By: Aman Jalan
New York has no shortage of great voices, but only a few artists can go from a Puccini opera in Bulgaria to a Harlem supper club within a few weeks and sound right at home in both. N’Kenge is one of them. The Tony, Grammy and Emmy-nominated vocalist is back in her hometown for a fall performance series at some of the city’s best-loved jazz venues. It opened October 30 and runs through December 3, 2026, and the standout date is this Saturday, November 7, at The Jazz Club at the Aman New York.
The homecoming follows a busy European run that showed her range. During Italy’s Fashion Week, N’Kenge performed at Sala Verdi Hall in Milan. She then traveled to Bulgaria, where she starred as Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the State Opera in Stara Zagora. For most singers, either engagement would be the high point of a season. For N’Kenge, they were the run-up to a return to the music she grew up with in New York.
“It’s great to be back home and perform at some of my favorite jazz clubs in NYC,” says N’Kenge. “As much as I love performing opera overseas, it’s always a pleasure to get back to singing jazz in New York City!”
A Saturday Night at Aman
The November 7 show at The Jazz Club at the Aman New York, inside the landmark Crown Building at 9 W 56th Street, looks like the series’ most glamorous night. The 9 to 11 p.m. set puts N’Kenge in one of Midtown’s most elegant rooms, and the look is getting as much attention as the music.
For the evening, N’Kenge will be styled by Janna Fey and will wear two New York designers. The first is Randi Rahm, one of the last remaining American couture houses. Working from her Madison Avenue atelier, Rahm has dressed Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Billy Porter, Heather Graham, Nicole Scherzinger, Christina Aguilera and many more, and her intricately detailed gowns are a familiar sight on red carpets and stages.
N’Kenge will also wear Shani, the label founded by Parsons-educated designer Shani Grosz. A native New Yorker, Grosz designs her collection in the city’s Garment District, creating elegant daytime and occasion dresses with embroideries and appliqués made from scratch. Sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, the brand has become a favorite of news anchors and Hollywood names.
The look will be finished with jewelry from SORA by Ksenia Podnebesnaya. The family-owned New York jewelry house, based at the Lotte New York Palace on Madison Avenue, is known for nature-inspired, artisan-made pieces built around South Sea and Tahitian pearls, diamonds and colored gemstones. Its blend of fine craftsmanship and quiet elegance makes it a natural match for a singer of N’Kenge’s poise, and with a voice built for big rooms, Saturday is shaping up to be as much a fashion moment as a musical one.
The band is just as strong. N’Kenge will be joined by pianist ELEW (Eric Lewis), who was recently on tour with Sting, and drummer Camille Gainer, whose credits include Chris Botti, Roberta Flack, Les Nubians, Cyndi Lauper and Alicia Keys. On upright bass is Melissa Slocum, who has worked with Wynton Marsalis, Cab Calloway and Art Blakey. Rounding out the group is trumpeter Alphonso Horne, who has played for Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett and Wynton Marsalis. Together they bring decades of experience across jazz, pop and soul, which suits a singer who moves easily between styles.
An Award-Winning Year
The fall series also comes after a major honor. N’Kenge was named Best Vocalist at the 14th Annual Intercontinental Music Awards in 2026, a global competition, for her live performance of “Bewitched.” The track appears on her acclaimed 2025 album, Centerstage – Live from the Ella Fitzgerald Festival. Her take on the Rodgers & Hart standard “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” marked her jazz debut, and it shows what has made her stand out for years. She has a five-octave range, careful phrasing and real emotional weight, and she makes a song people have heard many times feel new again.
The N’Kenge All-Star Band
Across the series, N’Kenge performs with the N’Kenge All-Star Band: Paul Shinn on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on upright bass, Chris Paredes on drums, and James Gibbs III on trumpet. Select nights also feature Jihee Heo on piano, ELEW on piano, Alphonso Horne on trumpet, Camille Gainer on drums and Melissa Slocum on upright bass. Because the lineup changes, each night can feel a little different, which is part of the appeal for fans planning to see more than one show.
The series covers three of the city’s best-known rooms: the intimate Club Room at the Soho Grand Hotel, a Wednesday-night residency at Red Rooster Harlem, and the refined Jazz Club at the Aman New York. The remaining dates are:
- November 5, 7–10 p.m.: Red Rooster Harlem (Residency), 310 Lenox Avenue, Harlem, NY 10027
- November 7, 9–11 p.m.: The Jazz Club at the Aman New York, 9 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019 (The Crown Building)
- November 19, 7–10 p.m.: Red Rooster Harlem (Residency), 310 Lenox Avenue, Harlem, NY 10027
- November 21, 7:30 & 9:00 p.m. (two sets): Club Room at Soho Grand Hotel, 310 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
- November 26, 7–10 p.m.: Red Rooster Harlem (Residency), 310 Lenox Avenue, Harlem, NY 10027
- December 3, 7–10 p.m.: Red Rooster Harlem (Residency), 310 Lenox Avenue, Harlem, NY 10027
A Career Without Borders
To understand why N’Kenge can move between jazz clubs and opera houses so easily, look at where she trained and where she has worked. She is a proud alumna of both The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. She has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Madison Square Garden, and has headlined pop and opera concerts with the Houston, Seattle, Jacksonville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis symphonies and the Cleveland Orchestra. She has sung for U.S. presidents and global dignitaries, and she was a presenter at the 58th Annual New York Emmy Awards.
Broadway audiences know her too. She made her debut in Sondheim on Sondheim and most recently appeared in the Tony-winning revival of Caroline, or Change. Her roles in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida and Marion Caffey’s 3 Mo’ Divas earned her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical nomination from the Helen Hayes Awards and the ariZoni Theatre Awards. In jazz, she has shared stages with Ornette Coleman and Wynton Marsalis. She has also found a new audience online with her worldbeat single “Goosebump Moment,” which took off on TikTok.
She is also building new projects. N’Kenge is developing a Broadway-bound musical celebrating the life and music of Dorothy Dandridge, and she is developing and producing a TV musical dramedy, Black Butterfly. Her latest single, “Feel Alive,” is out now on all major streaming platforms.
For now, though, her focus is on New York and its jazz rooms, where she seems most at home. Whether you catch her at Red Rooster on a Wednesday night or dressed in Randi Rahm, Shani and SORA jewelry at the Aman this Saturday, you’ll be seeing a singer at the top of her game.
