Sherry Winston Returning For 8th Annual Benefit Concert

DANBURY — Celebrate the joy of jazz music with an evening of artistic performance by jazz sensation Sherry Winston and her band, along with special guests, all to benefit local charities and community groups in the greater Danbury area. The eighth annual “An Evening of Jazz,” featuring Ms Winston, returns to Ives Concert Hall on Friday, April 23, at 8 pm.

The concert will appeal to a wide range of tastes: classic jazz, smooth jazz, and rhythm and blues, with a bit of Broadway and classical style arrangements.

The multi-faceted production will combine the jazz melodies of  the three-time Grammy nominated flutist Ms Winston, together with international jazz recording artist and electric vibraphonist Jay Hoggard, R&B and jazz vocalist Lori Williams, and R&B vocalist Timmy Maia.

This year’s performance will also feature Danbury resident Cheryl Hill, a classical trained soprano and operatic singer who has sung professionally with conductors such as Skitch Henderson and Anthony Newman, and performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall.

Ms Hill will sing a variety of numbers including George Gershwin’s “Summertime” from Porgy & Bess and John Sebastian Bach’s choral masterpiece “Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring,” among other selections.

A resident of Bethel, Ms Winston maintains a vigorous international touring schedule. Career highlights include performing for President and Mrs Clinton at their final White House Christmas party, playing at Lincoln Center in New York, performing at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and being a part of the Women in Jazz series at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

A successful record company executive into the late 1980s, Ms Winston chose to leave her day job to pursue her lifelong dream of performing. She started this annual charity event in 1997 with the help of JP Morgan Chase, the underwriters for the event, with the hope that “the inspiration and motivation of music will get people excited about their dreams and desires to make the community a better place for our residents.”

Tickets are $25 for open seating, $35 for reserved seating, and $15 for seniors and students. All ticket-holders will be invited to attend a reception with the artists following the performance.

To purchase tickets, contact one of the local nonprofit agencies below. All proceeds of ticket purchases will benefit the agency a ticket-holder’s choice: Ability Beyond Disability, 775-4700; Concerned Black Men for Youth, 740-4490; Command Performance, 825-3131; Hispanic Center of Greater Danbury, 798-2855; Minority Business Association, 740-1660; or William J. Knight Foundation, 797-2325.