Tonight, October 12, Iris Williams will take to the stage of the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall to perform at the 29th New York Cabaret Convention produced by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, for The Night They Invented Champagne: The Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner. The following day, Saturday, October 13th at 9:30, she will return to the Beach Café with her Musical Director, Art Weiss, for a reprise of her acclaimed show, Let the Music Begin.
Born in Wales, Iris won her first talent contest at the age of seven and at 18, was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama which started her on a career leading to international fame. She returned there in 1996, to be honored as a Fellow of the College. She began singing in social clubs in Wales and soon graduated to playing club and concert dates throughout in the UK, the US and Europe.
In the early 1970’s, Williams had her own television series for BBC Wales and was a regular guest on national radio and television shows. Her version of “He Was Beautiful” (“Cavatina,” the theme from The Deer Hunter), backed by the BBC Midland Light Orchestra, entered the Top 20, was broadcast on Radio 2 in 1979. The success of the record led to a series of television appearances and concerts at top venues, including the London Palladium. Her BBC series, “The Iris Williams Songbook,” followed by two specials, “Iris Williams Echoes the Life of Mabel Mercer” and for S4C “Portread” (Portrait), a two-hour solo concert at Brecon International Jazz Festival, led to her being admitted to the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod in Wales (top poets and musicians society). In 1981, she made her debut at London’s Royal Festival Hall, supporting American singer Vic Damone and was named Vocalist of the Year. The following year later, she appeared with Bob Hope in his star-studded Golf Classic Cabaret.
“He Was Beautiful” earned Iris a gold disc and an invitation by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, to perform at the annual Royal Variety Performance. Seventeen Royal Performances later, as well as numerous awards and accolades, led Iris, in 2004, to be awarded an O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire), for her contributions in the field of music and for her services to charitable institutions
around the world. She was the first female entertainer to go to the Falkland Islands and has given over 300 Combined Services Entertainment performances. In 2008, she was awarded the highest honor presented by the St. David’s Society of New York, the William R Hopkins Award for her contributions in the field of music and charity around the world.
Called “a Goddess of Song” and “one of the most striking voices in all of Cabaret” (Stephen Holden, NY Times) with “impeccable taste and elegant phrasing” (Rex Reed, NY Observer), Iris and I chatted briefly about her famed career.
One of the most important things for her is the interpretation of the lyric and we discussed legendary singers Sylvia Syms and Margaret Whiting, talking about their gift with a lyric. “I am very drawn – musically, and especially lyrically – to The American Songbook.” she said. “I relish interpreting these lyrics with their compelling stories of love, sadness, happiness and loss so that my audiences can connect on a personal level with the meaning of the lyrics behind the music. I also enjoy keeping things fresh by exploring different interpretations at each performance.”
“Sylvia,” Iris added, “taught me everything I know about the interpretation of a lyric. She came to see me every night at the Algonquin. When she heard me sing ‘The Man I Love’ she said ‘What happened to the verse?” and I said ‘There’s a verse?’ I asked her ‘What if I forget the lyric?’ Sylvia said, ‘Put it on the f*****g piano like everybody else!’ And that was that!”
She is also an admitted tennis fan, goes to the US Open every year and counts among her friends, Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals and Tory Fretz, who occasionally pop in at her shows.
Iris now lives in Rancho Mirage, California, where she moved when she left New York. “Moving out of New York was hard, but I needed the warmer weather. Then, I found a whole new world of cabaret and music here in the desert.”
Her love for classic American standards has made her a popular favorite in the US, having performed at The Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel in NY, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in LA, the Cinegrill in Hollywood, CA, the Purple Room in Palm Springs and at New York’s famed Birdland.
The Beach Café, 1326 Second Avenue, NYC, 212-988-7299 Click here for reservations.
NOTICE: There will be a 20% discount for VIP tickets ONLY, if you mention that you saw Iris at the Cabaret Convention on Friday night.
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