Berklee's Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble With Special Guest Donna McElroy To Present IN THE KEY OF NOW

The Allen Center, in partnership with Berklee College of Music's Voice Department,  will present In the Key of Now on Friday, December 6th at 7:30 pm. Berklee's award-winning Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble (AVJE), directed by Prof. Ned Rosenblatt and backed by a four-piece ensemble, will also welcome a special appearance by renowned vocalist and Professor Emeritus Donna McElroy. 

AVJE is a perennial top ensemble in DownBeat Magazine's list of collegiate vocal jazz groups and is set to perform at the Jazz Education Network's national conference in Atlanta in January.

The vocalists are Singers: Ali Golodner, (Dover, NH); André Pamplona da Silva (Crescent City, CA); Anna Vtipil (Carey, NC); Dhvanee Shridhar (Frisco, TX); Isabela Elizondo-Collado (Houston, TX);  Janessa Perez (Long Beach, CA); Jerry Li (Seattle, WA);  Joe Muscarelle (Ramsey, NJ); Nikita Sharma (Princeton, NJ); Taehoon Kim (South Korea)

The quartet is Arman Mohammed, piano (South Portland, MA); Andy Kim, bass (Korea); Hector Falu-Guzman, drums (Carolina, PR); and Pedro Menegatto-Secco, guitar (Brazil).  They will also accompany Donna McElroy for her cameo set. 

"In the Key of Now" is a live experience that celebrates the power of the present moment through the dynamic energy of jazz.  Musical selections, most arranged by Rosenblatt, will include pieces that range from Cole Porter and Herbie Hancock to John Mayer and Vox One.

Ned J. Rosenblatt is a professor in the Voice Department at Berklee College of Music. Rosenblatt holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and a master's degree in jazz pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory.

Rosenblatt's Berklee Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble has performed at the 2016 American Choral Directors Eastern Division Conference (ACDA) and 2014 and 2020 Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conferences. His Berklee Vocal Jazz Ensembles have won numerous awards from the DownBeat Student Music Awards competition. A published arranger with Anchor Music, he frequently serves as a guest conductor and clinician.

Award-winning vocalist Donna McElroy is a performer, vocalist and arranger. She arranged and sang on gold and platinum releases by Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Amy Grant, BeBe and Cece Winans, and many others. She received a Grammy nomination for her own pop-gospel album, Bigger World, and won a Dove Award for her contribution to the inspirational compilation album, Songs from the Loft. She has appeared on The Tonight Show and the Grammy Awards and taught at Berklee College of Music for 24 years.  During the 23 - 24 season she was a favorite at The Allen Center's Cherry Street Music series.

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