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Distinguished Speaker Series presents Leslie Odom Jr.

October 14, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Free

Leslie Odom Jr.

Tony Award-Winning Actor & Musician

Wed., Oct. 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom

More About Leslie Odom Jr.

Leslie Odom Jr. is a multifaceted Tony and Grammy Award-winning performer – spanning Broadway, television, film and music. Odom Jr. recently released his third full-length album and first of original material, entitled “Mr,” and also starred alongside Cynthia Erivo in the Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet.”

He will continue to captivate audiences in “The Many Saints of Newark,” a prequel to David Chase’s Award-winning HBO series ”The Sopranos” in theaters this Spring, and lend his voice in Josh Gad’s new animated musical-comedy series “Central Park” for Apple TV+. He recently wrapped production on the movie adaptation of the Olivier Award-nominated play “One Night in Miami,” directed by Regina King, where he portrays legendary singer Sam Cooke and performs all of his original songs; the feature film “Music,” written and directed by singer-songwriter Sia; and “Needle in A Timestack,” written and directed by John Ridley. Additional film and television credits include “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Only,” “Red Tails” and “Smash.”

Odom Jr. is best known for his breakout role as Aaron Burr in the smash hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the original cast recording. He made his Broadway debut in “RENT” at the age of 17. He also starred opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo in a 2014 City Center Encores! revival of Jonathan Larson’s “Tick, Tick…Boom!”

In December 2017, Odom Jr. returned to the New York City stage in a solo concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The cabaret-style performance was crafted around signature songs and music that shaped this artist’s journey, all performed with a world-class band in front of a live audience. The show was filmed for broadcast as an hour-long PBS special as part of the 17-time Emmy Award-winning series, “Live from Lincoln Center,” and premiered in April 2018.

A Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Odom Jr.’s self-titled debut album was part-funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign and released in 2014 by Borderlight Entertainment, Inc. In June 2016, the album was re-released with additional material and charted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and #147 on the Billboard 200. In winter 2017, he re-released “Simply Christmas” as a deluxe edition with new arrangements and new songs. The holiday album hit #1 on iTunes and Billboard Jazz Charts.

In March 2018, Odom Jr. added the title of author to his resume with the release of his book – “Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning.” Written in the style of a commencement speech, the book brings together what Odom Jr. has learned in life so far, tapping into universal themes of starting something new, following your passions, discovering your own potential, and surrounding yourself with the right people. “Failing Up” is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true even when it seems impossible. The book is published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.

Details

Date:
October 14, 2020
Time:
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Cost:
Free
Event Categories:
,

Organizer

Office of Special Events

Venue

Online via Zoom