Christmas Comes Early To The Shack

Top: The crowd. Bottom: Andrea Daniels-Singleton, who runs A2A Productions. Abiba Biao Photos.

As Izaiah Brockington stood at the mic, he closed his eyes, his silver stocking hat shining beneath the blue light. Piano came in, and he eased into the first verse of Donny Hathaway's “This Christmas." The steady beat of the drums followed, and soon after, cheers and claps from the crowd. 

If you looked closely, you could almost see the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future behind him, ringing in the festivities and seasonal greetings. 

Last Saturday, Christmas came early to a sold-out crowd at The Shack’s Christmas celebration, a fundraiser for the myriad services it provides to New Haven's West Hills community. The event, which hosted 50 people, is a part of A2A Productions’ series “Cafe Night at the Shack,” which started five months ago and is hosted by New Haven artist, advocate, and A2A Productions founder Andrea Daniels-Singleton and several of her creative colleagues and collaborators.

“A lot of people are dealing with a lot of different things, even during the holidays—sickness, sadness, death,” said event emcee Sean W. Hardy. “But this is a time where we are reaching out to encourage one another, that you can make it.”

Cafe Night performances are held once a month and incorporate singers and musicians from live bands, sometimes drawing inspiration from notable artists past and present. Previous concerts have paid homage to Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Betty White, and Stevie Wonder, Daniels-Singleton said. 

The concert series also doubles as a fundraiser, with proceeds from each session going to the community hub that Alder Honda Smith has created at 333 Valley St. At turns a media center, recording studio, urban farm, cafe, and gathering spot, it serves everyone from kids and teenagers to elders. Currently, it offers farming, music production and composition, and media arts classes in journalism and multi-media storytelling, among other activities. 

Daniels-Singleton, who grew up in the neighborhood, has long made it part of her mission as an artist to give back. Earlier this year, she shouted out Smith at multiple A2A Performances, including an installation of “The Cry Within” that made it to the Shubert Theatre. Smith, for her part, said that the love is mutual. 

“It takes giants to come along and decide to …  give back to their community, and that's something that Andrea has been doing,” Smith said in an address to the crowd. “Every event that she has done here has been for the welfare of this community and of this center.”

With soft, ambient white and orange lighting, artists set the mood for winter cheer. The holiday joy and festivities buzzed through the air. Around the room, performers and audience members alike dawned their best ugly sweaters and fuzzy jackets.

In the lefthand corner of the room, what is usually the pool table during normal Shack hours was covered in black tarp, converted into to a gift station. In the middle of the table, a shimmering, small plastic Christmas tree appeared, complete with a bag of presents for singers, who would unwrap them after the performance.  

Singers Willa Moody, Izaiah Brockington, Gwendolyn Wilkins, Toni Gore, Quanisha “A’lache” Morrison, and Lisa Brown.

During the event’s two parts—a section for holiday carols and a section for worship and praise—a sense of holiday cheer seemed to be everywhere.  Behind the singers, band members Colon Haywood and Daniel Singleton grooved on the keyboards, with Terrance Ivory on the drums, and Curtis Eaddy on bass guitar. Singing backup, soprano Toni Gore remained a constant and mellifluous presence, joined by artists Lisa Brown, Gwendolyn Wilkins, Brockington, and Daniels-Singleton at various points throughout the night. 

Gore, who has been singing background vocals for Daniels-Singleton for two years, said that she was motivated by A2A’s efforts in the community. 

“Anything that’ll help to do for the community, we’re involved,” Gore said. “Also, it makes people feel like they're doing something for the community when they purchase a ticket because they know what it's going towards.”

For Quanisha Morrison, who goes by the stage name “A’lache,” participating in the event and “supporting my girl Andrea” was a no-brainer.  As a resident of Valley Street, A’lache also has a personal connection with the event, and noted her eagerness to uplift arts and culture in her own neighborhood.

“It’s helping me out because I’m a part of this neighborhood, this community. It’s dope,” she said of the concert. “So I love it. And then, I’m honored to be a part of this and then collabing with artists, like great artists.”

Similar to Brockington, no matter how many times she performs, the pre-performance jitters always manage to find their way to her. Shaking, cold sweats, racing thoughts—she goes through it all in the lead up to a performance, she said. And then, she gets on stage and does her thing anyway.  

“One time, I came close to passing out, I swear,” she said to Gore. “The first show that I did for her [Daniels-Singleton], when she did a Christmas show over in Post Road. They were back there praying for me, like the whole circle, man!”

And yet, when A’lache graced the stage to perform Stevie Wonder’s “That’s What Christmas Means to Me,” you could’ve never guessed her anxiety. A natural at commanding the space, her voice was boisterous, carrying a confidence and swagger that lifted people off their feet and to clap along. Her vibrato and edgy rasp filled the room, giving life to the already joyful lyrics. Brown, Daniels-Singleton, and Gore followed hot in pursuit, repeating the chorus.

Silver R., Laura Austin, and Adrienne Senior.

In the crowd, guests Silver R., Laura Austin, and Adrienne Senior became fast acquaintances for the night, bonding over light chatter and plates heavy with good food. While the first two had never been to The Shack before—and Senior had only come once—all seemed genuinely excited for the performance. 

Senior described her expectations for the night’s  performance as “being well entertained like I was the first time.” When a friend said they couldn’t attend the night’s concert due to surgery, she didn’t let that stop her from coming out and making new friends along the way. 

“Everything from the dinner to the entertainment is just awesome,” she said. “I came, basically tonight, to get more in the Christmas mood.” 

Austin said that she felt inspired to visit the Shack after hearing about Smith’s efforts and investment of her own money into the center by visiting her website. She first learned of the event through Facebook.

By the end of the night Daniels-Singleton had worked up a sweat, from providing background vocals to bringing food to all the guests and artists. While the  concert took a month to plan and organize, she said, it’s a labor of love she doesn’t mind investing time in. Given the turnout for this year's celebration, she added that she may need to find a larger venue for next year's festivities. 

“I want it to remain a benefit for the Shack because the Shack does amazing things, and I always want to support them as she [Smith] supports me and the things that I do,” she said.

Daniels-Singleton shows no sign of stopping her creative purists in the new year. In addition to the Cafe Night at The Shack series, she’s also working on several other independent projects, including a children's book and novel which will be released in late 2026. She is also preparing to draft all the music  for her next installment of “The Cry Within,” which will debut in summer 2026. 

No one knows the transformative power of music, perhaps, more than Daniels-Singleton’s husband, who has supported her through all her creative endeavors. 

“Music is a way of expression, and you never know what people go through,” he said, reflecting on the event as he packed up his keyboard for the night. “And through music, there's the sense of healing, joy, that can help people overcome obstacles that they may be facing.”