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New York Voices: The Grand Finale

Sunday, October 5, 2025, 3 p.m.
Osterhout Concert Theater
Anderson Center for the Performing Arts
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Featuring a special onstage collaboration between the New York Voices and ��ñ�� University music and theatre students, local high school vocalists and the Southern Tier Singers' Collective.

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This afternoon's performance lasts roughly two hours, including an intermission.

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Program

It’s Alright with Me
Written by Cole Porter
Arranged by Darmon Meader        

Love Me or Leave Me
Music by Walter Donaldson
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Arranged by Lauren Kinhan & Darmon Meader

Reminiscing in Tempo
Written by Duke Ellington
Arranged by Darmon Meader        

Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly
Music by Chick Corea
Lyrics by Neville Potter
Arranged by Darmon Meader

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Written by Ignacio Cervantes
Arranged by Darmon Meader

Madalena
Written by Ivan Lins
Arranged by Darmon Meader

Blue Rondo à la Turk
Music by Dave Brubeck
Lyrics by Al Jarreau & Lauren Kinhan
Arranged by Darmon Meader

My Life is Not this Steeply Sloping Hour
Music by Robert Lepley
German text by Rainer Maria Rilke
English translation by Robert Bly

The World Keeps You Waiting
Written by Lauren Kinhan & Peter Eldridge
Arranged by Kinhan, Eldridge & Meader

INTERMISSION

Just One of Those Things
Written by Cole Porter
Based on Nat King Cole version, arranged by Billy May
Adapted & arranged by Darmon Meader

Bli-Blip
Written by Duke Ellington
Arranged by Darmon Meader

Stolen Moments
Music by Oliver Nelson
Lyrics by Mark Murphy
Arranged by Darmon Meader

Long Ago and Far Away
Written by James Taylor
Arranged by Peter Eldridge & Darmon Meader

Aqui, Oh!
Written by Toninho Horta
Arranged by Darmon Meader

In My Life
Written by Lennon & McCartney
Arranged by Darmon Meader

Bohemian Rhapsody
Written by Freddie Mercury
Arranged by Darmon Meader

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��ñ�� New York Voices

New York Voices began in the mid-1980s at Ithaca College, when Peter Eldridge, Kim Nazarian and Darmon Meader came together in the school’s vocal jazz ensemble. Originally formed for a European jazz festival tour, the group found chemistry and momentum that soon led them to New York City, where they added Sara Krieger and officially launched under the name “New York Voices.”

Their blend of vocal precision, jazz sophistication, and crossover appeal quickly caught attention, landing them a deal with GRP Records in 1989. With their debut album, they began touring nationally and internationally, building a loyal audience. Over the years, the group evolved, eventually solidifying into the now-iconic quartet of Eldridge, Nazarian, Meader and Lauren Kinhan.

Throughout their nearly 40 year career, New York Voices released ten acclaimed albums, collaborated with legends like the Count Basie Orchestra, Paquito D’Rivera, and the Bob Mintzer Big Band, and became champions of vocal jazz education through their annual Vocal Jazz Camps.

In 2024, the group announced plans to retire at the end of 2026. As they take their “final lap around the planet,” they remain committed to celebrating the journey, sharing their artistry, and going out on a high note.

Kim Nazarian
Kim Nazarian is a world-renowned, Grammy-nominated jazz performing and recording artist, educator and clinician. Besides her work as a sought-after solo vocalist, she has been performing all over the world with the vocal group, New York Voices for more than 35 years. She is a jazz voice teacher for Vocal Jazz Majors at both Ithaca College and SUNY Fredonia. She also shares her perspectives on music and life as a musician, teaching private students in her own personal studio as well as offering clinics, workshops, and masterclasses, adjudicating festivals, participating in jazz camps and guest conducting for singers on all levels in the US and abroad.

