Anita King
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Anita King’s soulful and melodic voice has swept across the Washington D.C. area and brought her to sing in legendary venues across the United States and Europe, as a member of award winning choral ensembles and at events as large as presidential inaugurals, the Vatican or even the Super Bowl.
She has performed with bona fide musical legends and other celebrities, yet she is driven by the power of music to inspire and encourage. Anita’s vocal career began in 1995, as she auditioned to become a member of The Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS), in Washington D.C. This opportunity brought her to the public forum for the first time at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.In 1998, King was selected to join the Stellar Award nominated gospel group, “Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music,” a dynamic community choir from the suburbs of Washington D.C. Anita’s talent rose to the fore as she became a featured artist on the group’s Christmas album “A Child is Born,” with the medley “O’ Holy Night/O Come All Ye Faithful.Anita made her next high-profile appearance when she debuted on the televised Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) special entitled: “An Evening with Quincy Jones”, hosted by Gwen Ifill. King provided background vocals for the highly acclaimed artists Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock, BeBe Winans, Lesley Gore, and Dallas Austin, as they paid homage to the legendary producer Quincy Jones.Anita has shared the stage with a host of legendary artists from many genres, including James Ingram, the late Isaac Hayes, Lyle Lovett, Vesta Williams, CeCe Winans, and Regina Bell. These efforts would open doors to more grand venues and historic events, on a national and international scale. On a chilly January day in early 2009, Anita’s stood on steps of the Lincoln Memorial amid a choir behind star Bruce Springsteen, as they performed in “We Are One” celebration of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. In the following days, Anita was also invited to sing at the “Neighborhood Ball” for the inauguration, where she performed background vocals for superstars Mariah Carey and Shakira. While singing at the Inauguration, her performance was captured in a photograph featured in the February 2, 2009 issue of “People Magazine”, The Inauguration Special Edition. Those successful productions quickly earned King a trip Tampa Florida, where again she was a member of the choir ensemble which performed with Bruce Springsteen at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII. In September of 2010, she hosted her own fundraising show, the Anita King Jazz Benefit Concert, in Alexandria Virginia, which was dedicated to helping children succeed through music.King’s beginnings are from modest background, far from the famous places she has performed. Born in Olney, Maryland to a loving mother, Anita grew up in various suburban neighborhoods and towns of Northern Virginia, where she was one of six children — four very handsome brothers and a beautiful sister. She is a proud mother of one fantastic son, Phillip King, and spent her early adult years focusing on family. Her goal on stage is based on a simple principle she learned from a story relayed to a young minister from a mentor: It’s not enough to love the crowd, you must always strive to love the people. King’s mature, elegant voice is one that you won’t want to miss.