VJC Big Band Celebrates its 22nd Year w/ Vocalist Charenee Wade
December 4 @ 7:30 pm
A gala dance to support the VJC’s Scholarship Fund!
The 18-piece Vermont Jazz Center is excited to celebrate 22 years performing big band jazz. For this concert, the VJC Big Band will celebrate the legacies of Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, and in a swing-dance performance featuring acclaimed vocalist Charenée Wade. All profits from this concert will subsidize VJC’s educational programs.
Vocalist Charenee Wade is renowned for her deep grooves and uncanny ability to bring energy and excitement to every performance. She was the first runner-up in the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition and has performed at venues and festivals around the world, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Apollo, and The Jazz Standard, Montreux Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Spoleto Festival, Savannah Music Festival, Bern Jazz Festival, and Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. She currently serves on the faculty at the Aaron Copland School of Music, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and The Juilliard School.
The VJC Big Band is made up of area professional musicians who come together to enjoy the rewards of playing invigorating, challenging and historically significant repertoire while raising money for the VJC’s Scholarship Fund. Past headliners have included Carmen Bradford, Evan Arntzen, Alexis Cole, Amanda Carr, Houston Person, Dave Stryker, Samirah Evans, Rich Greenblatt, Mark Anagnostopulos, Rebecca (Bella) Holtz, Kevin Mahogany, Miles Griffith, Peter Eldridge, Wanda Houston and timbalero Eguie Castrillo.
2026 Members of the VJC Big Band
Rob Freeberg, Music Director
Sherm Fox, Band Manager
Charenée Wade, guest vocalist
- Saxophones: Matt Steckler, Donna Morse, alto; Michael Zsoldos, Bruce Diehl, tenor; Sherm Fox, baritone
- Trumpets: Rick Anderson, Donald Anderson, Haneef Nelson, Bunny Saranita
- Trombones: Dave Sporny, Tim Atherton, Taylor Hughey, Amaranth Cole
- Rhythm Section: Eugene Uman, piano; Wes Brown, bass; Steve Rice, drums.
