From left Gerald Gregory, Jill Terhaar Lewis and Brian Lewis will be performing a concert at the Monastery of St. Gertrude Sunday, Oct. 19. Spirituality and the Arts at St. Gertrude presents, "The In-Between: From Classical to Jazz" on Sunday, October 19 at 3:00 PM. This concert features classical soprano Jill Terhaar Lewis with jazz musicians Robert Lewis (saxophone) and Gerald Gregory (piano). Jill Terhaar Lewis was raised on the Camas Prairie and her husband Rob Lewis is from Washington. They are both graduates from the University of Idaho. They currently live and teach in Charleston, South Carolina. The In-Between explores repertoire that lies both in and in between classical and jazz genres. Through open communication between the two art worlds of classical and jazz music, the program highlights the shared qualities and explores the differences while allowing the listener to enjoy these styles together in the same concert and even within the same piece. The ensemble will be performing premieres of new compositions and arrangements by members of the group as well as works by Brad Mehldau, Ned Rorem, and more. "This ensemble has inspired me to think of music in new ways," says Robert Lewis. "Addressing the challenge of mixing the two styles has been very rewarding." This trio has recently been featured in several concerts in South Carolina including Spotlight Concert and Premiere events with the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston. This concert is part of a tour in the Pacific Northwest an additional concert (October 15) and master class (October 16) at the University of Idaho in Moscow and including a concert and master class on October 17 at the Holy Names Music Center in Spokane, Washington. Each concert will be slightly different. "I am delighted to have this opportunity to perform at home," says Jill Terhaar Lewis. "Robert and I gave a concert at the Monastery in 2010, when we were here for my parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary. It was so much fun, we knew we needed to come back. It is special to have the chance to perform for family and friends. We are looking forward to introducing our pianist, Gerald to this great community." Terhaar Lewis is the daughter of Ralph and Sally Terhaar of Greencreek. Terhaar Lewis graduated from the University of Idaho with a Music Education degree in 1996. Lewis graduated from the U of I with a Music Performance degree in 1995. They each went on to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo for their Masters in Music Performance. Terhaar Lewis completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. A native of Greencreek, Idaho, soprano Jill Terhaar Lewis is an Associate Professor of Vocal Music at Charleston Southern University and a respected performer in the Southeast. She was a soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as well as a guest artist for the Baker and Baker Recital Series at the Columbia Museum of Art and is a recurring featured soloist in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival including several Spotlight Concerts with Piccolo Spoleto Festival Orchestra under Dr. Donald Portnoy. She is also a frequent guest with the Hilton Head Choral Society and other area orchestras and ensembles. She has presented American art song programs in Michigan, Idaho, South Carolina and Georgia. She has collaborated on art songs with composers in Idaho, Michigan, and South Carolina. She also has been working on crossover projects and recitals with her husband, jazz musician Robert Lewis and pianist Gerald Gregory. Together the three have released an album together in 2010, And Now I Know, featuring a mix of jazz standards, hymns, and American folk and popular songs. Based in Charleston, saxophonist Robert Lewis is in demand as an artist and clinician. Lewis plays regularly in a trio – Lewis/Gregory/Wiltrout - with Gregory (piano) and Ron Wiltrout (drums). Lewis also performs in other jazz ensembles, and is the lead alto player of the acclaimed Charleston Jazz Orchestra (CJO). Robert Lewis writes many arrangements and compositions for the CJO and his smaller groups. Lewis recently wrote a widely acclaimed jazz suite for the CJO on Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. He is also the Director of Jazz Studies at the College of Charleston. Lewis grew up in Kennewick, Washington. Gerald Gregory is a versatile, well-respected pianist in the Charleston area who is fast making a name for himself along the East Coast. Gregory recently performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in a program featuring GRAMMY-Award winning singer, Erykah Badu. He has played in the Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Toca Toca, a Brazilian inspired ensemble. He is also part of the group Morimoto, which he helped form in 2006 along with Dave Linaburg (guitar) and Nick Jenkins (drums). Gregory also performs with the Charleston Latin Jazz Collective as well as the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. "The In-Between: From Classical to Jazz" takes place on Sunday, October 19 at 3:00 PM. It is a presentation of Spirituality and the Arts at St. Gertrude. Monastery of St. Gertrude, 465 Keuterville Road, Cottonwood. FREE. See photo on page 6. |
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