One of Nazarian's most recent accolades was being awarded the “Jazz Educator of the Year 2023” by the JEN organization. She is the first female, and the first vocal jazz recipient of this prestigious honor. In the summer of 2022, she also became the first woman to head the jury of the A Cappella Competition in Aarhus, Denmark. Continuing to climb the professional ladder, Kim has added Artistic Director to her list of titles, working with the established team of the DeMiero Jazz festival. Harkening her heritage, Nazarian was recognized as one of the top 50 most influential Armenian artists in 2012, and inducted into her hometown High School’s Hall of Fame. She is also proud to be the lead vocalist for the Latin-influenced jazz ensemble “El Eco“, spearheaded by Argentinian drummer and composer Guillermo Nojechowicz; and appears as a featured vocalist on the 2 latest CDs of Gabriel Espinosa.

Besides the many recordings of NYV, Kim Nazarian can be heard on many different projects as a soloist. Branching out on her own in 2015, she released her first solo CD entitled Some Morning with remarkable guests including Paquito D’Rivera, Gary Burton, John Pizzarelli and Sean Jones. Her record was met with critical acclaim stating: “This set sets the gold standard for Jazz vocalists“ from Midwest Records, Chris Spector and Best Jazz Vocal CD 2015 from W. Royal Stokes, Jazz Historian and Critic. Kim is proud to be one of the featured voices on Bobby McFerrin’s VOCAbuLarieS CD which garnered three Grammy nominations. She also collaborated with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and the Manchester Craftmen’s Guild on a concert tour dedicated to the late, great Ella Fitzgerald.  Nazarian’s work as a lyricist can be heard on the NYV CDs and in other projects throughout the world, e.g. with Brazilian composer Ivan Lins and the Metropole Orchestra. Most notably, Nazarian wrote “World of Possibilities," the title track to the accompanying CD of Bill Strickland’s best selling book Making the Impossible Possible.

Kim is a dedicated teacher of vocal technique and the art of ensemble singing and a highly valued clinician at numerous vocal festivals around the world. She has been representing the USA as a judge for the International A Cappella Competition “Vokal.Total” in Graz, Austria since 2011, was a member of the 2017 jury at Vocal Asia, worked with a highly acclaimed jury in Korea, and has recently become a regular coach at the groundbreaking Black Forest Voices Festival. Touring the globe over the last 35 years, Kim Nazarian has given concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival, to name a select few. Furthermore, Kim has conducted several All State Vocal Jazz Choirs in the US for NY, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Maine, California, and Illinois. Nazarian is a magna cum laude graduate of Ithaca College and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. When not making music, she loves to be home in Oberlin, Ohio with her husband, son, and sheep-a-doodle, Doxy, on her 6.5-acre farm… cooking, gardening, reading, and watching films.

Peter Eldridge
For years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer and arranger. He has four critically acclaimed albums: Stranger in Town, Fool No More, Decorum, and Mad Heaven. His latest studio project, Disappearing Day, was released in July 2016 on Sunnyside Records and called “an out and out masterpiece” by Allaboutjazz. Disappearing Day made many ‘best of the year’ lists, including Downbeat, Jazziz, and NPR. Some of Peter’s current projects include his first full-fledged musical with the working title of "The Woman in Question," co-written with Chicago playwright Cheryl Coons about the life, loves, and art of Austrian painter, Gustav Klimt; an upcoming recording of ballads with string orchestra and jazz trio, featuring pianist/arranger Kenny Werner and cellist Eugene Friesen, and Foolish Hearts, an acoustic duo featuring Peter with bassist Matt Aronoff.

