From Aretha Franklin and Carole King to Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift, many of the top-charting artists in music history have been powerhouse women.
This International Women’s Day, local and regional female vocalists will be celebrating hits by these beloved artists and more during the first Billboard In Concert show of the year at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.
Tickets are now on sale for “Billboard In Concert – The Power of Women,” with two performances on Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m.
“Women’s voices have defined popular music for more than a century,” says Capitol Theatre artistic director Rob Kempson. “We’ve collected an incredible all-female line-up to showcase this iconic music.”
The concert marks a departure from previous entries of the unique Billboard in Concert series, conceived by Kempson and music director and composer Jeff Newberry, which have focused on regional musicians performing Billboard hits for a given year.
“We knew that we’d eventually want to stray from celebrating individual years in music into some broader themes,” says Kempson. “We are always looking for opportunities to celebrate the voices of women in our season, and this year it made sense for us to align this program with International Women’s Day and have a real celebration with our community.”
Familiar faces will return to the Capitol for “The Power of Women,” including Toronto-based triple-threat performers Lia Luz and Yunike Soedarmasto, who were both in last season’s Rapunzel: A Merry Hairy Holiday Panto. Tahirih Vejdani (Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors) and Capitol newcomer Alexis Raphael are also among those taking to the stage to perform iconic ballads, as well as Peterborough singer-songwriter Kate Suhr and Cobourg musician Lesley Lepine.
The vocalists will be accompanied by the all-female band of Jasmine Jones Ball, Kia Rose, and Tami Sorovaiski, led by music director Rachel O’Brien. Local singer and youth educator Kelly Perras will be the host of both concerts.
The women will perform both independently and as a group, covering a range of artists including Jann Arden, Adele, Toni Braxton, and many more.
“It’s so important to show, and have people see, all of this incredible art that’s been performed, written, and created by women,” says Luz. “Seeing that power and seeing this huge group of women on stage — and the power in their performing all of this music that was also created by women — really spotlights how amazing women are.”
Luz says she’ll be singing music by Kelly Clarkson, an artist she already had the chance to cover at the Capitol during the holiday panto in 2024. But, she assures, it won’t be the same song.
“It was so much fun, and the orchestrations were incredible,” she says. “I know it’s going to be a blast and so much fun to do.”
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD), which is celebrated around the globe, is “Accelerate Action” — emphasizing the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to speed up the rate of progress to achieve gender equality.
“At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity,” states the IWD website, referring to data from the World Economic Forum.
“Accelerate Action makes me think about empowering women and putting them on stage to be seen and to be heard and this is exactly what Billboard concert is doing,” Luz says. “It’s taking a completely female group of performers and a completely female band and giving us the stage to show our womanhood and be seen.”
The theme will be explored in more detail during the “International Women’s Day – Accelerate Action Speaker Event” taking place at the Capitol Theatre on Friday, March 7 in partnership with the Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., the free and inclusive event will include a reception and a dynamic group of speakers who are working towards gender equality.
Registrants can “power-up” their experience after the speaker event with a catered reception followed by a special preview dress rehearsal of the Billboard concert. Tickets for the optional behind-the-scenes experience are priced at $50 and can be ordered when registering for the speaker event.
“For some people, it can be a little nerve wracking just having that first audience, but for me, that’s honestly one of the most exciting performances — to finally have even just a sneak peek audience brings life to the performance,” says Luz of the preview concert. “I love getting to see the people in the audience and connecting with them, watching them enjoy it.”
Connecting the Billboard concert with the Chamber’s speaker event was intentional, according to Kempson.
“At the Capitol, we work hard to ensure that we are connected to our broader community with all that we do,” he says. “That’s a big part of a smaller community: showing up for one another. Since the Chamber of Commerce already had plans in place for this year’s (International) Women’s Day event to be held at the Capitol, we thought it only made sense to collaborate.”
Whether it’s the preview dress rehearsal or one of the main stage performances, Kempson says the Billboard concert is just one of the “memorable performances” coming to the Capitol Theatre this season.
“I hope audiences will walk away with a renewed appreciation for their favourite tunes by hearing them performed in a brand-new way by local and regional artists,” he says. “But more than anything, I hope folks enjoy a great concert at the Capitol, with a great mix of songs from every era and every genre.”
Tickets for Billboard in Concert: The Power of Women are priced at $55 and $45 for those under 30 years old.
Tickets for the concert and registration for the International Women’s Day’s Accelerate Action Speaker Event are available at capitoltheatre.com, by visiting the box office in person at 20 Queen Street (open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays), or by calling 905-885-1071.
