Ithaca College

When the Grammy Award-winning vocal jazz quartet New York Voices performs at Ithaca College on Friday, November 5, the concert will mark a homecoming celebration of sorts for the ensemble that got its start in the College's renowned School of Music.

Part of the yearlong Ithaca College Concerts season titled "Celebrations," the performance will take place at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.

A pre-concert lecture by will be given at 7:30 p.m. in the Iger Lecture Hall. Steve Brown and David Riley will be the speakers. Preferred seating will be held in the concert hall for those attending the lecture. All concertgoers are invited to a post-concert reception in the lobby.

Tickets can be purchased at the Clinton House ticket center; at the Willard Straight Hall box office; and at the door, if seats are still available. For ticket information call 607-273-4497 or 800-284-8422.

Prices are as follows:

• Children, senior citizens, and Ithaca College students--$10
• Ithaca College alumni, faculty, staff, and administrators; Friends of Ithaca College; other students-- $16.50
• General public--$20

Though rooted in jazz, New York Voices often incorporates Brazilian, R & B, classical, and pop influences with equal creativity and authenticity. The ensemble traces its roots to a group of singers who had been invited to tour the European jazz festivals in the summer of 1986. Four of the vocalists -- Darmon Meader, Peter Eldridge, Kim Nazarian, and Caprice Fox -- were recent School of Music graduates, and they decided to form their own professional ensemble. Adding a fifth singer, they called themselves the New York Voices. In 1989 the group signed its first record deal with GRP Records and released its debut album. Now -- 15 years and one Grammy Award later -- the group performs as a quartet, with three of the original Ithaca College alumni (Meader, Eldridge, and Nazarian) joined by Lauren Kinhan.

The ensemble has performed with some of the most influential jazz artists in the world, including Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, and the Count Basie Orchestra. That last collaboration, recorded live at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, won the ensemble a Grammy.

For more information on the group, visit New York Voices.

Contributed by Erik Kibelsbeck