Williamsville East High School will once again be hosting the best spring concert in Western New York on May 22, 2019 at 7:00PM. That’s right, it’s Legends of Jazz! Our beautiful, talented guest this year will be Ms. Veronica Swift, an up-and-coming jazz vocalist.
Swift is the second-place winner of the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, performing a unique, up-tempo rendition of the standard tune “You Don’t Know What Love Is”. She has played with world-renowned jazz musicians Wynton Marsalis and Chris Botti. At the young age of 24, she already has an impressive discography to her name, recording her first album at the age of nine and releasing many since, including the 2015 album Lonely Woman.
This spring evening concert will have two parts. The first part will feature Ms. Swift alongside our student musicians in small jazz groups, performing solo tunes and improvisations. Among the tunes performed will be “You Don’t Know What Love Is”, “Darn That Dream”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “Pennies From Heaven”, “Speak Low”, and “After You’ve Gone”. In the second half; the entire jazz orchestra; complete with strings, winds, and brass; will join Ms. Swift in arrangements of classic jazz tunes. This list of tunes includes: “Night in Tunisia”, “Embraceable You”, “Temptation”, and “But Not For Me”.
Elise Yu, a cellist, is very excited about this concert. She says, “The Legends of Jazz concert is always an amazing experience for my peers and me to learn more about jazz. It’s very interesting to focus on a genre of music other than classical because it forces us to step outside of our comfort zone and try something new. We have been working very hard to prepare for this concert. Some of the music is challenging. We have to learn how to improvise, and we are preparing solos to play with Veronica Swift. Yet, this concert is always one of my favorite ones, and it’s a great way to celebrate the end of the school year.” Indeed, Elise speaks for the numerous hard-working students of the music wing when she says that the concert is one of her favorites of the year. The enthusiasm of Ms. Yu, and many other students like her, is apparent in the countless hours they spend practicing in preparation for this concert. As a result of the hard work and enthusiasm, this concert always sounds spectacular, and I am sure that this year will be no exception.”
Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/legends-of-jazz-concert-series-veronica-swift-tickets-60581232096
We hope to see you there!
