Alysa Haas Kicks Off Evening Performances at White Plains Jazz Fest
Next week downtown White Plains will be home to Jazz Fest, a six-day collaboration between ArtsWestchester, the City of White Plains and the White Plains BID designed to energize and enliven the city with nine jazz events at a variety of downtown venues.
Now in its third year bringing jazz enthusiasts to dine and enjoy live music in White Plains, the event is back – and it’s going to be bigger, bolder and hotter than ever. The highly anticipated event, which takes place from Sept. 2-7, has expanded from three days of performances to a six-day festival that includes Latin, smooth, classic and contemporary styles of jazz–a globally influenced art form that originated in America.
Jazz Fest will also feature free and affordable performances by accomplished musicians throughout White Plains. The festival promises to be a jazz lover’s heaven–true to the indescribable nature of our country’s own original art form.
ArtsWestchester, a significant contributor to this year’s festivities, will host two events in the Arts Exchange, its historic landmark building on Mamaroneck Avenue, and co-host a third event with the White Plains Performing Arts Center (WPPAC). The first concert at the Arts Exchange will feature Alysa Haas on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Haas, a cabaret artist and native New Yorker, received her training in voice, musical theater and dance at Webster University and Fordham University and earned a master’s in speech pathology at NYU. She studied voice and musical theater with Glenn Seven Allen, Luba Tcheresky, Don Jones, Ellen Bullinger and Jan Callner.
Haas has appeared in numerous theater productions and her film credits include “100 Feet,” “Asylum,” “The Split Cherry Tree” and short films “The Notebook” and “The Birthday.” She can be seen “around the scenes” in “Smash,” “Law & Order SVU” and “Blue Bloods.” She teaches cabaret, musical theater, jazz dance and improvisation to children and teens and has directed and choreographed numerous musical theater productions. She formed a cultural club, taking children and families to Broadway shows, the NYCB, jazz at Lincoln Center and Avery Fischer and Carnegie Hall.
The Gerry Malkin Jazz Collective will perform on Friday, Sept. 5. A tenor sax-led six-piece of acclaimed Westchester jazz musicians, the band, will be joined by special guest artist/trumpeter Scott Wendholt. Tickets for each event will be $20 and can be purchased online at artsw.org/jazzfest.
The music of Miles Davis will be the focus of an event presented by ArtsWestchester and the WPPAC on Saturday, Sept. 6. “The Blue in Green Project: A Tribute to Miles Davis”will be a convergence of great talents, featuring music by one of jazz’s greatest performers, whose groundbreaking sounds and styles played a major role in the evolution of the art form. Performances by guitarist Wali Ali, pianist Bob Baldwin, saxophonist Ray Blue, bassist Harvie S, trumpeter Antoine Drye and drummer Tony Jefferson will be an exciting addition to the festival. Admission is $25.
Those interested in catching all three ArtsWestchester and WPPAC performances may purchase a “Jazz Pass.” New this year, the pass will grant the holder access to all three events at a discounted rate. Limited to the first 50 purchasers.
For more information, visit www.ArtsW.org/jazzfest.
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