NEWPORT (KY.) – Thompson House Newport – Greater Cincinnati’s live music and creative hub – announces the world premiere live performance of internet sensation J String at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in the Tommygun Theater at Thompson House, 24 E. 3rd Street, Newport, Kentucky.
J String is the duo of Broadway veteran Jessica Hendy and classical cellist Jacob Yates. The two met during the award-winning Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati production of the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning “Next to Normal.” Hendy starred as Diana; Yates played cello and second keyboard.
They became fast friends after discovering a mutual love of music and covers of well-known songs. Their different musical backgrounds led to surprising and exciting collaborations on covers of popular songs. Their first video (“Edge of Glory”) became an instant YouTube success and was featured on websites such as BroadwayWorld.com.
Tickets for the J String show are $20 each and available at www.ticketweb.com.
“This is going to be an amazing night,” said Cathy Creason, Thompson House artistic director. “The way these two artists combine their talents and passions to interpret pop music is electric. It’s sure to be an unforgettable show.”
Jessica Hendy’s Broadway credits include “Cats”(Grizabella), “Aida” (Amneris) and “Amour.” She has toured nationally and in Canada with “Cats” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” In New York, she received rave reviews for her one-woman cabaret, “A Life To Call Your Own,” and a Bistro Award for the review “Get Your Tickets Now.” Hendy has performed with Pittsburg Civic Light Opera, North Shore Music Theatre and Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center. In addition to N2N, Hendy won an Acclaim Award for her performance in Ensemble’s “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” and another for the world premiere of “Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over, Dispatches at the Front Lines of Parenting” in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Her concert work includes performances with the Cincinnati Pops, Modesto Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Ft. Worth Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. She has traveled the country with the concert “Broadway Today,” and “Cinema Toast.”
Jacob Yates is a classically trained cellist who loves bringing out the diversity of the cello. He began playing at the age of nine in the public school system of Lexington, Kentucky, his hometown. He continued his studies with established local musicians Clyde Beavers and Yoonie Choi. In high school he discovered the many voices a cello can have and decided to explore them with the help of fellow cello pioneer Ben Sollee. He attends the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music under the teaching of Yehuda Hanani and Ilya Finkelshteyn. Yates was twice principal cellist in the Honors Orchestra of America and has performed in master classes for Avery Fisher Grant recipient Priscilla Lee, Paul York and Mark Rudolph. Outside the classical realm, he has performed alongside fiddle legend Mark O’Connor and the high-octane fiddling group, Barrage. Yates is also an accomplished pianist and music director. Most recently he served as musical director for the Broadway Dreams Summer Intensives where he worked alongside Jason Robert Brown, Tituss Burgess, Nikki Snelson and others.
For more information on Thompson House Newport and its many events and programs, please visit www.thompsonhousenewport.com.
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