The day begins cold and rainy in Pittsburgh. Suddenly, almost as if just for her, the rain stops. Cloaked in subtle regality, Tamara Tunie strides into a coffee shop.
Tamara Tunie Takes the Stage at MCG Jazz
Is she channeling her current on-screen persona, Anita Dupree from the daytime soap Beyond the Gates? If you’ve seen any of her performances — from Dr. Melinda Warner on Law & Order: SVU to her onstage jazz concerts — you know that it’s Tunie who informs the character and not the other way around.
Right now, the Pittsburgh native and CMU graduate is back home as the artist-in-residence at MCG Jazz. Tunie’s residency wasn’t a sudden development; the seed was planted more than 15 years ago, when MCG Jazz’s Executive Producer, Marty Ashby, first suggested Tunie record her sophomore CD at their legendary studio.
“Then COVID-19 hit,” Tunie remembers. “That shut everything down, literally.” A few years later, Ashby reached out again and asked her to become the second artist-in-residence at MCG Jazz. Even though she was unsure at first — “I said, ‘I’d love to, but I have no idea what that is’” — Tunie agreed and began her residency in November 2025.
Connecting to Pittsburgh
The community engagement portion of this residency has allowed Tunie to share her knowledge of music history with third-, fourth- and fifth-graders as they learn their first instruments. She also coaches high school musical-theater students and mentors college students at Duquesne University.
What she enjoys most about her time with the students is sharing honest, professional advice drawn from years of experience. “I’m like, ‘You got to open your eyes. You got to make some connection.’” She reminds her students that the eyes are the windows to the soul. “If I can’t connect with you with your eyes closed … who is this for? Is it for you, or is it for the audience?”
The residency will end with a much-anticipated performance on May 23, 2026, at MCG Jazz. Tunie looks forward to performing in a “beautiful concert hall” where many legends — including Nancy Wilson, Herb Alpert and others — have performed. During the early stages of concert planning, Ashby asked Tunie if there was anybody she wanted to bring to accompany her onstage. There was no hesitation; Tunie suggested her “bestest friend,” the world-famous pianist Christian Sands. Tunie remarks, “He’s like my little brother, and we’ve been wanting to do something together.”
Not Your Average Set
Tunie describes the repertoire as “revolutionary music.” Influenced by the activist spirit she inherited from her mother, Tunie didn’t want to just “sing some songs.”
“I want there to be a message,” she explains. “I want to start a revolution.”
Her definition of revolution is nuanced. After watching Bad Bunny’s joyful halftime performance, she realized that joy itself is a radical act. “Let me take off my beret and put on some flowers,” she jokes. Though she is careful not to give away the setlist, she does promise the sound “seeps into your unconsciousness and sticks with you.”
Even with her worldwide success, Tunie stays grounded. When she’s in Pittsburgh, her family comes first. Her mother and two sisters still live in the city. And, like any true Pittsburgher, she has a favorite food stop.
“Pamela’s. Period. Full stop. The best pancakes in the world.”
Story by Kahmeela Adams-Friedson
Photo by Emilio Madrid