Leslie Odom, Jr. Photo by Jimmy Fontaine.

Leslie Odom, Jr. (actor/singer/composer) has accomplished a lot in the first 25 years of a diversified career spanning many performance genres. He has appeared in leading roles on film and stage; recorded several successful albums, including two Christmas albums and one of original material (he has charted #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart); toured as a jazz cabaret/concert artist; made guest appearances on several TV drama shows; hosted a musical-variety TV special; done voiceover work on an animated musical-comedy series; authored a biographical self-help book (“Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning”) and co-authored a children’s book (“I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”); hosted a web series; executive produced and starred in a miniseries; made a television commercial; and sung at the Super Bowl!

Mr. Odom’s voice is no less than exceptional. He has a strong, well-controlled and smooth, soulful quality, accented by high tenor, falsetto flexibility.

For his appearance as Aaron Burr in the musical “Hamilton,” he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited Series or Movie. For his appearance as singer Sam Cooke in the film “One Night in Miami,” he was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song (“Speak Now”). He will return to the Broadway stage this summer to appear in the revival of the 1961 Ossie Davis play “Purlie Victorious.” His Baltimore concert was rescheduled from last season due to filming conflicts with his upcoming appearance in the remake of “The Exorcist.”

Jonathan Rush, BSO associate conductor, started the program by leading the orchestra in a light classical piece which he did not introduce (unfortunately there was no program). Mr. Odom’s four-man band then came out with no introductions (pianist, percussionist, electric/acoustic guitarist, and electric/acoustic bass player). They were positioned in front of large see-through sound barriers with the BSO behind them. Mr. Odom, dressed in a very colorful vertically striped suit, followed and immediately launched into his opening number, “Autumn Leaves,” sung in French and English. Curtains covered the sides and back of the stage area and were lit alternately with white, red, and blue lights. Colored spotlights were also positioned above the proscenium.

Mr. Odom’s voice is no less than exceptional. He has a strong, well-controlled and smooth, soulful quality, accented by high tenor, falsetto flexibility. His timing, rhythm and breath control, plus diction make every note and every syllable crystal clear. The audience responded not only with vigorous applause but cheers and waves after every song. He did a medley of Nat King Cole hits, during which the band members had solo spots, and finished the set with the song “L-O-V-E” sung in four different languages! He then introduced his wife, actress-singer Nicolette Robinson, and they sang two duets, one from the Broadway musical, “Waitress,” in which she appeared. The first half of the program ended with standards from the Great American Songbook, including a rousing audience-participation version of Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher.”

The second half of the program focused on the highlights of Mr. Odom’s career. He sang his childhood favorite, “Sarah,” from the Broadway musical “Civil War,” and told the audience how he became involved with “Hamilton” after which he sang “Wait For It,” a rousing rap song from that show. He explained the plotline of “One Night in Miami” and sang his award-nominated song “Speak Now.” He followed with a medley of Sam Cooke’s hits, and I could see the heads of many older members of the audience bobbing in recognition (mine did too!) They especially enjoyed “A Change Is Gonna Come.” The closing song was “The Story of Tonight” from “Hamilton.” The audience, cheering on its feet, brought him back for an encore, “Without You,” from the Broadway musical, “Rent,” in which he appeared at age 17.

In an interview with WJZ Channel 13, Mr. Odom said: “With this invitation back to Baltimore, it feels like the invitation is really about building community in Baltimore, and to continue the conversation with Baltimore audiences. I’m very grateful and it’s meaningful to me.”

Running Time: Two hours with a 20-minute intermission.

Leslie Odom, Jr. performing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was a special, one-night-only event on April 1, 2023 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore MD 21201 For more informatin and tickets, call 410-783-2000. Box Office hours are Mon.-Fri. 10 am-5pm, Sat.-Sun. 12 noon-5 pm, and 60 minutes prior to each performance for walkup sales. To purchase tickets online, click here. For more information on upcoming BSO concerts, please visit here.