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NR13022

The University of Maine at Fort Kent Foundation will present its annual fundraising event on Saturday, April 13, 2013. This year's musical entertainment will be provided by jazz singer, Vicki Burns, of New York City.

Ms. Burns will be accompanied by accomplished guitarist/composer/producer Saul "Zebulon" Rubin. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. in the UMFK Fox Auditorium. The cost of the performance is $12 per person.

Tickets to the performance are priced at $12 and may be purchased through the UMFK Development Office at 834-7800 or at the door.

Vicki Burns: Jazz singer who has been delighting audiences for years. A vocalist with impeccable taste, a sure sense of rhythm and a glorious tone, she infuses each song with heartfelt expression, digging into the lyrics and melody for their richest interpretation. No wonder the great jazz drummer; Max Roach once described Vicki's singing as “a gold mine”!

Some of Vicki's performing highlights in New England include: singing with the great jazz drummer, Alan Dawson, for the Martin Luther King Jr. “Journey into a Dream” Concert series in Boston and opening for Billy Taylor and Max Roach in the “Bright Moments” Concert series in Amherst, MA. She has performed regularly at these Boston area jazz clubs: Ryles, 1369 Club, the Starlight Roof and the Turtle Café. She also has been featured on “Music America,” a syndicated WGBH broadcast hosted by Ron D'Ella Chiesa.

While still a student, she sang with a popular big band, The Clayton Poole Jazz Orchestra and was chosen by John Coltrane's biographer Bill Cole among others for the New England Touring Arts program.

On the West Coast Vicki has performed at Garden City in San Jose, The San Jose Museum of Art's “Women in Jazz” series, a featured spot in the San Jose Jazz Festival , The Great American Music Hall with the Oakland Jazz Choir, Kimball's East with Madeline Eastman and the Oakland Jazz Choir and the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival . She became a favorite performer at Enrico's San Francisco's acclaimed beatnik haunt, establishing a firm fan base which included the infamous Carol Doda. She was featured at Yoshi's with flautist Nika Rejto and at the Plush Room where she collaborated with acclaimed pianist, Ken Muir noted for his long association with Paula West.

In 2005, Vicki released her debut CD which features original music, lyrics and arrangements of both familiar and rare standards. Entitled Siren Song it is produced by Vicki and the acclaimed flugal hornist, Dmitri Matheny, who also arranges some of the material. Matheny described her voice as a “wonderful, rich instrument”. Jazz critic Dan Ouellette said of her debut recording that she “succeeds with rapturous, mystical beauty”.

In October of 2008, Vicki released a second CD, Vicki Burns Quartet: Live At Anna's Jazz Island. Receiving broad critical acclaim and airplay, it has served as a delightful introduction to the New York City jazz scene where she now finds herself. Recently, she has performed to enthusiastic audiences at the Iridium Jazz Club where she debuted in February 2010 and will return on July 15th, North Square in the Washington Square Hotel and the 5 C Cultural Center in the East Village.

Saul "Zebulon" Rubin: Accomplished guitarist/composer/producer has worked in the New York area since 1981. His diverse career has taken him to clubs, concert halls, studios, multimedia and post production facilities around the world. In 1997, Saul started his own production company Zebulon Sound and Light, specializing in recording, audio/video production, multimedia, and animation.

Saul plays from the heart. His mature, driving virtuosity playing solo, trio or full big band uniquely engages the listener whether it is up tempo or a slow alluring ballad.

Saul has worked and recorded with many great musicians including - Roy Hargrove, John Hicks, Victor Lewis, Johnny ONeal, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Cameron Brown, Eric Lewis, Essiet Essiet, Dave Schnitter, Larry Willis, Jonathon Batiste, Steven Scott, Clifford Barbaro, Wynard Harper, Candido, Bruce Cox, Sue Terry, Badal Roy, Jerry Gonzalez, Victor Jones, Gerald Cannon, Paul Jeffrey, Jerry Weldon, Bobby Forrester, Craig Handy, Groove Collective, Sherman Irby, Thomas Chapin, Tessa Souter, Avishai Cohen, Joe Magnarelli, Ned Goold, Fabio Morgera, James Hurt, Eric Revis, Willi Jones III, Eddie Jones, Paul Brown, Dave Samuels, and many more.

For more information on the performance, please call 834-7800