Yolanda Williams- Guest Lecturer December 2008
Yolanda Yvette Williams is a performer, educator and lecturer.
She will be giving a lecture at the December event in Minneapolis entitled
Music in the African Diaspora. Her vocal performances range from singing Jazz and Gospel to Oratorio and Opera. Her operatic roles have included Pamina (The Magic Flute), Musetta (La Boheme), Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos) Bess/Serena (Porgy and Bess) and The Countess (The Marriage of Figaro). In addition to her appearances in opera, Yolanda has performed in musicals in MN (“A…My Name is Alice and South Pacific) as well as in Europe (Chatouranga). Her Oratorio performances include Handel’s Messiah (both soprano and alto); Seven Last Words of Christ by Dubois; Poulenc’s Gloria, premier performances of Esperanto by Pierre Huwiler and the Requiem Mass by Nuñez-Garcia
As a guest soloist Yolanda has performed with such prestigious performance groups as Les Choralies (Vaison la Romaine, France), Choeur Symphonique de Fribourg, La Cuivres Jurassien, Lundi Sept Heures, The Montreux Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland), The Riga Symphony (Latvia) and the Israel Philharmonic (Israel) ; Orchestral l’Ensemble Orchestral de Champagnole, de l’Orchestre Symphonique de Pontarlier (France) These performances include participation in the the Nuits des Joux (France); Paleo Festival, and the Festival des Musiques Popularies à Moudon (Switzerland).In recordings, Yolanda can be heard on the “Witness I, II, III” recordings by Vocalessence and on the Swiss produced recordings under the direction of Pierre Huwiler.
Ms. Williams serves as part time faculty with Minneapolis Community and Technical College and the University of Minnesota. Yolanda can be heard on Sundays, where she holds the position of Director of Worship and Music at Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis.
