GRCC’s Prime Time Institute presents Divas of Jazz
Published 8:00 am Friday, February 5, 2010
Women throughout the history of the music profession have struggled against societal barriers and male attitudes.
Now River Community College’s Prime Time Institute program for mature learners will offer The Divas of Jazz, a special class giving students a look at how female artists have left their mark despite such obstacles, using the most personal musical instrument of all — the human voice.
GRCC music instructor and jazz choir director Kelly Eisenhour, a jazz vocalist, songwriter and arranger, will discuss the personal side of iconic jazz singers like Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McCrae, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and share her own stories as a jazz vocalist working in locales in Las Vegas and New York City.
“What I’m going to talk about are the iconic jazz singers, mostly, and then we’ll get into some more contemporary singers as well,” Eisenhour said. “I’m just going to go through the history of jazz with the female singers and talk about their contribution to the music. It’s a small group of females involved in jazz music.”
The class meets from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 4 and 11 at the GRCC campus in Auburn, in room 145 of the Rutkowski Learning Center.
“I think it’s an interesting story,” Eisenhour said. “Often you have histories of jazz mainly focused on instrumentalists, and sometimes the singers are sort of overlooked, So I think it’s a nice way to learn about them and their history. Jazz is also historically so American, so it’s an important part of our culture.”
Eisenhour said she might even be coaxed to do a little singing in the class.
Eisenhour has been a professional jazz singer for most of her adult life. She started teaching eight years ago but came to Green River last year.
She has also released several albums, and her latest reached number 14 on the charts.
Prime Time member fees will be $35; non-member fees will be $55. Annual membership fees are $75 for individuals and $125 for couples and entitle members to discounts on Prime Time classes as well as other benefits such as membership socials and free GRCC library access.
For more information about registering for a class or PRIME TIME membership, call Continuing Education at (253) 833-9111 at ext. 2535 or visit their Web site at www.greenriver.edu/ce/primetime.
