Ann Duquesnay is an American

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

singer/actress, composer and lyricist. She is best known for '' Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk'', which earned her a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

and

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination.

Early life

Duquesnay's parents were Southern

sharecropper Sharecropping is a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...

s who moved to

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

when she was five years old. She converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

as a child. Her formal music training began well after her stage years. She developed a passion for theatre, encouraged by director George C. Wolfe.Saltzman, Simon
Ann Duqesnay Interview
Theaterscene.net, September 27, 2004; retrieved November 23, 2006. Duquesnay's Broadway debut was in the

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

Blues in the Night "Blues in the Night" is a popular blues song which has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun wi ...

'' in 1982 as a standby. Two years later, she played Glinda in a revival of ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

''. She was next seen in ''

Jelly's Last Jam ''Jelly's Last Jam'' is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson. Based on the life and career of Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known as Jelly Roll Morton and gener ...

'' as Gran Mimi and Ancestor. She was a replacement on Broadway in '' It Ain't Nothin But the Blues''. She toured extensively in the U.S. and internationally.She was critically acclaimed for her performance in roles as

Alberta Hunter Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) was an American jazz and blues singer and songwriter from the early 1920s to the late 1950s. After twenty years of working as a nurse, Hunter resumed her singing career in 1977. Early life Hu ...

'' Cookin at the Cookery'' (Drama League Recognition Award and Drama Desk nominee); and

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

''Lady Day''" (Bay Area Critics Circle Award).

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and Regional ''Sheila's Day'' at Hartford Stage, Crossroads Theatre, and Market Theatre, Johannesburg SA; ''Sammy'' Old Globe Theatre (NAACP Theatre Award nominee); revival of '' Hallelujah Baby'' Arena Stage (Helen Hayes Award); ''Our Leading Lady'' Manhattan Theatre Club (Audelco Award nominee); '' Spunk'' (NAACP Theatre Award) collaborated on music; '' Porgy & Bess'' (Maria) Houston Grand Opera & Japan tour; '' Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' (Ma Rainey) Denver Centre Theatre. She has worked as a narrator in

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...

' documentaries and the biographical audio book of

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

''Aretha From These Roots''. Along with Daryl Waters and Zane Mark, Duquesnay co-wrote the music for '' Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk'' in 1996, as well as playing the roles of 'Da Singer and Chanteuse. The musical debuted on April 25. For her contributions, she won a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and was nominated for Best Original Score. In 2006, Duquesnay returned to Broadway in the revue '' Hot Feet'', featuring music by

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey. ...

References

External links

* American women singers American musical theatre actresses American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Living people Actresses from Manhattan Year of birth missing (living people) Tony Award winners 21st-century American women People from Harlem {{US-composer-stub African-American Catholics