Vanessa Williams Set To Perform Three Shows This Week With The Nashville Symphony

It’s been a busy year for the multi-talented Vanessa Williams. In August, she wrapped up five months of work on her most recent Broadway show “POTUS,” and she’s just finished recording Season 2 of “Queen of the Universe” for Paramount+.

Now, she’s jetted to Nashville to perform her biggest hits and favorite showtunes on stage with the Nashville Symphony. She says there’s nothing like performing with a live orchestra.

“You know, most of my ballads, “Save the Best For Last,” “Sweetest Days,” and “Colors of the Wind” (her platinum single from Disney’s Pocahontas which won the Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for Best Original song) were recorded with magnificent arrangement and full orchestra. But when you’re on the road with the band, you’re using synthesizers to replicate the strings sounds. So, it’s always wonderful to have the real McCoy out there and to sing along.”

An accomplished concert artist, she’s graced the stage alongside prestigious symphonies in America’s biggest cities, usually performing one show at a time, or two nights when she’s doing Christmas shows. Nashville will mark the first time she’ll be doing three symphony shows in a row.

“It’s a pretty heavy lift,” she says. “I’ve never done three days in a row of symphony. I’m honored they had the confidence in me,” she says. Then, joking, she adds, “I hope somebody shows up.”

No worries there.

Williams, is a multi-faceted entertainer who has sold millions of records as a singer, but is also well-known as an actor in theater, film, and TV.

Her television work includes shows such as “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives,” and she’s currently a judge on RuPaul’s “Queen of the Universe” a drag-queen singing competition.

“We just finished shooting Season 2 and we have a new judge. Mel B is joining us because Leona Lewis had a baby when we were shooting. (Other judges include Michelle Visage and Trixie Mattel. The show is hosted by Graham Norton.) But it’s been a lot of fun to continue with the World of Wonder franchise and see how they’re conquering the world.”

Williams says one of the greatest gifts she’s been given throughout her career is the chance to work with so many talented people, like composer Stephen Sondheim, director and screenwriter James Lapine, and Susan Stroman, who just directed her in the all-female Broadway comedy, “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.”

She’s also grateful to have worked with so many legends.

“Diahann Carroll has played my mother. Eartha Kitt has played my mother. Cecily Tyson has played my mother-in-law. I’ve met Lena Horne. I’ve been so fortunate to do so many things in so many areas.”

And with all of her music, TV, and film accomplishments, Williams is also a designer, author, and entrepreneur.

Her drive comes from a natural curiosity and a willingness to meet new people and network. She says you never know where the next opportunity might come from.

“I just did a children’s book that happened because I was dropping my youngest daughter off to college and we were moving her into her freshman dorm. At one of the mixers for the parents, a woman came up to me and said to let her know if I ever want to write a book. I said, ‘Actually, I have an idea.”

Her children’s picture book “Bubble Kisses” and tells the story of a young girl with an ability to transform into a mermaid.

She and her mother, Helen Williams, also co-wrote her biography called “You Have No Idea” in 2012. It was a New York Times Bestseller.

Williams is currently working on some new projects she hopes to produce for TV and plans to get back into the studio to record some new music.

She’s excited to be back in Nashville where many of her biggest hits were produced.

“Most of my hits were done in Franklin, Tennessee with (GRAMMY-winning writer and producer) Keith Thomas. “Save the Best for Last” was done in Franklin, “Colors of the Wind,” and others. Keith Thomas is still making hits.”

Interestingly, Williams also has another, more personal connection to Nashville. The last time she visited, she was in town for the NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are,” a genealogy show that brought her to Nashville to look deeper into her family heritage.

A New York-native, she knew she had ties to Tennessee, but she was surprised by what she discovered.

“They took me to the State Capital building, had me walk down a long hallway, and brought me to an African American bust. They pointed to my great, great grandfather’s name, William A. Field. He was born a slave, educated by his masters, ended up being a school principal, then one of the first Black representatives from Shelby County after the Civil War ended.”

She’s happy to be back in Nashville and is looking forward to three fantastic shows. She’ll join the symphony, along with her longtime band, led by Music Director Rob Mathis. (Shows are set for Thursday, October 20th, Friday, October 21st, and Saturday, Octdober 22nd.)

“Rob and I have been together since 1996,” she says. “He’s done everything from the Kennedy Center and worked with Sting, and so many others. And my band’s been together since 1997. We were actually in Nashville with Luther Vandross back in the day. That was our first world tour. They can go deep; I can throw anything at them. They’re amazing musicians, so we can mix it up, as needed.”

She’s excited about all of them coming together on stage for three record nights with Music City’s world class orchestra.

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NashvillesymphonyVanessa Williams with the Nashville Symphony