Known as the anchor cultural
institution for the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey,
the New
Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today
announced its year-round celebrations in honor of the centennial of
Sarah Vaughan’s birth. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 27,
1924, Sarah Vaughan became one of the most successful jazz vocalists
in the history of American music. The power,
range, and flexibility of her voice made her known as “Sassy” or “The
Divine One.”
She helped popularize the art of jazz singing, influencing
generations of vocalists following her. NJPAC continues its longtime
dedication to preserving and honoring Vaughan’s music and impact
with this week’s star-studded Women@NJPAC Spotlight Gala
followed by the renowned Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal
Competition, a special citywide celebration on her 100th birthday in
2024, and more.
“Sarah Vaughan’s impact is unique and incalculable,” says John Schreiber, CEO
& President of NJPAC. “She’s an icon of Newark’s long
history as a home for jazz music. And she continues
to inspire both our local community and jazz artists
around the globe today, a century after her birth.
NJPAC is proud to do our part to keep Vaughan’s music and
legacy alive. This year of celebrations is our way of
saying: Happy Birthday, Sassy!”
The upcoming 2023-24 season of tributes is just the latest in NJPAC’s
longtime dedication to Vaughan. In 1999, NJPAC officially
proclaimed the street in front of it as “Sarah Vaughan Way.” Since
2011, NJPAC’s TD James Moody Festival has produced the Sarah Vaughan
International Jazz Vocal Competition which has served as a
springboard for some of today’s leading vocalists including Samara Joy (“Best
New Artist” 2023 Grammy Award winner), Jazzmeia Horn(NAACP
Image Award winner), and more.
Legendary jazz singer Sarah
Vaughan was born in Newark in 1924. She
started piano lessons at age seven. She sang in the choir at the Mt.
Zion Baptist Church here until she was 15. She then spent
many nights learning her craft and performing as a
pianist and singer at a number of New Jersey nightclubs.
Partway through high school, Vaughan transferred from East Side High
School to Newark Arts High School, but she dropped out as a junior to
focus on her singing career. In 1942, still a teenager, she won
an amateur singing contest at the Apollo Theater – a triumph
that would connect her to the leading jazz artists of the day, and
launch her spectacular career. A contralto with a range of three
octaves, she came to be regarded as one of the greatest of all jazz
singers. She won four Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime
Achievement Award. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in
1989. Vaughan moved to Englewood in the late 1950s. She
died from lung cancer at the age of 66 on April 3, 1990. Her funeral
was held at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Newark.
She is buried in Bloomfield, New Jersey, at Glendale
Cemetery.
NJPAC
Celebrates Sarah Vaughan (subject to change):
SUN 11.19 @
3:00 p.m. NJPAC’s Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition
“The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition is rightfully
one of the most anticipated events in jazz.” - Christian McBride, NJPAC’s
Jazz Advisor
As part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, NJPAC hosts the 12th
annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition also known
as “The SASSY Awards.” This annual competition, which has
launched the careers of a number of successful jazz artists
include 2023 GRAMMY Best New Artist winner Samara Joy, culminates with
a performance by competition finalists at NJPAC’s Victoria
Theater. This year’s Top Five Finalists (to be announced in
October 2023) will perform in front of a live audience and before a
distinguished panel of judges including singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux,
acclaimed vocalists Lizz
Wright and Jane Monheit, NJPAC’s Jazz
Advisor and multi-Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride,
and three-time Grammy Award-winning producer and executive vice
president of Mack Avenue Records Al Pryor. Hosted by WBGO
Radio’s Pat
Prescott, this special event will also include
performances by the 2021 winner of the Sarah Vaughan International
Jazz Vocal Competition G.
Thomas Allen. Past winners include Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, Ashleigh Smith, Arianna Neikrug, Deelee
Dubé, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, Samara Joy,
Gabrielle Cavassa and Tawanda
Suessbrich-Joaquim, G. Thomas Allen, and Lucía Gutiérrez
Rebolloso. WHERE: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.
Tickets + Information: https://www.njpac.org/event/sarah-vaughan-international-jazz-vocal-competition-3/.
WED 3.27
Newark Celebrates! 100th Birthday Party
NJPAC knows how to party! NJPAC, along with its sister restaurant,
NICO, will host a special birthday party for The Divine One. Local
dignitaries and businesses will join hands in celebration of Sarah
Vaughan’s 100th birthday. Live music, special guest appearances, and
more to be announced soon. WHERE: NJPAC + NICO. Tickets +
Information: TBA.
FRI-SAT
4.19-20 @ 8:00 p.m. Sarah Vaughan Centennial Concert Hosted by Dee
Dee Bridgewater
Celebrate Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan, whose formidable vocal range,
sublime musicianship, and daring interpretations have inspired all
subsequent generations of jazz singers. Hosted by TONY Award-winning
vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, this special concert series features
performances by past winners of NJPAC’s Sarah Vaughan International
Jazz Vocal Competition: Cyrille Aimée, Lucía Gutiérrez
Rebolloso, and the 2023 winner. Special guests
include Jazz
House Kids All-Star Alumni band and more.
Co-presented by Jazz
at Lincoln Center. WHERE: Jazz at Lincoln
Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall Theater, New York City, NY.
Tickets + Information: https://2023.jazz.org/sarah-vaughan-centennial.
About NJPAC
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown
Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and
the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey –
where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every
day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to
all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while
acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home
city.
Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the
next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has served
more than 11 million visitors (including more than two million
students and families) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures
meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. www.NJPAC.org
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