About the Director: A versatile singing actor, musician, writer, arranger, and educator, Janinah Burnett is an original cast member of Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohéme on Broadway as Mimí, Janinah won a Los Angeles Theater Alliance Award and performed at the Tony Awards with this production. Shortly thereafter, Janinah joined the roster of principal artists at the Metropolitan Opera and remained there for 8 consecutive seasons. Janinah was a member of the closing cast of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, making appearances as “Carlotta Giudicelli” since 2016. In February of 2021, Janinah released her debut album entitled Love Color of Your Butterfly, which features Janinah’s musical arrangements and collaborations with some of the world’s most accomplished jazz musicians. Released on her own record label Clazz Records, Love the Color of Your Butterfly is an amalgamation of Jazz, Opera, Art Song, Oratorio, R&B, and spirituals, and introduces her concept of “Mélangique”. “Mélangique” encourages collaboration and redefines the parameters of genre while embracing parts of history that are erased, widely unknown, and forgotten. Janinah is currently the Assistant Professor of Commercial Voice and area Chair of the Popular Music area at UNCG Greensboro. She began Shades of Blue to allow voice students to interface with vocal jazz music in a real, creative, and exciting way while learning about the music that she holds near and dear to her heart.
