PULLMAN – A concert featuring renowned vocalist and pianist Christine Salerno performing with the award-winning WSU VOJAZZ vocal jazz ensemble and Jazz Big Band will be presented at 8 p.m. April 15, in Bryan Hall Theatre on the WSU Campus.
The concert is free of charge. Salerno has performed and recorded with many of the top figures in jazz including Howard Levy, Chuck Loeb, Nelson Rangell, Eliane Elias, Kurt Elling, Billy Drews and Kip Kuepper.
Salerno became interested in jazz music at an early age, learning from her father and uncle, Harley and Jerry Paquin. There were numerous jam sessions in the living room, and Christine frequently joined in.
She studied at Western Michigan University and the University of Northern Colorado and became a part of the Denver jazz scene. After recording her first CD, “A New Kind Of High,” she relocated to Green Bay in 1992 to develop the Jazz Studies program at the University of Wisconsin.
Salerno maintains a busy schedule performing with ZIJI at festivals, and with bassist JohnGibson, vocalist/saxophonist Woody Mankowski and vocalist Lauren Carley.
Salerno will perform with the WSU VOJAZZ vocal jazz ensemble directed by Jennifer Parker–first place winners at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the Jazz Big Band, directed by Greg Yasinitsky.
Soloists will include baritone saxophonist Matt Lanka, bassist Troy Robey and drummer Tiffany Stephens, all winners at the Hampton Festival.
This concert is made possible by the support of the WSU School of Music, the WSU Jazz Society and ASWSU.
