Things To Do in Baltimore

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2009

BILLIE HOLIDAY & CAB CALLOWAY VOCAL COMPETITIONS ANNOUNCE SEMI-FINALISTS

Mayor Sheila Dixon and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts announce the semi-finalists for the 20^th annual Billie Holiday Vocal Competition and the 3^rd annual Cab Calloway Vocal Competition.  The competitions honor the musical achievements of the two jazz legends.  Fifteen semi-finalists were chosen to compete for the top prize. The event takes place at Artscape on Sunday, July 19 at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall located at 1212 Cathedral Street.  Performances start at noon, followed by the announcement of winners at 3:30pm.

Winners will receive a cash prize of $2,500 and will perform at Artscape 2010.  Additionally, the audience will vote for their favorite performer, who will receive the Ruby Glover Award and $500.  This year’s judges are William Ray, retired professor of voice at the Peabody Conservatory and Howard University and the recipient of the National Opera Association’s “Lift Every Voice” Legacy Award; and C. Calloway Brooks, the grandson of Cab Calloway and musical director and leader of the renowned Cab Calloway Orchestra.

Billie Holiday Vocal Competition Semi-finalists

Sendy Brown, a New Jersey native, began singing at the age of five in her father’s church.  Her early influences, Mahalia Jackson and Aretha Franklin, formed her foundation as a vocalist.  With a degree from Howard University in music business from the School of Fine Arts, she has performed locally as a jazz vocalist, and in 2004, released her first independent CD, Secrets of the Soul.  She currently teaches music in the Washington, D.C. public schools and is the minister of music for St. Michael’s Truth in Mitchellville, MD.

Diane Daly’s musical education began with studies at a Maryland college and stints as a choir member and soloist. She then followed her heart to Australia, exploring another world of music from a cappella choirs to cabaret experimentation.  Returning to the D.C. area in 2002, Ms. Daly began studies at the Elliston Music Studio with Ronnie Wells and Ron Elliston.  In 2006, she released her debut album I Ain’t Blue on the Backstreet Records label.

Kerensa Gray is a singer/songwriter who has performed professionally for almost 15 years.  She was a finalist for the Momentum Award Jazz Artist of the Year in 2008 and 2009 and has shared the stage and opened for artists such as Stellar award winner Isaiah Thomas and Grammy and Dove award winners CeCe and Vickie Winans.  Kerensa is currently working on a new project with renowned Baltimore jazz guitarist and producer Drew Davidsen.

Alexandra Ludmer, a classically trained vocalist with a deep love of jazz, received her training at the County School of the Arts (Charleston, SC), the Greenville County Fine Arts Center and the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C.  She has held principal roles in regional musical theatre productions and has performed at several jazz clubs in the D.C. area.

L’Tanya Marí, a native of Philadelphia, grew up surrounded by jazz, while she studied cello, piano and voice as a youngster.  With her Bachelor of Arts in music business from Howard University and masters in jazz studies from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, L’Tanya continues to perform in D.C. area a jazz clubs and at festivals.  She is currently working on her first album.  This is her third year in the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition.

Marissa Muro was born into a musical family and studied voice and piano at an early age.  A graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Peabody Conservatory of Music, she was featured in the Disney film, Washington Square.  Marissa teaches voice and piano to promising students in the Baltimore area.  Her recent performances include the Hippodrome Theatre, the Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Center Stage, Morgan State University and on HGTV.

Tacha Coleman Parr began singing in her mother’s church in North Carolina and has acquired a love of many different musical styles.  She has sung with a wide variety of groups including school and church choirs, a cappella, folk, and gospel groups.  A student at The Elliston Studio for Jazz Studies in Washington, D.C., she has also studied with Wayne Wilentz at the Jazz Vocalist Network.  Tacha has performed in many clubs with many of the area’s foremost jazz, gospel and blues musicians.

Integriti Reeves is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., where she studied classical violin.  She developed her love of jazz while in high school.  She is currently a senior at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she has received awards for her scholarship and musical talent.  She has performed with legends such as Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder and placed third in last year’s Billie Holiday Vocal Competition.

Leslie Summey started her singing career in an Italian restaurant singing opera and Broadway tunes.  She joined the Navy and the United States Navy Band, where she was the vocalist for their big band, the Commodores.  She has performed in the White House and in an African village.  Her greatest joy is singing and dancing with her five children.  Last year, Leslie was named the Ruby Award winner in the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition.

Beatriz Martin Villalba started her musical training as a young child in her native country, Spain.  She sang on commercials and children’s television shows and took classes in musical theatre as a teenager.  She currently sings in area jam sessions and at events in the community.

2009 Cab Calloway Vocal Competition Semi-Finalists

Paul Armstrong has been a professional trumpet player since he was 17 years old.  He was a semi-finalist in the Louis Armstrong Jazz Trumpet Competition under the auspices of the Thelonious Monk Institute.  He has toured with various bands, including with trumpet legend, Maynard Ferguson.  Paul has arranged and recorded music for Diane Schuur.  He currently plays trumpet in the Unites States Army Jazz Ambassadors, stationed at Fort Meade.

John H. Brink is a singer, actor and musician from Chambersburg, PA.  He recorded his first song at the age of 14.  John has been involved with music in high school and in college at Duke University.  He has performed multiple roles in musical theatre at the Allenberry Playhouse and made solo appearances from Omaha to New York City.

Christopher Featherstone is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and has studied piano, voice and music theory at Morgan State University and University of Maryland Baltimore County.  As a songwriter, Christopher has had his music recorded by Dru Hill, and in production and programming, he has worked with the Russell Simmons Music Group.  Christopher also teaches voice, piano and music theory at FSM Instructional, a non-profit that provides music education to young people in the Greater Baltimore area.

Julian Quander is a singer, songwriter, dancer and actor who has performed across the east coast.  He won first prize at the National Association of Teachers singing competition and placed third in the first annual Cab Calloway Vocal Competition.  Julian was a featured performer at a fundraiser for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.   He counts Donny Hathaway, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Michael Jackson and Will Smith as his musical influences and is currently working on his first album, Better Late Than Never.

Joseph Reynolds graduated from Coppin State University where he was a social science major and sang with the Coppin concert choir and gospel choir.  He is a songwriter in multiple genres but specializes in jazz-influenced soul and hip-hop.  He has been a sideman in ensembles in various genres including rock, jazz, and fusion bands in which he played trumpet, bass guitar, keyboards, and background vocals.  Originally from Philadelphia, he is presently working on his first album of original material.  Joseph was a semi-finalist in last year’s Cab Calloway Vocal Competition.

Artscape, America’s largest, free arts festival takes place Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, noon to 10pm and Sunday, July 19, noon to 8pm.

For more information about the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition and Cab Calloway Vocal Competition, visit www.artscape.org or call 410-752-8632.

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