DR. ZULI INIRIO
Fred Hammond. Donnie McClurkin. Shirley Caesar. Fantasia. Lalah Hathaway. And many more.
Pittsburgh’s own, the Hill District’s own, Brendan Williams, has been on stage with all of them. He’s sung behind some of those artists, opened for others.
As he told the New Pittsburgh Courier on Nov. 20, “my whole family sings, so it kinda wasn’t a choice,” Williams said with a laugh.
Williams has been singing since he was 3. When he auditioned as a vocalist to attend Pittsburgh CAPA in 2003, they were blown away. He spent his first year in high school at CAPA, then finished up high school the final three years at Schenley.
BRENDAN WILLIAMS
He grew up singing in the church; places like New Light Temple Baptist Church and Potter’s House Ministries. He’ll be one of the featured performers on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side, as the theater presents, “Sounds of the Season.” The only showtime is 7:30 p.m. The concert will showcase some of Pittsburgh’s most celebrated artists including Williams, Dr. Kendra Ross, Hugo Cruz & Caminos, and Dr. Zuly Inirio. The theater said it will be “an enchanting evening of diverse holiday music featuring jazz, soul, and global rhythms,” according to a press release obtained by the Courier.
For Williams, he said he’s busy studying some of the lyrics, making sure his vocal chords are at the best levels, and “inviting everybody to come out and see the show.”
DR. KENDRA ROSS
“We are curating a memorable experience designed to spread warmth, joy, and the spirit of community. Don’t miss this opportunity to come together and celebrate the season in the most inspiring way,” New Hazlett Theater Artistic Producer Melissa Cardello-Linton said in the press release, dated Nov. 7. “It’s time to warm up the season with an unforgettable tapestry of songs and cheer that draws us all closer.”
Dr. Ross has shared stages with the likes of Hathaway, Gregory Porter and Babyface, and her debut album, “New Voice,” earned SoulTracks.com’s “New Artist of the Year” recognition. Right now, she’s completing “This Womanist Work,” an EP celebrating Black women’s stories through song and sisterhood.
Hugo Cruz & Caminos is known for electrifying percussion, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and cross-cultural musical fusion.
And as for Dr. Inirio, she told the Courier she loves Pittsburgh. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Dr. Inirio was raised in Miami. When she was 15, she attended her first opera. It was called, “La traviata.” It was performed that night by the Florida Grand Opera.
She couldn’t believe it.
“I absolutely fell in love with the art form,” Dr. Inirio told the Courier, Nov. 19. “It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever experienced at the time.”
Dr. Inirio, an acclaimed opera singer who has spent four years singing in Germany among other European locations, will be singing some selections from her own Dominican heritage, among others, on Dec. 13. “Music is such a universal language, and what better way than tell somebody that you care than giving them a beautiful experience where they get to experience live music that they can relate to, but also experience new music and support their local arts scene.”
Who knows, there may be some young people in the audience on the evening of Dec. 13 that will see the performances and say, “that’s what I want to do.”
It sure happened, just like that, to Dr. Inirio. She told the Courier she was with her sister on that evening in Miami, witnessing a live opera for the first time as a teen. “I said (to her), ‘I don’t know what this is, but I really wanna do that, and I dedicated my life to it ever since.”