THE Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) is set to enthral fans of the late Whitney Houston with a tribute concert this Saturday (Oct 14) at the Plenary Hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
And the star performer of Houston's biggest hits, from Run To You and Saving All My Love For You to How Will I Know, will be none other than American singer Rashidra Scott.
She has appeared on Broadway In Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Sister Act, Hair and Avenue Q.
She was also a background vocalist for Grammy award-winning R&B jazz singer Patti Austin, besides appearing in numerous television programmes.
Scott will be accompanied by the MPO led by Berklee-trained conductor and arranger Brent Havens.
He has also arranged for, and conducted all the symphonic rock programmes for Windborne Music.
Houston left an indelible mark on music lovers worldwide including Scott. At the age of 4, The Greatest Love Of All, was the first song she sang.
Scott says it was Houston who inspired her to find her voice. "Something about her voice connected with me and, before I could even think about anything, I opened my mouth to sing with her."
Scott is grateful to be able to perform Houston's songs accompanied by an orchestra.
"Live performance is so symbiotic. I love changing people's expectations of a symphony show.
"I love hearing the orchestra — all the individual instruments that come together to create a beautiful and mesmerising wall of lush sound.
"It feels like their sound gives me a soft place to vocally land. The richness of the orchestra's sound, the responsibility of honouring her legacy and her importance in my life story, and finally getting to feel and share the audience's energy, as we all journey back to remembering and honouring some of her greatest hits and times in her career, are hugely special to me."
When asked if there's any pressure to perform the songs, she says: "Always".
"I'm not as hard on myself now as I was about a decade ago when I first started doing these Windborne shows. She's known as 'The Voice' and I'm a fairly unknown vocalist daring to step up and guide you through a celebration of, arguably, one of the greatest voices of my lifetime.
"That will always feel daunting but I trust my training, experience and my own gift, and continue to be met with appreciation and support."
Having a deep love for many of Houston's songs, Scott says that, "if I had to pick just one favourite, in general, it would be Greatest Love Of All."
Her favourite to sing? "I'll go with I Will Always Love You because it's our show-opener. So, as I finish it, I use the audience response as a gauge for just what the night has in store for all of us."
Houston's hit So Emotional is a challenging number to sing since "right after the song, I've yet to get through without crying and near the end of the show. I'm starting to feel how much exertion the night has been, and even though we lowered the key, it's still not the easiest to sing on emotion-swollen and tight vocal cords".
As for the upcoming concert, Scott says: "I'm excited to be back in Asia after 18 years (I was in the opening cast of Festival of the Lion King at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005).
"I'm also excited to make the memory and spirit of Whitney Houston proud, and to lead and be a part of a well-deserved celebration of Whitney with her fans in Malaysia.
"And I've heard nothing but amazing things about the MPO from other industry-friends who have performed with them.
"Every orchestra feels things a little bit differently and has its own vibe so I'm excited to experience the MPO's."
Tickets to the Music of Whitney Houston concert are priced from RM188 to RM688 and can be purchased via myticket.asia.
For more details visit www.mpo.com.my and follow the MPO's official social media accounts.