Eldridge is also a founding member of internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices. The group continues to tour internationally and has performed in some of the world’s most preeminent venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and has been involved in two Grammy Award-winning projects with Paquito D’Rivera and the Count Basie Orchestra. New York Voices has completed two new collaborative albums to be released in 2018, one with the Bob Mintzer Big Band and the other with Brazilian singer/songwriter Ivan Lins and the Danish Radio Big Band. On the more contemporary side, Peter is also a member of the vocal group MOSS, alongside Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, Lauren Kinhan and Luciana Souza (and now vocalist Jo Lawry). Some of Peter’s notable collaborations include Bobby McFerrin, Fred Hersch, Becca Stevens, Chanticleer, George Benson, Michael Brecker, David Byrne, Jonatha Brooke, Kurt Elling, the New West Guitar Trio, Jane Monheit, the Swingles, Anat Cohen, Betty Buckley, Janis Siegel, Paula Cole, Jon Hendricks, and Mark Murphy. Peter’s music is featured in Zach Galifianakis’ recorded stand-up performance  ‘Live at the Purple Onion’, and his original songs or collaborations have been covered by artists such as Nancy Wilson, Paquito D’Rivera, and Jane Monheit. This past spring, Peter was commissioned by the Boston choral group Coro Allegro to write a piece for its 25th anniversary (‘to be nobody’, text by e e cummings). In addition, Peter was head of the Manhattan School of Music’s jazz voice department for eighteen years and is now part of the voice faculty at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is regularly in demand for workshops and masterclasses both domestically and internationally, in topics ranging from vocal technique and song interpretation to songwriting and arranging.

Lauren Kinhan
Vocalist and composer Lauren Kinhan has been creating genre-merging music for years as evidenced on her four solo CDs, Circle in a Square, Avalon and Hardly Blinking and her most recent all standard collection, A Sleepin’ Bee. You’ll also hear her offerings evidenced in the New York Voices’ family of sound.

In 2017 she released A Sleepin’ Bee, paying tribute to the great jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson. Focusing on her iconic collaboration with Cannonball Adderley and other earlier works with George Shearing, Lauren curated and soulfully crafted 10 tracks with pianist Andy Ezrin that are receiving much worldwide praise, “…brilliance in interpreting ballads, off-the-cuff maneuvers in bluesy and bawdy environments, whip-smart interactions with the instrumentalists—and you end up with a complete picture of her talents and the manners in which she claims these songs as her own,” said Allaboutjazz.

Circle in a Square and A Sleepin’ Bee were funded by successful Kickstarter campaigns and promptly released on her Dotted i Records.  Partnering with eight-time Grammy Award-winning Elliot Scheiner on these outings produced sonically rich records with a long list of gorgeous musicians to boast.

Prior to A Sleepin’ Bee’s emergence, Lauren has been most known for her 3 CDs of originals.  Her training in jazz and deep connection to the singer/songwriter narrative have developed a voice and style that is expressive and fearless while her love of prose keeps her dreaming of ways to lead her listeners on different adventures.  2014’s Circle in a Square raised the bar with an exquisite story book of songs and a cast of stars that would usually be a large label feat.  Lauren’s reputation and grace have earned her the respect of her peers and reviewers alike.  Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes wrote, “She has never shone brighter,” and Richard Kamins of Step Tempest wrote, “…it’s the strength of the songs and the vocals that makes the deepest impression.  Ms. Kinhan’s emotional delivery, her ability to bend a note to make a word sustain, and the poetry is a joy to return to time and again.”

Versatility as a composer is evidenced in her contributions to New York Voices CDs over the years, and co-founding two other super groups, Moss and JaLaLa.  In 2010, Moss was included in DownBeat’s ‘Best CDs of the 2000s’ issue.  And JaLaLa, short for Janis Siegel, Laurel Massé and Lauren Kinhan, released their tribute to Johnny Mercer, That Old Mercer Magic, in 2009.

In 2018, with her co-partner Janis Siegel, they began curating a monthly live vocal-centric salon called Vocal Mania, made up of the amazing singing talent near and far and showcasing them at the Birdland Theater and the Zinc Bar. This popular event became a wonderful place to hear stars and unknowns alike and celebrate the vocal arts. When the pandemic hit, they took this idea, rebranded it and launched Vocal Gumbo. Partnering with Laurie Green, Janis and Lauren made their homes into recording and video-editing studios and their kitchens broadcast sound stages. They produced collaborations with artists from all over the world and created ways to stay connected and creative while sequestered.  Vocal Gumbo is on hiatus while Janis focuses on her 50th anniversary touring with her TMT colleagues, but stay tuned for future re-boot plans.

