Bill Evans Jazz Festival

 

 

21st Annual Bill Evans Jazz Festival, April 6 - 9, 2022

 

Registration

  

 

The Bill Evans Jazz Festival is sponsored by:

 

 

 

2022 Bill Evans Jazz Festival Guest Artist Lisanne Lyons

 

Dr. Lisanne Lyons is a jazz vocalist, pianist, guitarist, arranger, composer, clinician, adjudicator and conductor. Her career began immediately following high school as the featured vocalist for three Air Force bands (NORAD Command Band, Band of the Golden Gate and the U.S. Force Academy “Falconaires”). During this time she performed throughout the US and Canada at various jazz festivals and major concert venues. Upon separation from the Air Force, she would attend the University of Miami School of Music and receive several DownBeat “Dee Bee” awards; two for Best Jazz Vocal soloist, one for Best Jazz Arrangement, and two "Dee Bee'" awards as director of UM's Extensions. She was also invited to be a featured performer with Joel Grey on the NBC televised Orange Bowl half-time show, “You’ll Get a Kick Out of Cole”. Cy Coleman also selected her to replace Monica Mancini for the national tour of his Tony award-winning show “City of Angels”. 

After a year-long tour, Lisanne was asked to develop the first Jazz Vocal program at Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech). She would receive tenure and several DownBeat “Dee Bee” awards for Outstanding Performance for Large Jazz Vocal Ensemble, The New Virginians. During her tenure, the ensemble would perform three times as headliners at the VMEA conference, receive two consecutive invites to perform at IAJE, and one for the national MENC in Washington D.C.

Lisanne has performed with many jazz luminaries including Maria Schneider, Bobby McFerrin, Mark Murphy, Jon Hendricks, John Hart, Duffy Jackson, Jim Pugh, Gary Burton, Bucky Pizzerelli, Ken Peplowski, Brian Lynch, Harold Jones, the Four Freshmen, and many others. She recorded two solo CD’s, “Right as the Rain," featuring the music of Harold Arlen and “Smile” with the John Toomey trio. She also recorded two CD's as lead soprano with the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet and one as the lead soprano in Mad Romance. 

She has also performed with several big bands including the Woody Herman Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Elgart Big Band, Artie Shaw Orchestra, Harry James Orchestra, South Florida Jazz Orchestra, XL Big Band in Sweden, and has also been a featured performer with several orchestras including the Roanoke Symphony, Palm Beach Pops Symphony, Southwest Florida Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony and the Symphony of the Americas.

Lisanne has served as guest conductor and adjudicator for the All-State Pennsylvania Jazz Vocal Choir, Hillsborough All-County Jazz Choir, and several choirs throughout the country. She served as the jazz vocal instructor for five years at the Litchfield Jazz Camp. 

Lisanne is currently the founder and director of Jazz Vocal Studies at Florida International University. She teaches jazz voice, styles class, vocal pedagogy, improvisation, arranging, piano and directs the DownBeat award-winning FIU Jazz Vocal Ensemble. She is also director of the newly formed She Jazz Project alongside Terri Lyne Carrington as the artistic director at Pinecrest Gardens.