Five-time Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson will join the MTSU Singers and MTSU jazz faculty musicians in a special public concert set Tuesday, April 11, in Hinton Music Hall inside the university’s Wright Music Building.

Karrin Allyson

General admission tickets for the April 11 concert are $10, and high school student tickets are $5 each; all will be available at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff can attend free with valid IDs.

A printable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

The MTSU Singers are an audition-only select group of up to 16 student vocalists who perform jazz standards and jazz-style arrangements of popular music, including choral jazz and vocal improvisation.

Joining Allyson and the MTSU Singers will be MTSU faculty members Matt Endahl on piano, Chip Henderson on guitar, Jim Ferguson on bass and Derrek Phillips on drums.

The MTSU Singers, shown in this spring 2017 photo from the group’s Facebook page, will perform Tuesday, April 11, in concert with five-time Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson and members of MTSU’s jazz faculty in Hinton Music Hall inside the university’s Wright Music Building. They’re led by MTSU music professor Cedric Dent, an emeritus member of the 10-time Grammy-winning a capella group Take Six. (Photo courtesy of MTSU Singers)

“It is a great honor to welcome Karrin, one of the very best jazz vocalists, to MTSU to perform with our jazz singers and jazz faculty,” said Dr. Michael Parkinson, director of the MTSU School of Music, who’s known Allyson since his teaching years in Kansas City.

Dr. Michael Parkinson

“I have followed her career as it has grown from regional to national to international recognition of her skills. She is a dynamic singer and pianist, a great communicator, and devoted to helping students pursue their career goals.”

Allyson has 16 albums to her credit, and five have received Grammy nominations for best jazz vocal album since 2001, including “Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane,” “Footprints,” “Imagina: Songs of Brasil,” “’Round Midnight” and “Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein.”

She lives in New York City and currently spends two days out of three on tour, playing major jazz festivals, concert venues and clubs across the United States, Brazil, Japan, Australia and Europe. Allyson also was a featured vocalist in the “Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60” U.S. and Canadian tour in 2014.

“Karrin brings a wealth of experience to MTSU for her first appearance here,” said Parkinson. “You will not want to miss this! We also appreciate the support of John and Bobbie Duke in helping to underwrite this event.”

For details on more MTSU School of Music performances, call 615-898-2493 or visit the Concert Calendar online.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)