Evening of music to support voice and dance scholarship

The West Michigan community is invited to enjoy an evening of selections from the canon of some of the most influential American music to help raise funds to support voice and dance students at Grand Valley State University.

“A Musical Evening with Libby York and John Proulx: Music from the Great American Song Book and Proulx Originals,” will take place Tuesday, June 30 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in Loosemore Auditorium, located inside the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. There will also be a pre-performance reception from 6:30-7:15 p.m.

A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit the Pamella and Daniel G. DeVos Musical Theater Scholarship, which supports degree-seeking voice or dance students at Grand Valley.

Although York has been performing jazz since 1980, her recording career began in 1998 with her debut album, “Blue Gardenia.” This was followed by her breakthrough recording “Sunday in New York” in 2004. During this evening of music, the seasoned jazz vocalist will share works from her third and first self-produced 2008 album entitled, “Here With You,” which showcases York’s love of The Great American Songbook, the canon of the most important American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century. 

Proulx, a Grammy-winning composer, began his musical education at the age of three in Grand Rapids on Suzuki violin, but quickly switched to classical piano. Hooked on the freedom of improvisation, his education took him to Chicago to study at Roosevelt University’s Chicago School of Performing Arts, and then to Los Angeles. Proulx’s debut album, “Moon and Sand,” was released in 2006. Also in 2006, jazz legend Nancy Wilson recorded “These Golden Years,” a song that Proulx co-wrote with lyricist D. Channsin Berry, for her 2006 Grammy-winning album, “Turned to Blue.”

The event is being sponsored by Nancy Giardina, vice provost for Student Success, along with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Music and Dance Department and West Michigan Piano.