On April 18, the Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) singers and jazz ensemble delighted an audience with a performance of various pieces at “A Night of Jazz,” demonstrating the talents they have cultivated at PBA. Choir director Sonia Santiago welcomed a full house at the Vera Lee Rinker Recital Hall. Santiago introduced the choir and encouraged the audience to sing along if they recognized a song.
A Tapestry of Voices
The PBA Vocal Ensemble, consisting of 12 students, took the stage and began with an a cappella performance of “Words” by Anders Edenroth. This piece used sharp diction and crescendos to build tension, encouraging the audience to sit on the edge of their seats.
The choir then took the audience on a journey to the world of movies with the songs “Pure Imagination” and “My Funny Valentine.”
After finishing “My Funny Valentine,” the choir paused as male vocalists left the stage and the jazz ensemble joined the female vocalists for a rendition of “From the Start” by Laufey.
The male vocalists rejoined the female vocalists to sing a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, aptly titled “Vincent.” As the choir sang, a video showed an artist replicating the paintings “The Starry Night” and “Self-Portrait.”
The choir wrapped up its segment with “Don’t You Worry About a Thing,” featuring a solo by Avery Larsen.
The Band Takes Center Stage
After a brief intermission, Dr. Gianni Bianchini, the director of the jazz ensemble, introduced the band. They began with “Anthropology,” a piece featuring a conversation-like pattern between the piano, trumpet, and drums.
The jazz ensemble performed three more instrumental pieces before vocalist Summer Kazim joined them on stage. Together, the jazz ensemble and Kazim performed “Now’s the Time” and “Misty.”
Then Bianchini welcomed vocalist Mikayla Smith to the stage. As the jazz ensemble played, Kazim and Smith sang a medley of the contrafacts “Take the A Train” and “Exactly Like You.”
Smith delivered a smooth performance of “My Foolish Heart” before Kazim joined her again for the final piece: a medley of “Pennies from Heaven” and “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love.”
Hungry for More Toe-Tapping Tunes
At the end of the performance, Bianchini encouraged the audience to attend PBA’s first-ever Annual Jazz Festival on April 25, featuring a high school jazz competition and performances from the PBA jazz faculty.
To learn more about upcoming performances, visit: https://www.pba.edu/events/category/performance/
