Ledisi: A Tribute to Dinah Washington at the Strathmore Music Center on August 21, 2026.

Written by Rachel Migone, August 22, 2026

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Emotions are contagious. As the audience settled into their seats at the Strathmore Music Center, there was a buzz of excitement and camaraderie throughout the hall. Everywhere I looked, people were hugging each other in greeting and laughing in anticipation of hearing Ledisi and her band.

I was curious. I wasn’t familiar with Ledisi’s music, so this performance would be my introduction to her sound, style and personality as a performer.

The band gathered onstage, chatting and warming up their instruments. At about 8:15 p.m., the lights went down, the pianist introduced Ledisi, and the evening was underway.

She walked onto the stage in a stunning, shimmering red-and-black strapless gown and gold heels, her hair gently blowing off her shoulders as she strutted into the spotlight. The audience quickly got a glimpse of her sense of humor when she briefly stepped out of performance mode to ask a stagehand to turn down the fan blowing directly into her face. Laughing off the moment, she joked that she was having a Beyoncé moment.

That playful exchange set the tone for the evening. Ledisi was warm, bubbly and charming as she thanked the audience for coming and then turned to her band to strike up the music. Her energy was high, and her enthusiasm flowed naturally into her performance.

She opened with “Here to Stay” before moving into “Where I Belong” and “Never Get to Heaven.” Her voice was as expressive as her face—flexible, dynamic and completely engaging. She clearly loved singing, and it showed. She often introduced a number by exclaiming, “I love this song!” before dancing and swaying her way through the lyrics.

Just as impressive was her willingness to share the spotlight. Ledisi never made the evening solely about herself. Time and again, she stepped back and allowed her bandmates to showcase their own talents. She introduced them with genuine respect and seemed to take as much pleasure in listening to their solos as the audience did.

And the audience was completely with her.

They laughed, cheered and applauded throughout the performance, rising for several standing ovations. Ledisi is a highly engaging and charismatic performer who seems to relish every opportunity to sing. Her vocal command allows her to scat, climb musical scales and leap from octave to octave with remarkable ease. She dives fully into each song, treating it almost like a feast—something to savor and enjoy to the fullest.

What struck me most, though, was the joy in her performance. There was nothing distant or overly polished about the connection she created with the audience. Whether she was joking with them, dancing across the stage, listening to a bandmate’s solo or throwing herself into a song, she seemed genuinely happy to be there. The audience responded in kind.

By the end of the evening, the excitement that had filled the room before Ledisi ever stepped onstage had become something more. I had arrived not knowing what to expect from an artist whose music was new to me. I left understanding why the people around me had been so excited before the concert even began.

This fall, Ledisi will make her Broadway debut as Tallulah Clarke in Wanted at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City. Previews begin October 15.

If you find yourself in New York during the run, get a ticket. The audience is in for a real treat.

Ledisi is something special.

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