The Seasoned Woman is a celebration of the beauty, strength, resiliency, and wisdom of womanhood across time and cultures. A collaboration between poet and musician Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson and Syrian opera singer Lubana Al Quntar, this multidisciplinary, multicultural work marries poetry, music, and soaring vocals of reimagined jazz standards through the cultural and musical influences of the collaborating artists—including R&B, hip-hop, opera, and Middle Eastern music.

San Antonio native Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson is a poet, vocalist, author, and educator. Serving as San Antonio’s first Black Poet Laureate from 2020-2023, Vocab is the author of the collection She Lives In Music published by Flower Song Press (2020) and a 2021 recipient of an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship. A venerated spoken word artist, Vocab has been a member of four teams that competed at the National Poetry Slam. Additionally, she regularly performs on stages throughout San Antonio with her band The Foreign Arm, as well as an individual vocalist.

Internationally acclaimed Syrian opera sensation Lubana Al Quntar was born to a family of traditional singers. A descendant of the famous Syrian singer, Amal Al Atrash, and renowned composer and singer, Farid Al Atrash, Lubana grew up with an ear and a voice for music. She trained in classical international conservatories under the supervision of some of the world’s most renowned opera singers. As a coloratura soprano, Lubana’s rare and dramatic voice breathes life into the wide repertoire she sings in folk, traditional Syriac and Aramaic languages, pop, and classical opera.

The Seasoned Woman is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Art2Action, Carver Community Cultural Center and NPN. For more information: npnweb.org