Greenwich Choral Society will again demonstrate its versatility with a concert called “Joyous Jazz,” at the Norwalk Concert Hall Saturday, May 5 at 4 p.m. The program will feature excerpts from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts for “Big Band,” soloists, chorus, and tap dancer and will include some of Ellington’s best-loved works, including Heaven and Come Sunday.
Soloists will include GCS and Fairfield County favorite Edward Pleasant, who gained national attention when he appeared as Jake in The New York City Opera’s Porgy and Bess, which included an Emmy-nominated Live From Lincoln Center telecast on PBS. In a recent career highlight Pleasant starred in a show about the life of Nat “King” Cole, called Sincerely, Nat, which he also wrote and produced.
Joining him will be Jessica Ann Best, a versatile singer who performs in opera, musical theatre, and operettas. Best made her main-stage debut with the Santa Fe Opera in summer 2008. She is a two-time Bravo winner.
An addition to the program will be tap dancer Kuzunori Kumagai who came to New York from Japan at the age of 19 and trained in “Funk University,” the training program for the hit roadway musical Bring in Da’ Noise; Bring in Da’ Funk. He studied with Ted Levy, Buster Brown, Gregory Hines, Barbara Duffy, and Derick K. Grant. Kumagai won the “Bessie Award 2016” as an “outstanding performer.”
Prima Voce, a select group of singers from the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir, will also be performing in Joyous Jazz. The Honor Choir is an auditioned group of students in grades fifth to eighth. Prima Voce (“First Voice”) members are selected from the more seasoned members of the Honor Choir.
For additional information and tickets, visit GreenwichChoralSociety.org
