queens of soul
MORGAN JAMES
The Wall Street Journal describes James as “the most promising young vocalist to come along so far this century.” Morgan’s latest full album Memphis Magnetic is the culmination of a life-long love affair with music. The album was recorded live to analog tape in Memphis Tennessee, and is an original soul album packed with emotion and real musical ingredients. She grew up listening to everyone from Joni Mitchell to Paul Simon to Prince to Aretha Franklin, cultivating an insatiable love for strong songwriters. After graduating from The Juilliard School with a classical music degree, and performing in the original companies of five Broadway productions, James began writing and recording her own music. Meeting her mentor Berry Gordy, Jr. led to a record deal at Epic Records, where she recorded and released her solo album Hunter in 2014. In addition to her three studio albums, James recorded and released a full album cover of Joni Mitchell’s seminal Blue as well as The Beatles’ White Album in 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary. Through her unique and varied career, there have been many ups and downs, but James cites her failures as more important than her successes in shaping the artist she is today. She cultivated a new world of fans on YouTube, and while connecting with them on social media and at her live shows, she found the support and strength to go out on her own as an independent artist. With viral sensation Postmodern Jukebox, and her own channel, Morgan has amassed more than 250 million views on YouTube, (and climbing). James has built her own empire and established herself as a touring powerhouse, allowing her to raise the funds to create her albums and make every decision from the ground up.
“I feel like I am a part of the lineage of soul music. My guiding force throughout my creative process is ‘What would Aretha say? What would Otis say?’ It’s not a retro or throwback by any means. This music is me: classic elements, timeless melodies, and lyrics from my soul and experience. We need that right now. We need real music now more than ever.”
ERICA GABRIEL
Erica Gabriel received her Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Oakwood University. Her training also includes a Master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She has performed with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, and Jackson Symphony. She has also toured with the renowned American Spiritual Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Everett McCorvey. She was cast in Ravinia’s production of Bernstein’s Mass under the baton of Marin Alsop, which later aired on the awardwinning PBS Great Performances television series.
Her competition credits and awards include The Alma Blackmon Scholarship Award, Winner of Classical Singer Regional University Competition, winner of the Hartford Memorial Scholarship Competition, Second place winner of the Alltech Scholarship competition, and the 2018 Gold Medal winner of the American Traditions Vocal Competition.
MAESTRO DARKO BUTORAC
Praised by the Westdeutsche Zeitung for his “exceptional combination of passion, elegance and well-timed pacing”, Darko Butorac has established himself as a conductor in
demand with orchestras both in Europe and the Americas. He currently serves as the Music Director of the TSO and the Asheville Symphony.
Notable guest conducting engagements include performances with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Neuss and the Georgische Kammerorchester Ingolstadt (Germany), the Belgrade Philharmonic (Serbia), the Tallinn Sinfonietta (Estonia), the Rubinstein Philharmonic of Lodz (Poland), the Xiamen Symphony (China), and the Slovenian Radio and Television Orchestra, among others.
He has appeared at such prestigious venues as the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Gran Teatro Nacional of Lima, Belgrade’s Kolarac Hall, the Teatro Magnani in Italy, and the Tartu, Aspen and St. Olav summer music festivals. From 2009 to 2013 he served as the principal conductor of the Fidenza Opera Festival. In January he led the 2022 European Capital of Culture Opening Gala concert in Novi Sad, featuring clarinet virtuoso Andreas Ottensammer.
Distinguished collaborations include soprano Renee Fleming, pianists Garrick Ohlsson and Jon Kimura Parker, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, cellist Colin Carr, clarinetist Anthony McGill, and Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons among others.
As the Grand Prix Laureate and Gold Medalist of the Fourth International Vakhtang Jordania Conducting Competition, Butorac was invited to conduct orchestras across four continents. Butorac served as the Music Director of the Missoula Symphony from 2007-2019, marking a period of tremendous artistic growth of the orchestra. He challenged the ensemble with a broader repertoire leading to greater engagement with the community, and frequently sold-out performances.
Butorac is also in demand as a public speaker on leadership. His TEDx Montana talk on the “Language of Conducting” is on YouTube. He has appeared as a speaker on behalf of Brighthouse, a division of BCG, and was the headline speaker at the Birla International Leadership Summit in Bangkok in 2018. He is an avid traveler, having visited almost seventy countries, and is passionate about discovering the world and bringing people together through the beauty of music.