The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts will present CJ Emmons – I’m Freaking Talented on Friday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Zilkha Hall as part of its Houston Is Inspired 2025–2026 season. The performance, presented in partnership with The Ensemble Theatre, highlights the celebrated vocalist’s return to his hometown with a one-man show built on storytelling, comedy, and music drawn from more than two decades in the entertainment industry.

CJ Emmons 

 

Emmons’ production traces his 23-year journey from his Houston roots to his work in Hollywood, recounting experiences ranging from touring with Bobby Womack to light-hearted moments with Patti LaBelle. His career has included standout television visibility as the Principal Singer for Dancing with the Stars for more than 11 years, along with collaborations with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Usher, and other major artists. Emmons also co-produced the Whitney Houston tribute at the BET Awards, earned an Emmy nomination for his vocal work on HBO’s We’re Here, and received a Grammy nomination for his single “Maybe If I Cared.”

Emmons frequently credits The Ensemble Theatre for shaping his early artistic path. As a young performer in the theater’s youth program, he developed the skills that helped launch his professional career. The Ensemble Theatre nominated him for the Houston Is Inspired residency and joins the Hobby Center as a partner for the December performance.

The Houston Is Inspired initiative showcases local artists and organizations through week-long residencies that provide access to the Hobby Center’s venues, production resources, and promotional support. After two seasons of curated partnerships, the program expanded with an open application process to broaden access across Houston’s arts community.

The 2025–2026 Houston Is Inspired lineup includes The Ensemble Theatre with CJ Emmons on December 12, [Jk] Creativ’s Our Road Home on January 30, and Silambam Houston’s Kāvya: Poetry in Motion on May 1. Single tickets start at $20, and three-show packages begin at $51.

The Ensemble Theatre, founded in 1976 by George Hawkins, has grown from a small touring company into the largest and oldest professional African American theater in the Southwest. Now located in its 30,000-square-foot facility on Main Street, the company produces six mainstage shows each year, drawing more than 35,000 patrons and reaching another 30,000 through educational and community programming.

Opened in 2002, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than half a million visitors annually across its two theaters—Sarofim Hall and Zilkha Hall. The center serves as a hub for Houston’s arts community through Broadway productions, Theatre Under the Stars performances, touring engagements, and student-focused education initiatives. More information is available at TheHobbyCenter.org.