Samara Joy bedazzles OPAS and the Greensboro community

Published 10:55 am Thursday, April 20, 2023

By Lake Oconee Breeze

Samara Joy, the recently-anointed Best New Artist by the 2022 Grammy Award voters, traveled to Greensboro and shared a level of musical talent rarely experienced by this or ANY community.

Blessed with a vocal instrument on par with jazz legends like Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Ella Fitzgerald, this 23-year-old sensation displayed vocal fireworks that made the audience feel they were in the presence of something exceptional.

The OPAS Artistic Director Doug LaBrecque introduced the artist by saying,” Two years ago, I watched a 21-year-old singer on TikTok who was so unique and special, I kept my eye on her.” LaBrecque’s talent-spotting intuition came full circle once she won two Grammys and fulfilled her commitment to OPAS.

Much of the material was unfamiliar to the local audience, but her musical dexterity and range were fully displayed. Her 80-minute intermissionless set could have benefitted from a couple more familiar tunes and a few unornamented jazz standards, but her performance was remarkable. The highlight of the evening was her stunning rendition of “Stardust”

The fortunate 300 people in the audience witnessed an artist at the beginning of what will surely be a legendary career. One can only imagine what more life experience will add to her staggering talents. It is a testament to the influence and dedication of OPAS that the local audience had the opportunity to hear her. Several lucky local high school students were given complimentary tickets to listen and learn from the great Samara Joy. Ms. Joy has hundreds of thousands of young fans through various social media channels and is credited with introducing this genre to the younger generation. Her voice exudes wisdom beyond her years, but her youthful and positive spirit comes through when she chats with her audience. Brava Samara!

Next up for OPAS is their family-friendly Patriotic Memorial Day Celebration featuring Tony and Grammy nominee Michael Cavanaugh singing the music of Billy Joel. 

For tickets, call 706-467-6000 or log onto www.opas.org.