Voices of Women Concert Series
Black History Month: Bach to Beyonce’
Vegas City Opera takes you on a vocal journey through Beyonce’ songbook of and inspired by classical music. From her rendition of Ave Maria, her take on the 25 Italian songs to some contemporary favorites, you will be delighted and inspired by the vocal talent showcased in this concert and the stories that these songs made personal.
Concerts are free and open to the public on a first come basis. Appropriate for all ages!
Black History Month: Bach to Beyonce’
Courtney Ankerfelt
Mezzo-Soprano Courtney Ankerfelt is a Minnesota native and accomplished vocalist now based in Las Vegas, NV. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UNLV is a proud alumna of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music in Southern California, where she performed in numerous productions, served as the mezzo soloist in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, won the Concerto Competition and performed Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with full symphony orchestra, and received a grant from the Opera Buffs organization.
Courtney’s recent engagements highlight her adaptability and passion for diverse genres. In spring 2024, she collaborated with Noir Movement to perform a jazz show celebrating the Harlem Renaissance. Some of her recent operatic roles include Belle in the Philip Glass La Belle et la Bête, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Madame de Croissy in Dialogues des Carmélites, Flosshilde/Waltraute in The Ring: Las Vegas, Jupiter in Semele, and Jenny in The Threepenny Opera. She also participated in the Black Girl Magic, and Voices of Women concert series with Vegas City Opera, performing selections from Maya Angelou’s Calypso Blues in Caged Bird: A Celebration of Maya Angelou and toured with their Opera in the Movies concert series. Courtney has been a main stage performer for Enchant Las Vegas, and the mezzo- soprano soloist in Händel’s Messiah, showcasing her versatility in a holiday-themed setting.
Jadah-Cheri Ellis
Jadah-Cheri, a 22 year old based in Las Vegas, is very excited and honored to be a part of this year's Black Girl Magic Show. She loves working with Vegas City Opera. She has recently been performing all over the Las Vegas valley in a series of residencies such as The Carmen’s Love Brunch , All Motown , and House Of Blues Gospel Brunch. She was also a part of Vegas City Opera’s 2022 production of Cinderella. She studied at The Las Vegas Academy Of The Arts as a Musical Theatre major . You can find Jadah-Cheri Ellis five days a week off the strip in a show titled “All Motown” at the Alexis Park Resort. She would like to thank the academy and her black beautiful mothers before her who showed what it is to be a black woman in this society.
Rashida Makeda
Rashida Makeda, a proud California native, she has been deeply immersed in theatre for the past ten years. A recent graduate of UNLV’s Stage and Screen Acting program, Rashida is passionate about pursuing a lasting career in the arts. Some of her favorite credits include Sweeney Todd, Hairspray, Ragtime, Into the Woods, Sister Act, the world premiere of The House on Watch Hill, written and composed by Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor (Bandstand), and most recently Nevada Conservatory Theatre's Short Plays. Rashida is excited to continue her journey in theatre and is profoundly grateful for the opportunity to perform once again!
Jae Ahn-Benton, Collabrative Pianist
Jae Ahn-Benton, born in South Korea, first studied piano at the age of 5. He continued his studies with Roger Bushell in Las Vegas, NV, where he started to participate in various competitions and performances, such as MTNA and Henderson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition.
He continued studying piano in college with Dr. Mykola Suk at UNLV, performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with their orchestra, under the direction of Taras Krysa. As a solo pianist, Jae has given numerous concerts for various causes locally, including benefit
concerts for family members, as well as nonprofit organizations. Most recently, he performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society, under the direction of Randy Pagel.
As a collaborative pianist, Jae has worked with nearly 1,000 individual music clients since 2010, working closely with local companies and institutions such as the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Vegas City Opera, and the UNLV Symphony Orchestra. Since 2014, he has been working as a staff pianist at the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, a program
founded by renowned dramatic mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick.
As a self-taught composer and arranger, Jae has written over 100 original compositions and more than 30 arrangements and transcriptions. Notable premieres include his own 24 Preludes, Op. 60, Sonata in F minor for Cello and Piano, Op.86 (with cellist Jeremy Russo), Variations on a
Theme by Maykapar, Op. 96 (with his wife, pianist Maria Kolesnyk), and Variations on “God rest ye merry, gentlemen”, Op. 101.