As a singer of great versatility, Anitra McKinney has collaborated on stage in a duet with Stevie Wonder and has sung background vocals with Valerie Simpson, Patti Labelle, Karen Clark-Sheard, Denyce Graves and Earth, Wind, and Fire. She made her musical theatre debut performing the role of “Effie” in the Broadway show Dreamgirls and in April 2013 she performed the role of “Sofia” in Morgan State University’s production of the Broadway musical sensation The Color Purple. In the summer of 2015, she was double casted as “Aunt Em” and “Glinda the Good Witch” in George Faison’s production of The Wiz at the Summer Stage in Central Park. In December 2015, she was a featured artist in a Christmas special titled The Soul Now Sings, produced and led by multi-genre artist Damien Sneed at The Greene Space with New York Public Radio. A mentee of Maestro Sneed, McKinney has been a featured artist in multiple tours including Sneed’s We Shall Overcome (2019-20) and Aretha Franklin Legacy tours (2022). McKinney has performed multiple roles with Baltimore based theatre company ArtsCentric, but most recently took on the role of “Joanne” in their 2022 production of RENT.

Anitra McKinney is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington, DC where she studied voice and is a recent graduate of Morgan State University where she received a B.A. and M.A. in Music. She is also a member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity Incorporated. While pursuing her career as a performing artist, McKinney also works as a vocal coach, arranger, and producer.