Wilkinsburg woman to perform duet with Broadway star at Jewish Association on Aging event

Jun. 23—Sylvia Booker is the good witch.

The Wilkinsburg resident was invited to sing part of a duet for the song "For Good" from the musical "Wicked." She will sing the part of Glinda the good witch, while the wicked witch of the west's part will be sung by Mandy Gonzalez, who performed the tune on Broadway.

Both pre-recorded their portions and the final cut will be played on Thursday night at "Art of Aging: Broadway Under the Stars Drive-In." The event will be hosted by the Jewish Association on Aging and is its biggest fundraiser.

Booker works as a resident care aid at Weinberg Terrace in Squirrel Hill, which is part of the Jewish Association on Aging's network.

The duet is part of a live-streamed concert by Gonzalez from her New Jersey home via a giant screen at Heinz Field's Gold Parking Lot 1 on Pittsburgh's North Side.

Tickets for the drive-in concert performance that benefits seniors served by JAA were still available online on Tuesday.

Gates open at 6 p.m.. The concert begins at approximately 7 p.m.

"I never imagined doing something like this, and I could not have asked for a better role," said Booker, a soprano. "To be on the big screen will be so exciting. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am humbled."

She said singing is her way of doing ministry.

"You can minister people through song," Booker said. "Music also helps me when I am going through some challenges in my life."

Booker said her musical passion has been inspired by Bishop Otis Carswell and his wife Annette Carswell of Potter's House Ministries, where Booker is a member of the choir.

"Bishop always tells me when you sing, you sing for God," Booker said. "Your message will be heard."

She said another musical performance at Heinz Hall in Downtown Pittsburgh is a moment that will remain with her forever. She was part of a choir under director Nikki Porter Smith at the Pentecostal Temple, which performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2019.

"I am honored to share the voice God gave me with this audience of JAA supporters," said Booker, a Peabody High School graduate who will be attending the drive-in event with her son, daughter, husband Dana Tyrone Booker Sr. and other family members.

The residents at Weinberg Terrace will be watching the show virtually.

"I value the lives of the elderly and I treat them like they were my own family members," said Booker, who began singing at the age of 9 and said she is inspired by Patti LaBelle and Whitney Houston.

"Sylvia is an inspiration to all of us," said JAA president and CEO Deborah Winn-Horvitz. "We asked her to sing the duet because we knew her voice would be a gift to Mandy, our event guests, and our residents. She's just that special."

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .