Jazz on the Hill event to feature Joyce Lyons and Friends
Sept. 12 fundraiser supports Community Concert Hall endowment fund
Durango, CO – To help maintain the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College as a quality performance venue, the special Jazz on the Hill fundraising event featuring Joyce Lyons and Friends will be staged on the Community Concert Hall stage (literally), Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. The evening’s performance features acclaimed jazz vocalist Joyce Lyons accompanied by professional jazz musicians Graydon Peterson (bass), Jay Epstein (drums) and Phil Aaron (keyboards).
Proceeds from the event benefit the Serzen Endowment Fund for Concert Hall Operations. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. Tickets ($100 per person) are limited and guests are asked to RSVP by Sept. 5, 2015.
A live auction is set for a single gift: a one-of-a-kind, entertainment experience, the Concert Hall @ New York City. The winner will enjoy a behind-the-scenes view of the performing arts in New York City with Community Concert Hall Director Charles Leslie, January 15-18, 2016, and the package includes round-trip airfare for two from Durango, three-night hotel stay, and registration for two to APAP|NYC, the world’s largest networking forum for performing arts professionals. Value is estimated at $4,000.
The Jazz on the Hill series dates back to the early years of the Community Concert Hall, when supporter Russ Serzen volunteered his time to offer up names of rising young jazz stars or even established greats he knew would appeal to Durango’s fickle music sensibilities. With Serzen’s help, Jazz on the Hill was created, and continues today as a legacy and tribute to the Community Concert Hall patron whose life was taken too soon. Serzen’s wife Bette established the memorial endowment fund following his passing.
“The Concert Hall continues to present jazz events each season,” said Concert Hall Director Charles Leslie, acknowledging Serzen’s integral role in keeping jazz in the Concert Hall line-up. “I believe we should always have jazz as part of our series as it is truly an American art form.”
Joyce Lyons (SAG-AFTRA, AEA) was one of Russ Serzen’s “favorites.” Described as “what Cabaret is all about,” her shows in New York City and throughout the country have proven legendary, and her infectious personality has earned her a legion of friends in Durango. Lyons’ rich alto has been compared to Dianne Reeves and Oleta Adams as she’s said to dig into the lyrics and meaning of a song. Elaine Stritch, Bobby Short and Jonathan Schwartz have all highly praised Lyons’ talent.
According to Tony Award-winning composer Stephen Flaherty, “Joyce Lyons makes each and every song truly her own. Her performances are both timeless and timely. Joyce is a true original.”
Now calling Buffalo, Minnesota home (after many years in the Big Apple), she considers Durango and Fort Lewis College her “home away from home.” A new EP is expected to be released in Fall 2015.
Lyons’ back-up trio – Graydon Peterson, Jay Epstein, Phil Aaron – is traveling to Durango from Minnesota for the first time to perform at Jazz on the Hill.
A backbone of the jazz scene in the Twin Cities, Peterson is a former bassist with the Minnesota Orchestra and now performs regularly with a variety of vocalists, as well as with his own Graydon Peterson Quartet.
Epstein has played jazz drums for decades throughout the U.S. and Europe, and currently performs with a variety of jazz musicians and bands. In addition to paying his dues on the road, he studied polyrhythmic concepts in Manhattan with Barry Altschul, drummer in Chick Corea’s Circle.
Fully immersed in the Twin Cities music scene, Aaron’s “day job” is composing music for film and television, but by night he provides piano accompaniment to most of the area’s jazz singers and in wide variety of jazz ensembles.
Tickets for the Jazz on the Hill fundraising dinner are available on-line at www.durangoconcerts.com (click on “Tickets”) or call970.247.7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at 8th St. and Main Ave., Downtown Durango. Ticket Office hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.
