Singer Cara Brindisi wants to talk

For years, Cara Brindisi played music day and night – but for two different audiences. During the day, she worked as a music therapist, using her voice and guitar to bring comfort to patients. At night, she serenaded patrons at local bars, restaurants and cafes around central Massachusetts with a mix of artfully interpreted covers as well as her own original songs.

That around-the-clock practice may have been what prepared her for when opportunity struck during 2022, and she landed a spot on NBC’s “The Voice.” She got to show off her vocal chops with Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” and the national exposure bolstered her already well-established fanbase within New England.

Brindisi will take the stage at the Spire Center in Plymouth on April 25 in the first of a new series that combines her passion for music and dialogue. The show, called “Life & Lyrics,” is both a concert and podcast. The evening will be split into two parts starting with performances from Brindisi and a featured guest, then followed by a conversation between the two musicians with questions from the live audience.

The idea for the format comes from Brindisi’s experience as a licensed music therapist, which has given her the belief that music helps facilitate deeper conversations. She looks forward to sharing those connections with a different artist each month.

“By no means do I want to invite artists to divulge in a therapy session,” Brindisi said in an interview with WBUR. “However, I think any good and entertaining piece of art, or especially interviews, requires a sense of vulnerability.”

Performing has never been just about the music for Brindisi, as musically talented and well-versed as she is; it’s about what the music can unlock between people. Her appreciation for music’s ability to bring people together is palpable from the moment she begins to sing, and she’s also spoken about it more explicitly on stage.

She prefaced a stirring rendition of “O Holy Night” at her second annual Winter Solstice Concert at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall by recounting the legend of how the song brought opposing soldiers to a truce one Christmas Eve. Brindisi’s sweeping vocals accompanied by a thunderous electric guitar solo from blues artist and Boston Music Awards nominee Sonya Rae Taylor inspired the audience that night to give a mid-show standing ovation.

Brindisi will pull from her network of musicians, including Taylor, for the monthly series’ lineup. The first guest will be familiar to South Shore concert goers: Jeff Hilliard. “He's been a staple for the local scene,” said Brindisi, who grew up in Worcester and recently relocated to Plymouth. “Every time I'm out, he's the guy at the bar, the restaurant. He plays like three to four nights a week.”

Her time on “The Voice” has led to performances for larger audiences, including singing the national anthem at the Worcester Red Sox’ 2023 opening day (a gig James Taylor held just two years earlier). Despite her growing audiences, Brindisi still relishes more intimately sized performances. Immediately after performing for thousands who gathered at East Park in Worcester for the city’s Independence Day fireworks show last year, Brindisi went across the street to take the mic at a local bar where she played requests and invited members of the audience to sing on stage with her until the lights turned off to close.

Outside of live performances, the singer has also been busy on a studio album and documentary. Last month Brindisi released “Lasso the Moon,” a pandemic-inspired ballad with signature sounds of 1960s doo wop with layered harmonies and powerhouse vocals. She has also co-directed, “Forever in Song,” a film about her work as a music therapist.

Upcoming guests in “Life & Lyrics” include Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Drew Angus, Westport-based Dave Alves, fellow music therapist Sarah Blacker and Sonya Rae Taylor.

“My experience is in using music as the vehicle to get to that vulnerable heart and soul of people through music therapy,” she said. “Music is such a safe place for so many of us, that it's a nice way to open up those conversations, to open up those parts of our hearts.”