This news release was passed on to our readers, thanks to Chris McLaughlin, director of the ensemble:
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| Hamilton All Star Vocal Jazz, 2011 |
Hamilton All Star Vocal Jazz has been invited to perform at the prestigious Jazz Education Network conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This a cappella ensemble of nine singers is one of only four vocal groups invited, and the only vocal group from Canada! Each ensemble was required to submit a recording of three songs as their audition for the conference.
Of hundreds of such groups across Canada and the United States, HASVJ was the only Canadian group selected.
The JEN conference is held annually, and is the largest gathering of school and community jazz performers, professionals in the field, jazz educators, and aficionados. Attendance is expected to top 5,000… with delegates hailing from all over the world. Hamilton All Star Vocal Jazz is in its fifth year as a member ensemble of the Hamilton All Star Jazz Band, Inc, artistic director Russ Weil.
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| Director Chris McLaughlin |
The vocal group, directed by long-time Ontario educator Chris McLaughlin, is comprised of five females and four males—including vocal bass and drums! Their program consists of the most challenging music as performed by today’s top professional groups in the field.
They have previously performed in festivals, primarily in the United States. They have twice performed as Concert Artists at the annual Ontario Vocal Jazz Festival, a gathering of approximately 40 of Ontario’s best vocal jazz school groups. They were invited to perform at the inaugural Sing! Toronto festival, and travelled to Chicago in March for school guest performances, a featured spot at a Chicagoland nightclub, and participation in the annual New York Voices festival. They have twice performed for large district or province-wide gatherings of retired teachers, and were featured artists at last year’s Willowbank Jazz Festival in Queenston, Ontario. They headlined the CNIB Gala in Hamilton in June of 2011.
Hamilton All Star Vocal Jazz will present a preview concert of their conference program Saturday, December 8 at 8pm at the Old Firehall Performing Arts Centre on Wilson St. in Ancaster.
