Concert Programs!

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Kirsten Edkins is an accomplished saxophonist, recording artist, band leader and teacher who seeks to give the gift of music to empower and encourage others. Her career has taken her coast to coast as she’s followed her love of the artform and now resides in her native Southern California.  Inspired by jazz greats such as John Coltrane, Eddie Harris and Joe Henderson, she developed her own voice of thoughtfulness that is expressed on her album “Art & Soul.” The album was a culmination of her process of refining her craft and putting in the work to develop her own thoughtful voice. “Edkins plays inquisitive, unpredictable solos which have an unquestionable swing despite phrases that deliberately go against the grain of the underlying rhythm,” Jazz History Online wrote in its review of “Art & Soul”.   Edkins was the first woman to perform in Bill Holman’s Big Band and has been a member of several Grammy- award winning bands: John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Claire Fischer Band and the late composer Johnny Mandel’s band. She’s performed on many television shows, such as “American Idol” and “The Voice” where she’s worked with artists like Pharrell Williams, Katherine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.   A graduate of the Eastman School of music, Edkins’ music isn’t just for her, but to show her students everything that can be accomplished through music, from problem solving to self-expression. She understands how encouraging her students often empowers them in other areas of their life. She has a private studio in Southern California, has taught at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, the Bill Green Mentorship for the LA Jazz Institute, the Stanford Jazz Camp and Idyllwild Performing Arts. She is a proud endorser of D’Addario reeds and plays Retro Revival mouthpieces.

The Swing Kittens are an upbeat swing vocal trio hailing from Orange County, California. Comprised of Nicole Kubis, Kaley Griffith, and Nicole Perreira, The Swing Kittens specialize in tight vocal harmonies and give a youthful spin on heartwarming classics from the ’40s and ’50s. With cheerful choreography and an energetic presence, The Swing Kittens perform favorites by The Andrews Sisters, The McGuire Sisters, and many others from the Golden Era of music.  The Swing Kittens have performed throughout southern California with their partners, the Swing Cats Big Band, in premiere locations such as Disneyland and the Catalina Island Casino. They have been featured artists with the Glenn Miller Orchestra for four years, and have toured with the band in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand, where they had the honor of performing for the King and Princess of Thailand. The Kittens were featured vocalists for the 2013 Billy Vaughn Orchestra tour of Japan, and were special guests this December with the Würzburg Big Band in Germany.