|
 La Grassa has served as an adjunct faculty member at
the college since January, offering individual instruction for jazz
vocal and piano students, as well as teaching music appreciation.
“We are very pleased to have Denise join our staff on a full-time
basis. She not only has outstanding academic credentials, but is
also a seasoned jazz performer, having developed and performed a
number of original jazz theater productions. She has been featured
at music festivals in Chicago, Switzerland, Germany and Scotland, as
well as closer to home in Springfield and Bloomington-Normal,” said
Lincoln College President David Gerlach.
La Grassa holds a Doctor of Musical Arts-Jazz Studies degree from
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a
Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Illinois and
a Bachelor’s degree in theater and music from Columbia College.
La Grassa has developed a number of original jazz theater
productions. Her most recent work, The Blues Ain’t a Color, uses the
power of jazz to explore the role and relationship of race in
America. The critically-acclaimed production mixes her original jazz
compositions with poignant dialogue delivered by an array of
characters. It ranges from aching jazz ballad to jazz blues to
contemporary hip-hop influences.
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La Grassa will teach a variety of music courses at the College
and coordinate all performance activities for the jazz program. She is also
planning to develop new courses that will merge music with visual and other new
media to make jazz more visible and accessible to mainstream audiences.
In addition to her performance background, La Grassa has taught college courses,
workshops and private students in Chicago, Bloomington-Normal and Decatur.
The Jazz Studies program is part of a robust fine arts program at Lincoln
College that also includes four-year degrees in Theatre, Vocal Performance, and
Radio/Television/New Media.
[Mark Gordon
Public Relations and Media Manager
Lincoln College]
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