Accordionist Julia Williams performed in a new adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at the Bluebarn Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska in October 2022. Julia shared, “I had worked with director Jill Anderson before and so I’m thrilled to work with her again. It’s been really special to be able to tell such a great and well loved tale that I have loved myself for many years! The musical score includes period songs and dances along with original music composed by violinist Olga Smola. Most of the music is performed on accordion and violin but we also perform with a diverse smattering of other instruments. The other instruments include the autoharp, various types of whistle, and a wide array of various percussion instruments. The violin and accordion are joined also by cast member Brandon Williams who plays a drum during the show. It’s really one of the best and most enjoyable creative scenarios to work in the creation of a brand new show. It’s a wonderful luxury to be directed by the writers and to have the composer right there with you playing the new music. I’m proud of the work we did on this show. The music is colorful and evocative and very much an integral part of the story.”

Julia Williams performs as a solo accordionist and with groups as a specialist in classical, swing musette, tango, and contemporary music. She has a B.M. in Music Performance from the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music, M.M. in Music Literature/Historical Musicology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and additional graduate study in ethnomusicology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has performed with the Sioux City Symphony (“The Godfather” and “A Nightmare Before Christmas”) and with the Omaha Symphony (“Ratatouille”).

In 2018 she performed the North American premier of “Neotango Concerto” by Basque composer Gorka Hermosa, with Omaha Chamber Music Society musicians. Other collaborations include performances with the University of Western Kentucky Symphony as a soloist and with the UC-San Diego graduate contemporary music program as a chamber player. Williams first cut her performance teeth while still a teenager when she was hired to play pre-show music in the lobby of the legendary Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Since then her theatrical experiences include productions of “A Three-Penny Opera”, “A Doctor in Spite of Himself”, “The Government Inspector”, and more. In 2018 she was Fraulein Kost in Lincoln’s Haymarket Theatre production of “Cabaret: The Musical”. In 2019 she appeared in the Ollie Webb Center production of “Morozko” written and directed by Jill Anderson with music by Olga Smola.

Excerpt from a review of the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”: “This particular show relies on its technical aspects more than most shows I’ve seen and their support is solid as an oak. Olga Smola has composed an original score that can spook you or make you feel like you’re in a frolic and done solely with her fierce violin playing and Julia Williams’ dandy accordion work.

This show, perfect for the season, takes many lines directly from Washington Irving’s novel and puts them in the hands of a tight and talented ensemble of actors: Abz Cameron; Raydell Cordell III; Rodger Gerberding; Roderick Hickman; Josh Peyton; Theresa Sindelar and Brandon Williams. Most of them play several roles, and all are excellent. They turn the script — adapted with love and a knack for deft trimming by Ben Beck and director Jill Anderson — into something truly magical. They use the 18th century prose to its full effect and the result is sometimes eerily spooky and often humorous.”

“I have to gush about ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ at the BLUEBARN Theatre,” writes Betsie Freeman of the Omaha World-Herald. “I know the theater keeps a waiting list, and … I would try to get on that list if I were you…..The scenery by Sarah Rowe looks like a sumptuous book illustration, enhanced by Bill Kirby’s lighting (including effective use of darkness, no doubt guided by Anderson). And period music by Olga Smola and accordionist Julia Williams is essential.

Photo up: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, BLUEBARN Theatre” 
Photo down:”The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, BLUEBARN Theatre” 

For further information: juliawilliams0789@gmail.com