisha Jones is ready to reclaim center stage in music, theater, and

television.

Having worked with hit-making songwriters and producers, including Tony Nicholas (Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross), Ro & Sauce (Brandy, Ne-Yo) and Greg Curtis (Keyshia Cole, Yolanda Adams), LaKisha’s album, So Glad I’m Me featured a spirited mix of R&B and soul. A few noteworthy songs included the single “Same Song,” penned by award-winning songwriter Dianne Warren, Whitney Houston’s “You Give Good Love,” the gospel song “Just As I Am,” and LaKisha’s soaring ballad to her daughter “Beautiful Girl.”

Her drive and motivation dates to her childhood in Flint, Michigan. Raised by her

mother and grandmother, LaKisha was exposed to music by legendary singers such as

Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle, with her grandmother urging the

young girl to “let your voice shine” thereby prompting her to sing in church choirs and music programs. Joining various choral groups and a cappella choruses throughout high school, LaKisha entered and won the top prize at Flint’s local talent contest, The Super Show, in 1997.

LaKisha then went to New York to audition for American Idol and segued from Idol to the Broadway stage for The Color Purple where she played “Sophia,” which she alternated with R&B icon Chaka Khan, who became her mentor. LaKisha participated in Khan’s 35th Anniversary Tour. Following her Broadway stint, LaKisha provided vocal coaching on MTV’s reality competition Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods, a show designed to find and hone Broadway’s next star.

A frequent soloist with orchestras around the world, LaKisha has performed as a guest soloist in Houston and with the National Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony and Opera, Winnipeg Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Windham Chamber Singers, Grand Rapids Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Symphony, Battle Creek Symphony, Reno Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Long Bay Symphony, and the Festival Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, among many others.

Chances are you have heard the amazing soprano voice of Nova Y. Payton in internationally staged musicals, on PBS in one of the specials with The American Pops Orchestra, in 3 Mo’ Divas, or in countless regional theatre productions across the country. Boasting a prolific catalog of artist collaborations, the former American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) student has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Levi Kreis, Bobby McFerrin, John Michael Higgins, Yolanda Adams, Betsy Wolfe, Michael Uris, Anthony Hamilton, and Michelle Williams. She has also opened for heavyweights like Ashford and Simpson, Will Downing, Stephanie Mills, Melba Moore, The Chi-Lites, and the Dramatics. Nova has performed in more than 150 major cities in the United States, as well as Canada, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Europe.

Nova has been recognized with many nominations and awards for her talents. She starred in a soul-stirring rendition of Effie White in Dreamgirls, which earned her the 2006 Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical. The DVD/CD for 3 Mo’ Divas received a 2010 NAACP nomination for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration. In 2012, she was honored as the Helen Hayes Award Recipient as the Best Supporting Actress in a Resident Musical for her portrayal of MotorMouth Maybelle in Hairspray. For her performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls during the 2012-13 Season at Signature Theatre, Nova was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Musical. In 2015, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Musical) for her role in Elmer Gantry. And she was nominated in 2018 for Lead Actress (Musical) in Caroline, Or Change and Supporting Actress (Musical) in Ragtime.

Other honors have come in the form of singing for President Biden and Vice President Harris and performing the National Anthem at the dedication of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as the world watched on C-SPAN. Nova has also appeared on Jimmy Fallon‘s late-night talk show accompanying artist Glen Hansard. In 2022, she starred in Grace the Musical, The Color Purple, Into the Woods, and Fela!