Bard Fisher Center Presents a Special Holiday Jazz Event: Cécile McLorin Salvant

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY— Bard Fisher Center presents Grammy Award-winner Cécile McLorin Salvant in concert with Sullivan Fortner on piano, Sunday, December 17 at 3 p.m. Through original compositions, timeless hits, and forgotten gems, the breathtaking young vocalist brings jazz, vaudeville, blues, and folk music into her own powerful and distinct style. The New York Times writes “If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three—Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald—it is this virtuoso.” Returning after a sold-out Fisher Center debut in 2015, Salvant will perform an intimate duo concert featuring selections from her new album Dreams and Daggers (2017) and special holiday surprises. Tickets are $25-65 and can be ordered online at fishercenter.bard.edu or by calling the box office at 845-758-7900.

Salvant has had a remarkable rise to stardom, taking the jazz world by storm since becoming the youngest person ever to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010. “You get a singer like this once in a generation or two.” — Wynton Marsalis.

Lauded as one of the top jazz pianists of his generation, Sullivan Fortner is recognized for his virtuosic technique and captivating performances.  He recently performed at the Fisher Center with his mentor, jazz titan Fred Hersch. “His fundamentals as a player could hardly be stronger, and his instincts as a composer and bandleader are almost startlingly mature.” —New York Times

To download high resolution images visit our website: http://fishercenter.bard.edu/press/photos/?gid=897312#a_media

A Special Holiday Jazz Event:
Cécile McLorin Salvant
With Sullivan Fortner on Piano
Sunday, December 17 at 3 p.m. in Bard Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater
Tickets: $25-65
fishercenter.bard.edu or call the box office at 845-758-7900.

About the Artists

Cécile McLorin Salvant was born and raised in Miami, Florida of a French mother and a Haitian father. She started classical piano studies at 5, and began singing in the Miami Choral Society at 8. Early on, she developed an interest in classical voice, began studying with private instructors, and later with Edward Walker, vocal teacher at the University of Miami. 
In 2007, Cécile moved to Aix-en-Provence, France, to study law as well as classical and baroque voice at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory. It was in Aix-en-Provence, with reedist and teacher Jean-François Bonnel, that she started learning about jazz, and sang with her first band. In 2009, after a series of concerts in Paris, she recorded her first album "Cécile", with Jean-François Bonnel's Paris Quintet. A year later, she won the Thelonious Monk competition in Washington D.C.
Over the years, she has developed a curiosity for the history of American music, and the connections between jazz, vaudeville, blues, and folk music. Cécile carefully chooses her repertoire, oftentimes unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs, with strong stories.

Her third album, For One To Love (for Mack Avenue Records), was recorded in 2015 with Aaron Diehl (piano), Paul Sikivie (bass), and Lawrence Leathers (drums). In 2016, For One To Love won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Ben Ratliff writes in The New York Times “she sings clearly, with her full pitch range, from a pronounced low end to full and distinct high notes, used sparingly [...] Her voice clamps into each song, performing careful variations on pitch, stretching words but generally not scatting; her face conveys meaning, representing sorrow or serenity like a silent-movie actor.”


The winner of three prestigious awards – a Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association, and the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists – Sullivan Fortner’s music embodies the essence of the blues and jazz as he connects music of all eras and genres through his improvisation.

As a leader, The Sullivan Fortner Trio has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious stages including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Discover Jazz Festival, Tri-C Jazz Festival, Jazz Standard, and the Gillmore Keyboard Festival. Fortner has been heard with other leading musicians around the world including Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, John Scofield, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Fred Hersch, Sean Jones, DeeDee Bridgewater, Roberta Gambarini, Peter Bernstein, Stefon Harris, Nicholas Peyton, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Gary Bartz, Etienne Charles and Christian Scott.

About The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College
Named for the late Richard B. Fisher, former chair of Bard’s Board of Trustees, the Fisher Center has become an influential force in performing arts programming, earning critical acclaim for innovative productions of opera, orchestral, chamber, dance, and theater programs. The Center was designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry and distinguished acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, and has received international praise for its breathtaking architecture and superb sound.

Each summer the Fisher Center presents the Bard SummerScape festival, seven weeks of performing arts programs reflecting the life and times of the featured composer of the esteemed Bard Music Festival, now celebrating its 29th year. Fall and spring seasons include original productions, special one-night-only concerts, and touring artists from around the globe.

The Fisher Center is home to the Bard College Theater & Performance and Dance Programs, providing students access to exceptional theater facilities and opportunities to work with professional directors and dramaturges on publicly attended productions throughout the year. The Bard College Conservatory of Music and Bard College Music Program stage regular orchestral and chamber concerts.

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This event was last updated on 11-17-2017

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