Whitney Orchestrated – REVIEW

The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra joined forces with The Voice Australia 2020 finalist Masha Mnjoyan last Saturday to present the world premiere of Whitney Orchestrated, a tribute 90-minute spectacular celebrating the music of the late Whitney Houston.

The concert was held at The Concourse, a cultural centre in Chatswood, which presents many high quality productions each year for audiences to enjoy.

Armenian born vocalist/songwriter Mnjoyan who was the winner of The Voice Armenia 2013, emigrated to Australia and has since appeared on the local version of The Voice, community & charity events and has also participated in many national and international competitions.

Legendary singer Whitney Houston was known for her powerful and soulful vocals and for this concert to be a success it was mandatory for the chosen female vocalist to replicate those key elements on stage. From the moment Mnjoyan came on stage audiences were captivated not only by her professionalism and incredible singing ability, but also by her charisma and her dedication and love for the music of Whitney Houston.

Mnjoyan hand-picked the song list which consisted of Whitney’s 13 biggest hits including I Have Nothing, How Will I know, The Greatest Love Of All and I Wanna Dance With Somebody. An incredible talent, she commanded and received attention on stage performing in a show that at times felt like a dance party. Audiences were encouraged to sing along and were up and dancing during the fast beat songs.

There was complete silence in the concert hall as she performed I Will Always Love You, the hit song from the motion picture The Bodyguard, audiences mesmerized or more aptly in complete entrancement, and chanting for more as the show came to an end.

There were twelve months of preparation required to bring this dazzling show to the stage and it was definitely worth the wait! Mnjoyan’s prowess in performance was evident throughout, her sparkling personality filtering through.

She spoke of Whitney Houston with such admiration and also explained to audiences that she could not describe how happy and excited she was to have finally brought this concert to the stage.

Mnjoyan also proved what a beautiful soul she has when she explained with sentimentality leading up to one of the songs that we must all make a safe and peaceful future for our children, that every individual needs to make a change.

Whitney Orchestrated was an entertaining and unmissable homage to the late Whitney Houston and highlighted that Mnjoyan has a bright future in the world of entertainment!