Alicia Olatuja

With her breathtaking solo during the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir’s performance of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” classically trained mezzo-soprano Alicia Olatuja enchanted the millions who attended President Obama’s second Inauguration in 2013 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as well as all those who watched from the comfort and warmth of their homes.

A vocal performance graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, the St. Louis, Missouri native grew up singing in the church. As a child she exhibited a love for learning languages, which continues to this day. As part of her classical music training, she had to learn Italian, French, German and English diction, and can sing in Portuguese as well as in the African dialects of Yoruba and Shona. Olatuja’s background also includes musical theater, as well as opera.

The singer and music teacher believes that “music transcends languages,” and spoke with the Banner about her experience performing at the Presidential Inauguration, as well as what she has in store for the audience at the Rockport Jazz Festival on August 14.

I realize it’s been two years since you performed at the Presidential inauguration but what was that moment like for you singing for the President and the world on the National Mall?

Alicia Olatuja: It was pretty amazing. It was truly incredible to be standing in a place that has so much historical gravitas. Just an incredible experience. It was an honor. It was really cold but yet it was really exciting. It’s life changing. It’s life-altering.

In what way was it life-altering for you?

AO: I think when you do a gig or a performance like that, just to know you survived it. It’s such a great honor and a great privilege, but there’s also a great deal of pressure riding on it that you may not experience on a day-to-day basis. I’ve had great performances and great opportunities, but that one was the most exciting and the most scary. To do something like that and then execute it — you definitely feel like you’ve overcome any limitations you may have placed on yourself before. You’re able to give to the listeners on a grand scale, which makes you feel accomplished, which makes you feel you’ve actually delivered on a calling in your life.

We deliver our callings in our lives on a moment-to-moment basis, but it definitely feels like a great accomplishment when you know you’re able to deliver this music, deliver this moment to all the people watching. It definitely changes you. Something like that changes you in a positive way. At least, it changed me in a positive way.

You released your solo album Timeless last fall. Will you be performing some or the entire album at the Rockport Jazz Festival this month?

AO: Definitely. I’m going to try to put as many songs in there as possible. I do perform a particular rendition of Amazing Grace that I only do live. It’s like my own treat for a live audience. And, it’s just a different rendition that’s on the album and it’s a lot of fun. I’m always super excited to share that with audiences live and I’ll definitely be doing that at the performance.

Are there any other projects or collaborations you’re working on?

AO: Yes. I’m currently writing music for my upcoming, hopefully soon, my next project. There’s always music that’s flowing and you want to just try to catch it, develop it, so that whenever that time comes to put together your next project, you’re already ready. You don’t have to ‘get ready,’ which is what I’m doing now.