It's been an incredible year for me professionally!
I celebrated 30 years as founder and director of
the Anything Goes Chorus(San Francisco & Oakland)
with a gala concert in March,
which included three women's ensembles I direct:
Girlfriendz, Swingshift Singers and Treblemakers.
At this concert I was presented with commendations
from Senator Barbara Lee
and also from the City of Oakland.
Then to top it off---in June I was given a Jefferson Award!
Watch it here:
It is such an honor to be recognized in these significant ways
for doing this work I love.
I started teaching at the Jazzschool in Berkeley last fall:
a Jazz Singing class and also a Chart Talk workshop
for vocalists to learn how to prepare music for their band or pianist.
In the area of performing, I am thrilled to have found
some fine new venues
where I can sing with my quartet:
the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland
and the brand new Freight and Salvage in Berkeley.
(Now I have performed at all three locations.)
The show at the Freight was recorded live
and I started mixing yesterday.
Very exciting! This is my third project
and will definitely be my best so far.
I plan to release this CD in 2012.
I am looking forward to a well deserved
and much needed vacation in August
to hike in the Eastern Sierras and visit friends back East,
to have some time to relax in nature and be in the quiet,
and also enjoy the space to just chill out on my own.
Ah.....
