The International Performing Arts Series (IPAS) is turning up the heat by bringing Luciana Souza and her trio to perform in Marquette.
Souza is a Grammy Award-nominee Brazilian jazz artist who has worked with many well-known names in the music industry. She will be performing at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22 at the Kaufman Auditorium.
Dan Truckey, coordinator of the Northern Michigan International Performing Arts Series and director of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, said he is excited to have such an accomplished performer coming to Marquette.
“Our committee each year tries to bring on a jazz artist and also a Latin artist, so Luciana was the perfect choice,” Truckey said. “She also has a great reputation for her music and performances.”
Truckey said he and many others have worked hard to get as many diverse and high quality international acts as they can to come to Marquette each year.
“The IPAS began in 1989 as a university-sponsored concert series for the NMU and Marquette community,” Truckey said. “Since then, the series has brought at least six artists to campus each year, including folk, blues, jazz and world music performers in addition to dance companies and theater productions.”
Souza will be performing as part of a trio featuring guitarist Romero Lumbambo and percussionist Cyro Baptista.
“Besides the fact that it’s great entertainment, it is an opportunity to expose students and people in the community to different cultures and types of art,” Truckey said.
Souza performs a variety of music including jazz, classical and even some pop.
She has recorded more than 10 albums and received four Grammy nominations.
“Since I’ve been coordinating the series, we’ve brought artists from China, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, France, Latin America and from different regional cultures throughout the U.S.,” Truckey said. “It has been an incredible experience to see them interact with students and the community, especially when we’ve been able to arrange for workshops.”
Mark Flaherty, associate professor of music and director of NMU’s jazz band, is on the committee that chooses the performers for the IPAS and when they were talking about jazz, he immediately brought up Souza.
“Souza fits really well into the whole International Performing Arts Series because she has a lot of appeal to a wide variety of people and also because of her versatility,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty said he is excited to see Souza perform again.
“Luciana is an outstanding musician and performer,” Flaherty said. “She really puts on an amazing show. I saw her down in Wisconsin and was blown away, and I can’t wait to see her again.”
Souza grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil and then came to the U.S. for college, receiving a bachelor’s degree in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
“Living up in the U.P., it is important to try to get exposure to many different styles of art and music,” Flaherty said. “The IPAS brings people to the U.P. that we normally wouldn’t get to see. A lot of people haven’t heard Souza’s style of music and her coming all the way to Marquette gives us a real appreciation for what culture is out there.”
In 2005, Souza was awarded Female Jazz Singer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. Her work is respected and revered all throughout the jazz community.
“I hope people come out and support her when she comes to Marquette,” Flaherty said. “For its size, Marquette has a lot going on but when there is stuff happening people have to learn to take advantage of it. She’s going to put on a fantastic show.”
Tickets for Souza’s performance are $6 in advance and $7 at the door for students. Tickets for the general public are $19 in advance and $21 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at NMU ticket outlets.
For more information, email Dan Truckey at [email protected].
