Amid all the stress and rancor of the election, it may be helpful to take a minute and think about the things we all love about this country.

The Hyattsville Wire met up today with local performer Kanysha Williams to record this rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

 

Williams, who teaches at Hyattsville’s Just Rock music school, which has a new location in Brentwood, grew up in Prince George’s County, singing in church choirs, school ensembles and talent shows.

She then studied professionally at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C., the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and George Mason University. Before the pandemic, she was a full-time actress and singer performing at theaters around the D.C. area in shows like “Gun & Powder,” “The Wiz” and “The Color Purple” .

“Currently, I’m working around town as a private voice instructor and vocal arranger,” she told the Hyattsville Wire. “Any day of the week I could find myself teaching singing lessons, or recording music for a project. I miss theater greatly, but I’m grateful for a way to bring in some form of income.”

She’s also performing “pop-up” shows with other artists online each month. You can watch her next performance at 7:30 p.m. on Friday on Instagram at @strawberrysings or on Facebook at Kanysha Williams.

“It’s difficult to go through this extended period of time without that connection, and I can’t wait until it’s safe for all of us to come together and enjoy art again,” she said.