Although the crowd was small, the Vocal Jazz Ensemble delivered a smooth and relaxing evening performance on Nov. 17.
The jazz singers performed the songs of George Shearing, Thelonius Monk and Antonio Carlos Jobim as well as jazz renditions of “The Fool on the Hill” by the Beatles and “Being Green” made famous by Kermit the Frog. Students Marc Copage, Denney Premkumar, Alexis Soto Jr. and Saundra Ramirez also performed four solos.
Accompanying the singers was a backing band with Akane Tada on piano, Jordan Richards on bass and Ralph Penland on the drums.
Prior to Sunday’s performance, the singers had ten rehearsals without the without the backing band.
“The setting alone boosted the performance so much,” director Andreas Preponis said. “Everybody was confident, they looked like they were having fun and I am really pleased with the outcome.”
“It was my first concert singing and I wasn’t nervous at all,” singer Ricardo Lomeli said. “It was very energetic despite the attendance.”
The concert was the first time director Andreas Preponis had full responsibility of the jazz group.
“It was the first time that I was in charge of everything from picking the music to organizing the event,” Preponis said. “It’s a short amount of time but they did well and stuck with me through the challenges. “
Sunday’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble performance was the last concert to be held in Harbeson Hall. Performances will now be in the Westerbeck Recital Hall located in the new Center for the Arts building.
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