Richmond’s Desirée Roots returns to the music of Ella Fitzgerald
For Richmond singer and actress Desirée Roots, the music of Ella Fitzgerald has been part of a continuing body of work. She wrote a tribute for Fitzgerald’s centennial in 2017 and has returned to the jazz singer’s music through several stage productions. On November 10, she brings Timeless Ella to the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen.
The concert offers another opportunity to hear an RVA artist whose career stretches across gospel, jazz and musical theatre, with roots in the city’s churches, classrooms and stages.
Born and raised in Richmond, Roots began singing in church at four, according to her biography with ATLAS Partnership. By 13, she was onstage as Dorothy in the Haymarket Theatre’s production of The Wiz, the Richmond Symphony’s biography notes. Her later theatre credits include The Color Purple, Once on This Island and Virginia Repertory Theatre’s 2016 production of Dreamgirls, in which she played Effie White.
Her work with Fitzgerald’s music draws on both her singing and theatre experience. In 2017, Roots wrote Ella at 100, a multimedia production marking the hundredth anniversary of Fitzgerald’s birth. It featured Roots in the starring role with a three-member cast and a 14-piece orchestra. The production later evolved into Forever Ella, according to the Richmond Symphony. Those productions establish a history with Fitzgerald’s work, although the announced details for Timeless Ella do not specify the same format or ensemble.
Roots spoke about that connection in a 2021 Q&A supplied by Virginia Repertory Theatre and published by Urban Views RVA. Asked about playing Fitzgerald in Ella and Her Fella Frank, she said, “Being able to live in this music is pure heaven.” Discussing “Mr. Paganini,” she praised a specific part of Fitzgerald’s artistry: “Ella’s scatting in this song was impeccable.” The comments concerned that earlier production; a setlist for the November concert has not been announced.
Roots’ work in RVA also extends beyond performing. A Virginia Union University graduate, she has spent more than 20 years as an educator and music facilitator in Richmond and Henrico public schools, according to ATLAS, which currently lists her as program director.
Her previous role as Virginia Rep’s artistic director of community included outreach and theatre programs for students. That work involved Disney Musicals in Schools in Chesterfield County and the Theatre Arts Learning League in Richmond, connecting her professional stage experience with opportunities for young people to participate in theatre.
Timeless Ella begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 10, in the indoor Cardinal Ballroom at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road. Tickets are $25, with wine, beer and snacks available for purchase. Tickets are available through the center.
