Queen Esther (artist)
| Queen Esther | |
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Queen Esther at an event in New York City, August 2014
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| Occupation | Actor, Songwriter, Musician, Vocalist, Producer, Performer, Playwright, Librettist |
| Language | English |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Education | BA, The New School |
| Period | 1996 - present |
| Notable awards | Grand Prize, Jazzmobile Jazz Vocal Competition - 2008 |
| Website | |
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Queen Esther is an American actor, performer, musician, singer and songwriter.
A member of blues/free jazz/funk guitarist James Blood Ulmer's Black Rock Experience and a jazz vocalist, she continues to cultivate a sound that she describes as Black Americana. Queen Esther was the 2008 Grand Prize winner of the Jazzmobile Jazz Vocal Competition, and a 2013 regional finalist and a 2014 finalist and in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest.
Steeped in the gospel music traditions of the Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.I.C.) from a very early age while surrounded by a soundscape of freeform radio, countrypolitan music and show tunes, Queen Esther grew up in the Deep South – Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC respectively – as the middle child and the only daughter, with six brothers and a four-octave range. She began her gifted education in English and creative writing as a five-year-old.
While attending Northside High School, a magnet school in the Performing Arts (now North Atlanta High School) in Atlanta GA, she studied opera and classical music, developed an appreciation of jazz, was featured in productions in the city (Leonard Bernstein's MASS with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), attended the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program in Drama, and competed for and won several scholarships in theater through Arts Recognition and Talent Search (now YoungArts), sponsored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Queen Esther chose to attend the University of Texas and performed frequently on the local cabaret and theater scene in Austin with theater director/performer Boyd Vance. She also performed on the live music scene with the band Moving Parts, opening for guitarist Larry Carlton, the Neville Brothers and Crowded House, amongst others. Queen Esther was also in Ro-Tel and the Hot Tomatoes, a regional favorite specializing in theatrically showcasing girl group music from the 50s and 60s.
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