March 2, 2004

Contact:
Barbara Gonzalez, Associate Director
(954) 262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Assistant Director (954) 262-5350
Elizabeth Ninomiya, Coordinator (954) 262-5309

Nova Singers Continue 28Th Season Of Song With Series Of Spring Concerts Celebrating “Classics To Jazz”

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL— Nova Singers, the premier concert choir of Nova Southeastern University, will continue its 28 th season of song with a series of spring concerts celebrating “Classics to Jazz.” Under the leadership of founder and musical director Peggy Joyce Barber, the program will include famous classical choral works and favorite jazz tunes. Performing with Nova Singers will be Hal Schaefer, jazz pianist extraordinaire. The concert dates are as follows:

Friday, March 26, 2004 at 8:15 p.m., Plantation Methodist Church, 901 N.W. 70 Avenue, Plantation, FL, 954-584-7500, Admission: free-will donation

Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 4:00 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church (100 th Anniversary), 400 North Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL, 561-278-1737, Admission: free-will donation

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 8:15 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 1600 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, FL, 954-923-8209, Admission: $10 at the door

For more information about the Nova Singers, or for directions to the concerts, visit the Nova Singers website at www.nova.edu/novasingers/. If you have questions, please call Miles Burnett at 954-262-2135.

Hal Schaefer, world-class jazz pianist, has had a rich and eclectic career that has bridged several worlds – those of music (from classical to swing and jazz), film and singing. Considered a rising star of progressive jazz in the 1950s, he is an extraordinary pianist with a distinctive musical approach that combines a lush romanticism with a strong sense of swing. He played in bands led by Benny Carter, Harry James, Boyd Raeburn and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Hal became an accompanist for Peggy Lee, Billy Eckstine and other singers, and was befriended by and became the protégé of the great Duke Ellington. Hal worked at 20 th Century Fox coaching such stars as Susan Hayward, Mitzi Gaynor, Robert Wagner, Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe. At Warner Brothers Studios he worked on the production of A Star Is Born with Judy Garland.

In New York, Hal had a variety of stints, including A & R man for the fledgling United Artists record company, creating radio and TV jingles (including a CLEO Award winner), and writing dance arrangements for several Broadway shows. One of his students was then 16-year-old Barbra Streisand. Other greats he has worked with are Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno and cabaret singer Julie Wilson. Schaefer was also a member of the faculty of New York University's School of Music Vocal Jazz Studies Department for several years.

Hal Schaefer left New York in 1993 and settled in Ft. Lauderdale, where he continues to teach. Hal emphasizes that he is a “singing teacher”, not a “voice teacher.” He seldom sings in public himself, but his ability to coax the best from would-be singers has launched and revived dozens of careers.

Nova Singers truly represents the community and encompasses people from all walks of life, from high school students to retirees, as well as representatives from the NSU student body, faculty and staff. Its lightly blended choral sound is often demonstrated by music from the Renaissance. Most often, the group performs classical choral music, but selections also frequently include sacred, contemporary, Broadway, opera and pops selections.

Nova Singers have performed in Carnegie Hall, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., churches and cathedrals throughout Europe, and most venues in Southeast Florida, including Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and Gusman Hall at the University of Miami.