Among some of Lauren’s many notable guest artist appearances, you can hear her voice on the multi-Grammy nominated Bobby McFerrin project VOCAbuLarieS and Ornette Coleman’s 1996 release Sound Museum, Three Women.  She toured with Ornette, and was asked to be a part of his 1997 Lincoln Center retrospective,  “?Civilization” featuring Billie Higgins, Charlie Haden and Gerri Allen.

Lauren joined the adjunct faculty at NYU in 2018, co-directing the Vocal Jazz and Contemporary Vocal Ensemble “Village Voices” with The Manhattan Transfer’s Janis Siegel.  She served on the Board of Governors for the Recording Academy’s NY Chapter from 2008-2010.  Lauren is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music.

Darmon Meader
Recognized in both the jazz vocal and instrumental worlds, Darmon Meader is a highly respected vocalist, arranger and saxophonist.  Darmon has achieved international recognition as the founder, musical director, chief arranger, composer, producer, saxophonist, and vocalist with New York Voices. As a member of New York Voices, he has released numerous recordings on the GRP, RCA/Victor, Concord and MCGJazz labels. In 2013, NYV released two new CDs: New York Voices, Live with the WDR Big Band Cologne and their long awaited Christmas CD, Let It Snow, both of which feature Darmon’s extensive arranging skills. In 2008, Darmon released his much anticipated debut solo CD, And So Am I, and in 2023 he released his long awaited follow up, Losing My Mind. These solo projects are collections of jazz standards and original works, which reflect his varied interests and skills as a singer, saxophonist, writer and arranger.

With New York Voices, Darmon has collaborated with a variety of artists including Ray Brown, Mark Murphy, Bernadette Peters, Ivan Lins, Bob Dorough, Don Sebesky, Nancy Wilson, Ann Hampton Callaway, Jim Hall, Paquito D’Rivera and the Count Basie Orchestra. He has toured internationally, performing at such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and Blue Note Jazz Clubs (New York and Japan). In addition to Darmon’s New York Voices touring and recording commitments, he is increasingly busy as a soloist, sideman, studio musician and composer. Darmon continues to be actively involved in music education, working as a clinician and guest artist at both the high school and university levels.

Darmon has been the guest conductor for numerous All-State Jazz Ensembles and has made artist-in-residence appearances at various schools, including Northwestern University, University of Louisville, University of Miami, Humber College, Columbia College, University of Georgia and University of North Texas. Darmon has also taught at numerous domestic and international music workshops including the Inzigkoven Vocal Jazz Workshop in Germany, various IAJE Teacher’s Training Institutes, the Western Michigan University Vocal Jazz Camp, the Vocal Pop & Jazz Days workshop in the Netherlands, the Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp and the NYV Vocal Jazz Camps. Many of Darmon’s choral, vocal jazz, and instrumental arrangements are available through the following publishers: Carl Fischer Music, Shawnee Press, Hal Leonard, Alfred Music, Belwin Mills and UNC JazzPress.

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The NYV Trio

Alex Brown – Piano
Alex Brown is a Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger at the forefront of a new generation of genre-defying musicians. Hailed by The New York Times for his “crystalline touch and worldly approach,” he fuses jazz, classical, Latin, and contemporary traditions with a singular voice as both improviser and composer. A longtime member of Paquito D’Rivera’s ensemble since 2007, Brown has been central to several Grammy -winning and nominated projects across jazz and classical music, including the 2023 Grammy Award for Passion for Bach and Coltrane with Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet. He has also collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Christian McBride, Miguel Zenón, Sean Jones, and Chris Thile, and performed Rhapsody in Blue with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico City. As a composer and arranger, Brown’s work spans orchestral, chamber, and cross-genre projects. He was commissioned by Lyrica Baroque to compose his Sonata for Oboe, created orchestral arrangements for Cynthia Erivo and the National Symphony Orchestra, and has written for ensembles including the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and Harlem Quartet. His versatility also extends to film and media. Brown teaches at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and co-leads the 2025 release Island to Island with Victor Provost. He previously released The Dark Fire Sessions in 2021.

