BYU-Idaho’s Center Stage is set to host the annual A BYU-Idaho Christmas Concert with special guest Disney film star Adassa. The Christmas concert compiles over 300 music, dance and theatre university student performers, with a headlining group or artist such as Adassa, making this event a multi-sensory holiday spectacular.
As a bilingual Afro-Latino voice actress, singer and songwriter with a dynamic four-octave vocal range, Adassa’s work ranges from animation, arena performances, commercials, and most recently, as a soloist with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square as part of their tour to Mexico City. Adassa gained a huge following from her performance as the voice of Dolores in Disney’s blockbuster hit “Encanto.”
In a BYU-Idaho Radio interview with Adassa and her husband, Gabriel Candiani, she talked about her experience on how she got sick before confirming the role as Dolores. She said she felt so sick, she decided to drive herself to the hospital to get a blood test.
“Within an hour of being there, I could not walk, I could not talk, I could not move. And that paralysis was, a challenging experience, but I also noticed it was one of the fastest, tender mercies that the Heavenly Father gave me, because I grew quickly,” she said.
Adassa also said those who attend the Christmas concert will walk away knowing the true meaning of Christmas.
“I would love for you to take away knowing that Heavenly Father loves you, that we are not perfect, but we are here to become perfected through Him. And we are here on earth to learn. And learning hurts, but that is where the growth comes from as well. So, do not feel like if you have made a bad choice, His atoning grace is not for you because it is. And anything that tells you differently does not come from Him. So just go out of there with hope, knowing that Christ has given His life for us and that we can enjoy that moment of knowing that that is a truth,” Adassa said.
The Christmas concert performance will be on Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the BYU-Idaho Center’s auditorium. Tickets can be purchased by visiting byui.edu/ticket-office/.