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LISANNE LYONS is a former Associate Professor of music at Virginia Tech,
founder of the vocal jazz program, and director of the Down Beat award
winning jazz vocal group, The New Virginians. During her tenure at VT,
Lisanne received the Gamma Mu Chapter of Delta Omicron Music Professor
of the Year Award. She received her Bachelors and Master of Music from
the University of Miami (Fl) and during that time she received the
Down Beat magazine Dee Bee student award for best jazz vocalist for
two consecutive years and in 2005 she received the Dee Bee award for
Best Jazz Arrangement. She received her Doctorate of Music in Spring 09 from the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Lisanne has frequently performed at the famous Blues Ally in
Georgetown, Virginia and the Kennedy Center. She received rave reviews
from the Washington Post about her latest release entitled Smile with
the John Toomey Trio. She performed as one of the headline acts for the
Ottawa Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Clearwater Jazz Festival,
and La Nuit du Jazz, France, as the lead soprano with the D.C. based
Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet. They shared the stage with Jazz legends such
as Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennet, Mingus Big Band, Terrance Blanchard,
Superband, Dr. John, Sonny Stitt, etc.
Lisanne's career began immediately following high school as the featured
vocalist for the Air Force bands. During her six years in the service
she performed and travelled worldwide with the "Norad Command Band", Travis AF "Band of the Golden Gate", and the U.S. Air Force Academy "Falconaires". She has
since been featured with the Woody Herman Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Elgart, the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band, Roanoke Symphony, Palm Beach Pops, Las Olas Studio Orchestra, South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Sunrise Pops Orchestra, Sy Sugars Orchestra, Hallandale Pops Orchestra, Ars Flores Orchestra, Gene Krupa Orchestra with Mike Berkowitz, Harry James Orchestra, and various bands across the country. She has also performed with many of the world's top jazz artists such as Maria Schneider, Bobby McFerrin, Mark Murphy, Four Freshmen, Mose Allison, Jon Hendricks, Royce Campbell, Darmon Meader, Don Braden, Paul Bollenbach, Gary Campbell,Ted Rosenthal, Ira Sullivan, Duffy Jackson, Jim Pugh, Harold Jones, Dave Berkman, Eiane Elias, Michael Berkowitz, Claudia Acuna, Bucky Pizzerelli, Kevin Mahogany, and many others.
Following college Cy Coleman selected her to join national touring company of his Broadway hit "City of Angels". With numerous performing,
recording, and back up singing credits, she was also a featured
performer with Joel Grey on the NBC Orange Bowl half-time show, "You'll
Get a Kick Out of Cole.
Currently she is singing with the newly reformed jazz vocal quartet, "Mad Romance". The group includes the founding leader/arranger Rick Harris, Wendy Pederson, and Greg Diaz. This exciting and multi talented group can be seen in concert venues all around Florida and is currently working on a new CD due to be released in 2009.
Lisanne is extremely honored to have been the first to perform, live, the Nelson Riddle arrangements he wrote for Ella Fitzgerald's George Gershwin Songbook collection (Ella only recorded them). She made that debut with the University of Illinois Concert Jazz Band and Studio Orchestra during their summer jazz festival. Look for her to be performing her new show, a tribute to Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Ella and others with various pop orchestras across the country.
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