Paul Nowinski – Bass
Paul Nowinski has been performing with New York Voices for over 25 years, and is featured on many of their recordings as well. Paul won a Grammy Award for his work with Keith Richards and has been nominated for five other Grammy Awards. Performance credits include Tony Bennett, George Benson, Steve Miller, Jeff Beck, John Mellencamp, Aerosmith, Teddy Edwards, Pat Martino, Paquito D’Rivera, Ricki Lee Jones, Patti Smith, Joe Jackson, Amanda Palmer, My Morning Jacket and many others. From 2002-2006, Paul played with Les Paul at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York every Monday night. In addition, Paul has played with numerous Broadway luminaries including Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Paul has also played numerous concerts with the Boston Pops. In 2016 Paul won the LaBella/Phil Jones Bass Solo Competition.

Marcello Pellitteri - Drums
World-class musician, Marcello Pellitteri is best known as an award-winning drummer. Pellitteri is also an educator, composer, arranger and producer. He is the Recipient of the 2023 Marineo Special International Prize (Italy). His latest CD Aquarius Woman received a rare 4 1/2 stars review from Downbeat. His previous CD Acceptance has been considered “emotionally shattering... one of the year’s most strikingly beautiful releases” (Jazz Corner) and received 5-star reviews by Allaboutjazz and Amazon. Pellitteri graduated cum laude at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston and then received a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies with Distinction in Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. For nearly 40 years, Pellitteri has taught at Berklee, where he is currently a professor. Drummer of New York Voices for 26 years, he has played with jazz legends such as Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Jon Hendricks; with Grammy Award-winners Dave Samuels, Slide Hampton, and with the world-renowned Gipsy Kings. He has scored music for several theater plays. Moreover, he has performed for prominent international political figures, Royal families and Heads of State, such as President Clinton at the White House, Prince Alberto of Monaco in Montecarlo and Princess Margriet of The Netherlands. Pellitteri has recorded over 100 albums, 5 of which as a leader and has appeared on the stages of worldwide festivals and broadcast programs with performances on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

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Guest Singers

��ñ�� Chamber Singers

Soprano
Kirsten Fielding 
Rachel Lerma
Kirsten Owens 
Madisyn Rivera 

Alto
Vanessa DiMartino 
Samantha Hill 
Grace Metcalf 
Amanda Treulich 

Tenor
Suzie Bunchuck 
Abby Chen 
Liam Flatley 
Robert McLane

Bass
Anish Balakrishnan
Charlie He 
Jan Vanek-Raphaelidis 
Noah Walsh 

Local High School Vocalists

Soprano
Sue Italiano (Chenango Valley High School)
Gurleen Kaur (Vestal High School)
Imogen Kurtz (Vestal High School)
Melanie Scalcione (Union-Endicott High School)

Alto
Madison Cramer (Vestal High School)
Grace Holt (Union-Endicott High School)
Rowan McCullum (Vestal High School)
Avalece Murray (Chenango Valley High School)

Tenor
Sawyer Jackson (Chenango Valley High School)
Sasana Roberto (Vestal High School)
William Stafford (Vestal High School)
Kayden Stalker (Chenango Valley High School)

Bass
David Drew (Vestal High School)
Alex Green (Vestal High School)
Andrew Liu (Choral Director - Chenango Valley High School)

The Southern Tier Singers' Collective

Ernest Backus
Megan Burrell
Seamus Buxton
Jen Chudacik
William Culverhouse
Kevin Doherty
Carrie Feyerabend
Taylor Hagquist
Katie Hayes
Austin Kiley
Amelia Knighton
Katrina Kuka
Robbie Manners
Hilary Rozek
Ben Stevens
Christina Taylor
Graham Terry
Gavin Tremblay

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