Cal Performances Presents
Wednesday, January , , pm Zellerbach Hall Bobby McFerrin & Voicestra
Voicestra is Nicolas Bearde Joey Blake Pierre Cooke Judi Donaghy Sussan Deyhim Kirsten Falke-Boyd Beth Quist Rhiannon Marlon Saunders Janis Siegel Roger Treece Dave Worm
Cal Performances’ – season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
CAL PERFORMANCES 11 About the Artists
Bobby McFerrin & Voicestra parts for them to sing. Th is was affi rmed a little bit by a woman from Africa who I met in Vienna Comprising gifted singers with broad stylistic one year, who was traveling with a group which experience ranging from jazz to R&B to Indian had come directly from a village in Africa. She classical opera, Voicestra serves as a rich com- didn’t speak a word of English, but she did speak positional palate for Bobby McFerrin’s expedi- French. Voicestra had just done this concert and tions into the musical universe. Bobby founded backstage, when we came out, she started speak- Voicestra in to explore interactive group ing to me in French. We had someone interpret- singing in his performances, and it has since ing, and she said, “Th is is just like home. Th is evolved into a medium for deeply spiritual and is exactly what we would do in my village. Th e powerful improvisations. Voicestra is not just a chief would give us a part to sing, and this would choir, but a fl exible and richly textured instru- be the song.” ment through which Bobby can experiment with My belief is that this is the most accessible and express his unique vocal style and musical way of people getting together who don’t know stream of consciousness. Th e music is entirely each other. It’s a primal singing without words improvised and captures everything in the per- that seems to be genetically transmitted to my formance: the day, the time, the theater, the au- bones and that goes directly to my spirit. One dience. Melodies, rhythms and textures traverse of the simplest forms of prayer and meditation is from singer to singer, perpetually morphing in through chanting, and singing in community is reaction to the moment and Bobby’s instincts. extremely powerful. Gathering people in a space For many audiences, a Voicestra performance is and making them sing instantly puts down all akin to a religious experience, providing them barriers and destroys all diff erences in creed, the rare opportunity to witness as well as partici- gender and race. pate in a musical celebration of spontaneity. So this is what Voicestra still does now. We came from doing a heavily produced show to just a community of singers, of us. And me Bobby on Voicestra standing in the middle. And I start to sing and My favorite, most inspiring times in concert have I fi nd something and I give out the part to an always been the impromptu moments on stage individual singer for then to sing, to riff on, to when the audience participates. At some point, chant, and then it changes; it can change, it can I began to realize that I wanted to work with shift, it can last one minute to minutes. You other singers, and the idea for Voicestra seemed understand why tribes in Africa, when they cele- to develop from these spontaneous group eff orts brate and dance, can go for hours and hours: the in my performances. power of the drum, the beat, how it goes on and Voicestra is a -piece ensemble, and the mu- on, like your heartbeat. It’s relentless. It keeps sic we sing encompasses all kinds of materials: shifting and going and it’s essential . And it’s all world music, African chants, Indian ragas, sto- improvised, every last bit of it. rytelling, new songs based on the alphabet and contemporary vocal compositions. We released the album Circlesongs in on Sony Classical, The Singers and it remains one of my favorite recordings. Circlesongs are all improvisational. It comes Bobby McFerrin is one of the natural wonders from the notion that villages in Africa could get of the music world. A -time Grammy Award together, and the Shaman would come up with winner, he is one of the world’s best-known vocal something to celebrate and he would give out innovators and improvisers, a world-renowned
12 CAL PERFORMANCES About the Artists classical conductor, the creator of “Don’t Worry addition to his musical endeavors, Nicolas is a Be Happy,” one of the most popular songs of the stage and fi lm actor as well as a voiceover artist late th century, and a passionate spokesman for radio and television. His fi lm and TV cred- for music education. His recordings have sold its include True Crime (Clint Eastwood), Pacifi c over million copies, and his collaborations, Heights (Michael Keaton) and recurring roles on including those with with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Nash Bridges (Don Johnson). Nicolas has two Corea, the Vienna Philharmonic and Herbie solo CDs, Crossing the Line and his most recent, Hancock, have established him as an ambassa- All About Love. Visit him on the web at www dor of both the classical and jazz worlds. .nicolasbearde.com. With a four-octave range and a vast array of vocal techniques, McFerrin is no mere singer; Raised in a family of musicians and gospel sing- he is music’s last true Renaissance man, a vocal ers, Joey Blake’s multiple skills include singer, explorer who has combined jazz, folk and a mul- producer, musician (piano, guitar, bass, percus- titude of world music infl uences—choral, a cap- sion), composer and dancer. He studied classical pella and classical—with his own ingredients. voice and vocal jazz arranging at Phil Mattson’s As a conductor, Bobby is able to convey his in- School for Vocalists in Spokane, Washington, nate musicality in an entirely diff erent context. developing his deeply resonant and expressive He has worked with such orchestras as the New bass vocals. One of the original members