May 12, 2022

Media Contact: 
Rhia Foster, WVC music faculty, 509-682-6592
Rachel Evey, WVC Foundation Executive Director, 509-682-6415

The Wenatchee Valley College Music Department will host a jazz concert on Tuesday, May 17, at 7:00 p.m. in The Grove Recital Hall, Music and Art Center (MAC). The concert features pianist and vocalist Peter Eldridge and vocalist Rosana Eckert. This concert is a fundraising event, made possible by the WVC Foundation.

Tickets are $25, available on Eventbrite or at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating is first come, first served. Ticket purchases and charitable contributions will support WVC music students by providing instruments, tour opportunities, workshops, masterclasses and more.

For years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer and arranger. He has five critically acclaimed albums under his belt: Fool No More, Stranger in Town, Decorum, Mad Heaven and Disappearing Day, which was released in July 2016 on Sunnyside Records and called "an out and out masterpiece” by allaboutjazz. Disappearing Day made many ‘best of the year’ lists, including Downbeat, Jazziz and NPR. Eldridge is also a founding member of internationally acclaimed vocal group New York Voices. The group continues to tour internationally and has performed in some of the world’s most preeminent venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the Kennedy Center. NYV has been involved in two Grammy-award winning projects with Paquito D’Rivera and the Count Basie Orchestra. In addition, Peter was head of the Manhattan School of Music’s jazz voice department for eighteen years and is now Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is regularly in demand for workshops and masterclasses both domestically and internationally, in topics ranging from song interpretation to vocal technique to songwriting and arranging and improvisation.

With an international presence as a masterful vocalist, deep improviser, versatile songwriter, and a tasteful arranger, Rosana Eckert has often been called a musical force.  Her shows are an effortless blend of tradition and originality, sincerity and virtuosity, humor and heart. With strong and ever-present jazz roots, she bounces from genre to genre, creating special featured moments for her bandmates and takes listeners on a musical adventure such that they feel included, entertained and inspired. A regular performer throughout the U.S. and abroad, Rosana has sung with such jazz greats as Christian McBride, Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Wheeler, George Duke, Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm and the New York Voices. Her highly anticipated third full-band solo album titled Sailing Home, produced by renowned singer, pianist and arranger Peter Eldridge, features all original music. It was released on June 21, 2019, on Origin OA2 Records, and praised as "bright and innovative" (AllAboutJazz) and “alluring” (Jazz Weekly). Rosana is a renowned educator and Principal Lecturer of jazz voice at the University of North Texas.  She has helped build the thriving UNT vocal jazz department since 1999, teaching private jazz voice lessons and performance techniques, and creating new courses in songwriting and vocal pedagogy.

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The WVC Foundation was incorporated in 1971. The foundation’s mission is to provide equitable access to education and invest in student success through philanthropy. For information on how to make a gift to the foundation, establish a scholarship or include the WVC Foundation in your estate plans, contact (509) 682-6410. Visit the WVC Foundation website at http://www.wvc.edu/foundation.

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process.

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
• To request disability accommodations: Student Access Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.