ART SONG REVIEWS
The Wider View: Songs by Black Composers
Merkin Hall
New York Festival of Song (NYFOS)
MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
Merkin Hall | New York Festival of Song (NYFOS)
"Jorell Williams sang of the degradations suffered by a Black man with his arms folded in defiance and his voice just as biting. When singing of the day when White people will realize the Black man's beauty, Williams's voice conveyed warmth and his body language expressed pride." - Seen and Heard International
AFTER STONEWALL
The Center | New York Festival of Song (NYFOS)
"The cycle begins with 'Burning Bar,' composed by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and sung by Williams, whose voice thrilled from his thunderous lower range to his delicate falsetto." - Classical Voice North America
SCHUBERT II: NACHT
Digital Concert | Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS)
"The warmth and richness of Jorell Williams’s plummy baritone was ever present, even when he lightened it to capture the poignancy of ‘Der Einsame’ and the wistfulness of ‘An den Mond’. The most beautiful singing of the recital was Williams’s repetition of the final phrase of ‘Wanders Nachtlied II’." - Seen and Heard International
OBSIDIAN IN CONCERT
Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre
Obsidian Theatre × Tapestry Opera
OLD AMERICAN SONGS
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music | Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS)
"Baritone Jorell Williams’s vocal tone ranged from intimate forward diction to spacious resonance in the five songs of Set II. For his part, Williams sensitively captured the mood of each song, tender to ominous to ebullient." - New York Classical Review
PILGRIMAGE
Kingsway Mansion | New Orleans Opera
"Jorell Williams (accompanied by pianist Tessa Hartle) did the impossible for me, making Carlisle Floyd interesting with his rendering of the psalm 'O Lord Thou Hast Searched Me and Known Me.' By the end, the 'search me' came from Williams with searing anguish, overwhelming volume, and the devotional power of a man actually wrestling with demanding, petitionary prayer to God." - Parterre
BRITTANICA
Brooklyn Historical Society | Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS)
"Mr. Williams is uncommonly gifted... 'Come Away Death' and 'What is Sylvia?' made a fine impression on us." - Voce di Meche