of York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Voicestra, Joey currently performs with the en- Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra semble SoVoSó, a six-member a capella ensemble and the Vienna Philharmonic. that spun off from Voicestra, for which he has “Unconventional” is a good way to describe produced four CDs. Joey’s desire to teach is the career of Bobby McFerrin. Th ose familiar motivated by his need to give back to the music with McFerrin’s shows, whether as a conduc- that fi lls his life with so much joy. He taught at tor or a vocalist, know that each one is a unique the Oakland College Prep School, served briefl y event that resonates with the unexpected. He is as Director of Music at Oakland’s Golden Gate that rare artist who has the ability to reach be- Academy and was commissioned by the Oakland yond musical genres and stereotypes for a sound Youth Chorus to write and arrange for its profes- that is entirely his own. As one of the foremost sional touring ensemble, Vocal Motion. Joey has guardians of music’s rich heritage, he remains continued his teaching and is currently on staff at the vanguard with his natural, beautiful and at the Berkeley Jazz School as Conductor of the timeless music that transcends all borders and Berkeley Jazz School A Cappella Ensemble, as embraces all cultures. well as Young Performers International. In addi- Visit www.bobbymcferrin.com for more in- tion to Bobby, Joey has worked extensively with formation, interactive games, sheet music and Kenny Loggins and Mickey Hart. Joey also Bobby merchandise. works with the organization One World Music, presenting Team Building Workshops through A long-time Northern California resident music, with the hope that through this work the and an original member of Bobby McFerrin’s world will become more harmonious, within Voicestra, Nicolas Bearde was born and raised the workplace and in our everyday contact with in Nashville, Tennessee and has been sing- each other. ing since he can remember. He has recorded on many projects, collaborating with Michael A native of New York City, Pierre Cooke is an Bolton, Disney Films, the a cappella ensemble accomplished singer, songwriter and performer, SoVoSó, Victor Fields and Puff Johnson. In who performs for live and studio projects. In
CAL PERFORMANCES 13 About the Artists addition to full-time teaching, he tours interna- Smith College of Music (colloquially, Musictech tionally with various productions and has sung College) in St. Paul, Minnesota. with such luminaries as Take , Stephanie Mills and Shirley Caesar. He has performed and re- Detroit, March : Kirsten Falke-Boyd corded with Bobby McFerrin over the past fi ve was born in a blizzard to a family who tossed years. After having worked on a number of col- into her DNA three generations of perform- laborative eff orts, Pierre looks forward to work- ing in vaudeville, cabaret, opera, radio—and ing on his own solo project. in the summers, the Borscht Circuit. After a memorable career as a child singer in the Composer, vocalist and performance artist Catskills, she begged for adult help from the Sussan Deyhim was born in Tehran and has Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Akademie been based in New York since . Her col- Mozarteum in Salzburg, Berlin’s Kirchliche laborations with fi lmmaker Shirin Neshat have Hochschule für Musik, Bobby McFerrin & received much critical acclaim, including the Voicestra and other good friends. Happy re- Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennial. sults included the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, Sussan’s catalog of CDs includes the solo albums the New York Metropolitan Opera High School Madman of God, Shy Angels with Bill Laswell and fi nals, winner of the New York City National Turbulent on her label, IsleX Records; Majoun Arts Club Musicians Award and a Lincoln (Sony Classical) and Desert Equations with Center appearance as a soloist with the Concert Richard Horowitz; and Shadows (ECM) with H. Opera Society. She went on to perform roles Goebbels. Her collaborative media piece, Logic in opera, oratorio, musical comedy, television, of the Birds, was produced and presented at the documentary fi lm and jazz ensembles in the Lincoln Center Summer Festival in New York, San Francisco Bay Area. Her CD appearances Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center, Artangel and include children’s music and Rumi poetry in the Iranian Heritage Foundation in London, song. During a seven-year residence in Berlin, and across Europe by Change. Her soundtrack she was an active soprano soloist, appearing and appearances include Any Given Sunday, directed recording with the RIAS Kammerchor (Berlin by Oliver Stone (music by Richard Horowitz); Philharmonic) and the Kammerchor Ernst Unfaithful, directed by Adrian Lyne (music by Senff . She was also an organist for funerals (it Jan Kaczmarek); and Th e Last Temptation of was a living!). She lives in Berkeley, teaches voice Christ, directed by Martin Scorsese (music by and studies with Lilian Loran. Peter Gabriel). Visit her on the web at www .sussandeyhim.com. Beth Quist is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer who began playing piano at age Judi Donaghy has worked in a wide variety of two. Her early musical infl uences were Batman, musical venues, including opera, musical the- Star Trek and Dr. Zhivago. “I’m a Little Leopard ater, jazz, folk, country, gospel, pop and R&B. Prowling Around in Sneakers” was her fi rst mu- In addition to her work with Voicestra, she sical composition at age eight. Her music com- regularly sings with Urbanstride, Th e Girls, Th e bines infl uences from the Balkans, Middle East Wolverine’s Classic Jazz Orchestra, and Judi, and India with her Western upbringing. She re- Cliff ’n’ Dave. Judi has sung on more than cently fi nished a two-plus-year creation contract CDs to date, two of which are her own produc- with Cirque du Soleil as the lead soprano and tions, Sink or Swing and Ballads & Bossa. By day, instrumentalist for the Las Vegas production of Judi heads the Voice Department at McNally KA. She also performs solo in addition to sing-
