'Fabulosity Itself' Qya Cristál Joins Thorgy Thor and the Boston Pops to Celebrate Pride

When Qya Cristál was studying voice at the Boston's Berklee School of Music a decade ago, she often walked by Symphony Hall when the crowds were entering for Pops concerts in the Spring. "And I was mildly envious," she explained from Provincetown where she was rehearsing her show "Diva." "I use to think how lucky they were to be hearing that orchestra in such a beautiful hall. And now I will be on that stage performing with them."

That occasion is new for the Boston Pops – their first Pride concert that they are hosting on June 1 to kick-off Pride Month. The special concert, led by Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart is hosted by GBH's Jared Bowen and headlined by "RuPaul Drag Queen" alumnus Thorgy Thor and features Qya as a special guest. (Remaining tickets for the concert at Boston Symphony Hall on Saturday night at 7:30pm are $25.00. They are available by clicking here.)

It was Thorgy who invited Qya to be her special guest. And little wonder. Anyone who has seen Qya in her drag performances either here or in Provincetown, or in the numerous roles she has played with The Gold Dust Orphans in recent years, know that Qya is a force to be reckoned with. Like her drag mom Sapphira Cristál, Qya is a trained musician with a four-octave range, that and her droll comic deadpan made her a perfect match for Ryan Landry's comic troupe. Landry was so impressed with Qya that he fashioned a hilarious show – The Ebonic Woman – around her talents. If anyone has musical theater superpowers, it is Qya.

EDGE spoke with Qya about her upcoming Pops appearance, her life in Ptown, and will we expect to see her on "RuPaul's Drag Race" anytime soon.

EDGE: How did you get involved with Pride Night with the Boston Pops?

Qya Cristál: It was a situation where someone that works in Boston heard that they were looking for a local singer to join the orchestra and Thorgy.

EDGE: Will you be singing with Thorgy?

Qya Cristál: Yes. We are doing "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) from "Annie Get Your Gun."

EDGE: And who does it better?

Qya Cristál: Hmmm. We'll see...

EDGE: What will you be wearing?

Qya Cristál: Oh, I have this gorgeous ball gown. I figured it'd be appropriate since the symphony. And I'm very excited because there's a comedy bit in the song that I won't give away I plan on revealing. It should be really funny, if it all works out correctly.

EDGE: So let's talk about your singing career because you have an amazing voice...

Qya Cristál: Yes, thank you. I started when I was, gosh, probably three years old, I would say I like started talking, and then right after that I started singing. When my parents found out that I could sing, they put me in the church choir where I stayed through junior high school. Next came school choir and musical theater. After high school, I wanted to continue my music career, so I applied to several different schools. I got into a college in my hometown, as well as Berklee College of Music in Boston, which is what brought me to Boston where I studied vocal performance.

EDGE: Are you a tenor? Baritone?

Qya Cristál: I'm a tenor, I would say high tenor.

EDGE: And you have very high range, right?

Qya Cristál: I am very fortunate to maintain a very full range, about three and a half -- four octaves. It's always a joy when I get to use the full range of my voice, like I get to do in my new show this summer, And hopefully on Saturday as well, because it's a lot of fun for me as a performer.

EDGE: But when you came to Boston, you weren't doing drag, correct?

Qya Cristál: I didn't do drag. My first drag appearance was 2011. I was 19 or 20. And I was at Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I just kind of decided to take a leap of faith and see what would happen because I was in a new environment surrounded by new people who didn't know anything about me. I was like, 'well just try it and see if they approve. If they like it, I'll keep going. And if it fails, I still have my voice, and I have my acting. But I'm glad that they liked it because they encouraged me to continue on and now here we are, 10 years later.