Broadway performer Syndee Winters started singing before she could talk. Having been in many famous Broadway shows like The Lion King, Hamilton and Motown, she is no stranger to the big stage.
When talking about Broadway in general, Winters explained how everchanging the career of a performer can be.
“It's like a dream come true, as it is super hard and requires a lot of sacrifice,” Winters said. “You could be a part of a show that is super successful and runs for a long time. You could be in a show that's quick. You don't really have control over that.”
As a Broadway performer, Syndee has done many amazing things like performing in a variety of successful Broadway shows. She is most famous for her part as Nala in The Lion King. When asked about her favorite experience as a performer, Winters talked a lot about how she impacts her audience.
“I think my favorite part of performing is hearing how the audience connects with whatever it is that I'm sharing,” Winters said. “So whether it's a musical theater piece written by somebody else, or a song that I've written from my own catalog, it's the most rewarding part.”
Winters worked on new music with her group Butterfly Black alongside Grammy-winning artist Ben Williams. This is another way she has reached her audience.
“You know, we're building new fans, people that come off the street, stop by me on the Internet,” Winters said. “They're drawn to the group because of our songs and the lyrics.”
Winters has since taken her own love for performing and created the R.O.A.R. School to get other young people interested in the arts. The acronym R.O.A.R. stands for resourceful, optimistic, authentic and reliant.
“As I was teaching workshops and masterclasses throughout my career, there were just certain things that I felt like we're missing with theater arts education,” Winters said.
The overall goal of R.O.A.R. is to cultivate young people’s different artistic talents and make sure they are able to reach their full potential.
“I felt through my particular experience, and also being a person of my heritage and culture,” Winters further explained. “That's my success in the room. I wanted to help people dive into their particular gifts within their background and pull that out.”
When talking about advice for young people, specifically young females, she urges them to go for it and tackle their dreams.
“I think our biggest obstacle is our mind and ourselves and our doubt,” Winters said. “If enough people say that you can do it, why are you sitting up here telling yourself you can't?”
On December 17, Winters will be performing at Cafe CODA in a cabaret night. Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased here. She will recount iconic and deciding moments from her multi-hyphenated career, from dancing center court at Madison Square Garden to singing center stage on Broadway.
“I'm looking forward to sharing my own story,” Winters said. “You know, a lot of the time, when people see me performing, they see a character. But the person that builds those characters is what I'm bringing to Madison. All my stories and songs from those shows that audiences know and love, and also some of my original music, and my stories.”
Article by Ava Wojnowski
Ava Wojnowski is an intern with LunART. She is majoring in journalism and Spanish and is excited to bring her passion for writing to LunART. Outside of school, Wojnowski loves to spend time outside and also loves to listen to music. She played the viola from 4th to 12th grade, so music has always been a part of her life.
Ava Wojnowski