Broadway musical actress to present "How High: An African American Soprano Retrospective"

Broadway musical actress Cicily Daniels will present "How High: An African American Soprano Retrospective" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 8, in Mitchell Auditorium in the Health Professions Center at the University of Southern Indiana. Daniels will perform a song cycle that illuminates her perspective on the African American experience in the American musical form in the 20th century.

Accompaniment will be provided by USI students under the direction of Daniel Craig, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities. The concert is hosted by the Office of the Provost with assistance from the Department of Performing Arts, and is free and open to the public.

Daniels performed the role of Armelia in New Harmony Theatre's 2010 production of Ain't Misbehavin'. New Harmony Theatre is USI's professional Equity theatre.

More recently, she originated the role of Michelle in the off-Broadway production My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, which won the New York Times Musical Theatre Festival Award for Most Promising Musical, co-starred in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, and served as the celebrity spokesperson for Nielsen TV.

Cicily Daniels

A native of Potomac, Maryland, her Broadway credits include Disney's The Little Mermaid, All Shook Up, and Rent. She was in the cast of the national tours for Caroline or Change and Rent. She appeared in the off-Broadway productions Irrationals, Skin of Our Teeth, and Revivalwith Sam Harris. Regional theatre credits include Once on this Island, Little Shop of Horrors, and Into the Woods. On television, she played the role of Zelda on Ugly Betty and has appeared on Saturday Night Live and One Life to Live. Film credits include Across the Universe and American Gangster. She also has performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, appeared in numerous commercials, and recorded voice-overs for companies such as Covergirl, Time Warner Cable, EA Sports Active, Softsheen, and LensCrafters.

Daniels graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre studies with a concentration in performance. She also studied classical music at the Yale School of Music.

During her visit to USI, Daniels will also meet with students and attend classes in the Department of Performing Arts.

Elliot Wasserman, chair of the Department of Performing Arts and producing artistic director for New Harmony Theatre, said Daniels has a "bring the house down set of pipes." "I guarantee Ms. Daniels will prove to be the real thing," he said.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: USI » News and Information Contact for more information: Wendy Knipe Bredhold Media Relations Specialist, News & Information Services 812/461-5259 email