14 CAL PERFORMANCES About the Artists ing with Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra. Visit her bies. Above all, Rhiannon is a singer—a capti- on the web at www.bethquist.com. vating entertainer and a true collaborative artist, with a vision of music as a vehicle for healing, Rhiannon is a singer, performance artist, com- transformation and social change. Visit her on poser and master teacher who has been bring- the web at www.rhiannonmusic.com. ing her potent blend of jazz, world music, im- provisation and storytelling to audiences for Singer-songwriter Marlon Saunders studied at over three decades. From her stellar collabora- the Peabody Conservatory and Berklee College tions with Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra to her of Music, where he now serves on the voice facul- groundbreaking solo performances, Rhiannon ty. In addition to his work with Bobby McFerrin, enthralls and inspires her audiences. Th e unique Marlon has worked with many artists over the body-based vocal improvisation process that she years, including Sting, Lauryn Hill, Nine Inch teaches internationally is a result of living on the Nails and Donald Brown, and has penned songs cutting edge of music and theater. Rhiannon is for such artists as Barry White, Vanessa Rubin also deeply interested in the healing power of and Maysa Leek. One of his compositions is fea- music, and takes her songs and improvisations tured in the HBO special, Unchained Memories: beyond the realm of clubs and concert halls, to Readings from the Slave Narratives. Marlon’s re- those at the end of life and those struggling to cently released CD, Enter My Mind, has been begin life: hospice patients and premature ba- hailed as “timeless music” (Vibe) and as an in-
CAL PERFORMANCES 15 About the Artists vitation into “a sun-drenched place of romantic National Symphony. In addition to his work and spiritual love, of inspired funk, passion and with Voicestra, he has collaborated with such rich imagery” (Baltimore Sun). Visit him on the notable jazz artists as Th e Manhattan Transfer, web at www.marlonsaunders.com. New York Voices, Mark Murphy, Janis Siegel and Toninho Horta. Roger’s work also encom- Over the past three decades, the voice of Janis passes music for advertising, fi lm and worldwide Siegel a nine-time Grammy Award winner radio and television for Disney, PBS, Microsoft, and a -time Grammy nominee has been an United Way and McDonald’s. Roger travels as a undeniable force in Th e Manhattan Transfer’s performer, clinician, guest teacher and conduc- diverse musical catalog. Alongside her career tor throughout North America and Europe. as a founding member of this -year musical institution, Siegel has sustained a solo career Oakland native David Worm began his sing- that has spawned more than a half dozen fi nely ing career in with the Bay Area groups Jazz crafted solo albums and numerous collaborative Mouth and Vocal Front and in became a projects, amassed a large international fan base founding member of Voicestra. David is also one and garnered consistently high critical praise. of the original founding members of SoVoSó, the Diversity has been a hallmark of Siegel’s career. a cappella group which has released six albums Some of her favorite collaborations over the and tours internationally. Other current projects years have been with jazz pianist Fred Hersch include collaborations with Bowl Full of Sound (with whom she has made three recordings), (an innovative quintet with Rhiannon and Joey Bobby McFerrin, Turkish electronic composer Blake) and David’s own original acoustic rock Ilhan Mimaroglu and the Beaux Arts Trio, as band, Glass House, which has recorded CDs well as projects with Richie Cole, Jay McShann, for Organelle Records. David has worked ex- Lew Soloff and Leon Ware. Janis has recorded tensively with the Bay Area Dance community, three CDs for Telarc Records: I Wish You Love having scored or co-written original works for (); Friday Night Special (), featuring ODC, Robert Moses Kin (a work which received Joey DeFrancesco; and, most recently, Sketches an Isadora Duncan Award), Tandy Beal, Project of Broadway, featuring classic Broadway hits by Bandaloop (an Isadora Duncan Award nomi- Irving Berlin, Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and nee), Axis Dance (a Meet the Composer grant Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim and others. recipient and another Isadora Duncan Award nominee), Cherie Carson, June Watenabe, Mary Roger Treece has spent the past several years Carbonara and Suzanne Gallo. David’s music writing and producing a Bobby McFerrin has also been used in scoring the fi lm documen- choral CD, combining McFerrin’s world-re- taries Step Up for director Tamas Wormser and nowned innovations with his own melodic Love Francesca for producer Julie LaSalle. David and compositional expertise to yield a genuine has over record credits as a session singer, is innovation in choral music. Roger’s work as a in-house producer for Sales America.com and composer, arranger and producer has earned has appeared in music videos for Kawasaki and him two Grammy Award nominations, Levi Strauss. Down Beat awards and top fi lm-score prize at the Hollywood Film Festival. Recent commis- sions have come from the Ravinia Festival (for the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Children’s Choir), the Los Angeles Master Chorale and, in collaboration with McFerrin, the Danish
16 CAL PERFORMANCES