Mississippi State University welcomes a jazz artist who has traveled around the world performing for sold out crowds for its 2013-2014 Lyceum Series. This rising star, Gretchen Parlato, kicks off the series Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Bettersworth Auditorium of Lee Hall. Tickets for the performance are general admission only.
The Lyceum Series focuses on displaying the arts in theater, dance and music by bringing in a wide variety of artists.
Kimberly Madsen, president of Terpsichore MSU Dance Theatre Company, said the Lyceum Series draws performing artists who embody values students can see in action.
“Artists express and exemplify the importance of passion, hard work, discipline and endurance,” she said.
The Performing Arts Committee strives to bring artists with the qualities Madsen described to inspire MSU students and the Starkville community.
Amelia Treptow, Center for Student Activities coordinator, said the committee selects the series lineup anywhere from six months to over a year in advance. Treptow said the committee has kept its eyes on Gretchen Parlato for a few years now.
Parlato has made a name for herself in the world of jazz music.
Parlato said she grew up around music but began her personal journey into the musical world when she chose to audition for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a teenager. One of her first major accomplishments was winning the Thelonious Monk Institute International Vocal Competition in 2004. Parlato said the opportunities she claims as her greatest experiences include collaborative performances with a few musical legends at famed venues.
“Some events that have stood out to me are performing with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, performing with Lionel Loueke and Becca Stevens at Carnegie Hall,” she said. “But really, in a bigger sense, the highlight has been the ability to create and live my dream as an artist.”
Parlato, genuinely passionate about her music and her audience, said her favorite part about performing is the music’s ability to unify her with every part of her surroundings.
“I love the connection to the music, the band members, the audience, the room and space around us,” she said. “I love the idea that we are sharing art and all else in our lives can wait, and we can just sit and experience music together as a community.”
Gretchen’s strategy has worked for her so far. According to an MSU news release, Parlato is currently a faculty member at New York’s Manhattan School of Music and has been invited to sing on more than 50 recordings. “Billboard” magazine named her 2009 album, “In a Dream,” the year’s “most alluring jazz vocal album.”
Parlato releases a new album and DVD called “Live in NYC” Oct. 8., which features performances by Taylor Eigsti, Alan Hampton, Burniss Earl Travis II, Mark Guiliana and Kendrick Scott.
