A native of Los Angeles, Gail Deadrick began studying classical piano at age four. She became the musical director for Natalie Cole in 2000, winning a Grammy Award as coproducer eight years later for her Still Unforgettable album.

From 1994–99, Deadrick was musical director and pianist for The Colors of Christmas tour, which featured Patti Austin, Philip Bailey, Peabo Bryson, Sheena Easton, Roberta Flack, James Ingram, Melissa Manchester, Aaron Neville, Jeffrey Osborne, and Deniece Williams. She made her San Francisco Symphony debut in December 1994.

Deadrick’s talent suits a diverse range of musical styles, including R&B, gospel, jazz, and musical theater. She has accompanied or conducted singers Nancy Wilson, Esther Phillips, Barbara Morrison, Thelma Houston, Johnny Gill, Brenda Russell, Shirley Caesar, and Daryl Coley. She has also toured with Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., The Original 5th Dimension, the Pointer Sisters, and Maureen McGovern with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Since the release of her platinum-selling 1990 debut album, Circle of One, Oleta Adams has inspired fans around the world with songs that draw deeply from her gospel roots while crossing into soul, R&B, jazz, and other forms of popular music. She has sold more than two-and-a-half-million records, collecting four Grammy nominations along the way.

A longtime resident of Kansas City, Kansas, Ms. Adams grew up in the Pacific Northwest, spending her formative years in Seattle and Yakima, Washington. She began singing publicly in the church where her father was minister. After high school, she eventually landed in Kansas City, where her regular gig at the Hyatt Regency was frequented by national and international touring artists.

In 1989 Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of the English synth-pop band Tears for Fears invited her to appear on an album, video, and European tour. When she returned to the United States, Ms. Adams signed a record deal for her solo debut, which Orzabal produced.

Over the years, Ms. Adams has recorded duets with Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Toots Thielemans, and Shirley Caesar, among others. Her music is featured in the movies Corrina, Corrina; Sleeping with the Enemy; and Jason’s Lyric. Her vocals in How Stella Got Her Groove Back set the tone for the film. In 2017 she received the Legends Award at the televised Black Music Honors. On June 1, 2019, she was inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Peabo Bryson is one of the premier male vocalists in contemporary music. Thanks to his rich, almost operatic voice, the two-time Grammy Award winner has enjoyed an ongoing career despite changing musical trends. With 20 albums to his credit, he is the first artist in music history to have separate recordings topping four different charts. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in December 1993.

Bryson, who is also a songwriter and producer, was born in 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina. He spent much of his childhood on his grandparents’ farm in nearby Mauldin. He caught his first break in a recording session for Atlanta’s Bullet, a subsidiary of Bang Records, where he soon signed a contract as a writer, producer, songwriter, performer, and arranger. In 1976 he released his self-titled debut, which featured nearly all original songs (some co-written with Thom Bell) and a young Luther Vandross among the background vocalists. From that point on, Bryson produced a string of major R&B and crossover hits, including “Feel the Fire,” “I’m So Into You,” “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” and “Can You Stop the Rain.”

A skilled actor, Bryson starred in the touring production of the Tony Award–winning Raisin and played the role of The Wizard on tour with The Wiz. In 1998 he appeared in the Michigan Opera Theater’s 100th anniversary production of Porgy and Bess.

Jennifer Holliday’s inimitable voice has riveted the hearts of audiences from around the world. Her professional journey began while singing in her church choir one Sunday in Houston, when she was discovered by A Chorus Line dancer Jamie Patterson. She made her Broadway debut in 1980 in the revival of Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God.

Holliday was then invited to participate in Dreamgirls, which won her a Grammy Award for “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her second album, Say You Love Me, won her a second Grammy. From 1985 to 1992, she had five Top 10 singles on the R&B and Dance Charts. Holliday’s voice appears in film soundtracks for In the Mood, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, The Five Heartbeats, Amazing Grace, Why Did I Get Married, and The Rising Place, and her television appearances include Ally McBeal, Love Boat, American Idol, The Masked Singer, and Touched by an Angel.

ln 2014 Holliday released her first album in two decades, This Song is You, landing her back in the Top 20 R&B charts, and she released her first single in 20 years, “So in Love,” which charted in the Top 5 on the R&B Indie Charts. In 2016 she returned to the theater in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple. She is a longtime dedicated supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and also supports the MS Society and advocates for mental health and suicide prevention. She made her San Francisco Symphony debut in December 2009.

The R&B, pop, and gospel singer Ruben Studdard rose to fame in 2003 after winning the second season of American Idol and receiving a Grammy nomination for “Superstar” in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category. In the years following Idol, he has released six studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up, I Need an Angel. His hit singles include “Flying Without Wings,” “Sorry 2004,” and “Change Me.”

Mr. Studdard has also worked in television and theater. He toured with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama I Need a Hug, and in 2008 starred as Fats Waller in a national touring revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’, the soundtrack for which received a Grammy nomination. Recent recordings include Unconditional Love and Ruben Sings Luther, a tribute to Luther Vandross.

Mr. Studdard was born in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was stationed with the US Army. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and sang for the first time at age three in the Rising Star Baptist Church. He continued singing gospel in church, performing solos while his mother sang in the choir. He received a scholarship to play football for Alabama A&M University and joined the Omicron Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the men’s music fraternity of America. In 2015 he received an honorary master’s degree from his alma mater.

Founded in 1986 by Terrance Kelly, the mission of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Inc. (OIGC) is to inspire joy and unity among all people through Black gospel and spiritual music traditions. Weaving together more than 300 singers ages 5 to 100 across multiple choirs from a wide range of faiths, races, and cultures, every performance helps to preserve and advance Black gospel music and spirituals. OIGC’s Community Engagement Program, featuring inclusive choirs like the Oakland Interfaith Community Choir and Kids Choir, reaches underserved communities. In 2022, the organization incorporated the Oakland Youth Chorus into the Interfaith Youth Choir, expanding its youth program to five ensembles. OIGC remains dedicated to preserving Black gospel music and spirituals for future generations and encourage diverse audiences throughout the community to participate. Learn more at oigc.org.

Terrance Kelly, artistic director of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, has garnered extensive musical credentials in both gospel and jazz music. His credits include choral arrangements on albums by Linda Ronstadt and the Kronos Quartet, among others. Mr. Kelly received an Emmy Award for his choral arrangement of OIGC’s KGO-TV public service announcement. In 2005 he received the Local Heroes Award from KQED Television for his directorship of the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir and was also honored at the Gospel Music Awards. In 2013 he was awarded the Dr. Edwin Hawkins Excellence Award. Mr. Kelly currently serves as Minister of Magnification at Oakland’s Imani Community Church.