Cassondra James
©Ryan Hulvat 2019
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No newcomer to the world of entertainment, Cassondra's colorful career includes stints as a background singer for some of music’s most contemporary, award-winning artists like classically-trained pianist and singer Alicia Keyes, R&B jazz artist Ledisi, jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, organ virtuoso Cory Henry, singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera, gospel singer Kim Burrell, and Broadway actor-singer-Netflix film producer Tituss Burgess. Today, Cassondra James is prepared to take her place center stage, introducing the release of her debut EP titled PIECES, a compilation of songs co-produced by Cassondra and producer Solomon Dorsey. The EP, released on her independent label Just James, is available on all digital platforms. PIECES is a collection of expressive compositions that peel through Cassondra's life experience. It is a colorful and sometimes tearful journey blended in eclectic music genres that include world music, pop, country, jazz and the blues. It is, as she describes, “a musical collage”. On each song throughout PIECES, Cassondra orchestrates melodic grooves with soprano prowess, using her voice as a musical instrument and affective technology. An admitted “country-girl at heart” from the little town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she was raised by her Pennsylvania Dutch mother and African American father, both ministers at her father's church. It was in church where she began singing and playing musical instruments. But, as she explains, “I've always been surrounded by musicians, so whether or not I was in formal training and study, I was cutting my teeth in collaboration with singers and instrumentalists in and around the New York metropolitan area." In 2017 Cassondra made her Broadway debut as an original storyteller and flutist in the Tony-award winning revival of Once On This Island; she was a replacement for Erzulie in the Broadway production and continued to play the role in the First National Tour until the onset of the global Coronavirus pandemic. In 2022 she debuted the role of Mary Church Terrell in the Public Theater's world premier of Suffs, and performed the role of Mama Rose in Gypsy with Theater Aspen. She also debuted the role of Marie Antoinette in the world premier of the Stephen Schwarz musical, The Queen of Versailles, which is set to hit Broadway in 2025. In the world of visual arts, she is a proud member of the Hamilton Heights Darkroom, a collective of film photographers in the New York metropolitan area. In addition to her accomplishments in the arts, Cassondra holds a B.A. in Sociology from Hofstra University, a Masters of Theological Studies from Drew University, and a Masters of Philosophy in Sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center. She was an adjunct professor of Sociology at Lehman College in the Bronx from 2010 to 2024.. From one stage to the next, in the dark room or in the spotlight, her music and her story will pull you into all the pieces of her journey. |
©Ryan Hulvat 2019
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