Born: March 24, 1977 Primary Instrument: Vocal
Jazz vocalist and musicologist Holly Holmes began singing as a young girl growing up in Wisconsin. Through the good fortune of an excellent high school music program, Holly developed a lifelong love for jazz and Brazilian music. She earned a degree in jazz studies from Western Michigan University and following graduation in 2000 was awarded an internship with the jazz programming department at Washington DC's prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There she assisted with the Dr. Billy Taylor radio series as well as working as an audio engineer for other live performances featuring Nnenna Freelon, Kurt Elling, Freddy Cole, and several others.
Her debut album The Climb (2001) reflects Holly's varied influences. A mixture of Brazilian music, jazz standards, and jazz-tinged covers of popular songs, she is particularly fond of penning lyrics to instrumental jazz standards like Wayne Shorter's “Fee Fi Fo Fum,” renamed “Siren Song” with the addition of the lyric and Pat Metheny's delicate ballad “The Road to You,” seen here as “The Road to Me.” Holly’s work as an inventive improviser is tastefully demonstrated on several tracks.
In 2003, Holly traveled to Brazil as guest vocalist of a student and alumni jazz quintet representing Western Michigan University. The success of the tour inspired her to plan a return trip in order to study Portuguese language and the guitar. In June 2004, Holly was awarded an Emerging Artist Grant by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo towards the research trip. Holly spent six months living in Salvador and Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 2004 and 2005 and studied guitar with guitarist Celso Moreira. Holly returned to Brazil in August 2008 to appear as guest vocalist on composer Robson Santos's third album, Limbico Trem, produced by singer-guitarist Filó Machado.
Holly was the first vocalist to be accepted into the Jazz Performance program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2006. Holly premiered and recorded Milton Nascimento’s “Vera Cruz” and David Raksin’s “Laura” with the Concert Jazz Band for the ensemble’s 2008 release entitled As of Yet. Holly debuted her original arrangement of Edu Lobo's “Ponteio” with the U of I Latin Jazz Ensemble at the 2008 International Association for Jazz Education in Toronto. She also performed “Blue in Green” and later recorded it for the ensemble's release entitled Art of the Dance.
She is currently working towards a PhD in Musicology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and holds a teaching assistantship in the department. She also held Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship in Brazilian Portuguese language and culture in addition to a Research Assistantship with musicologist Jeffrey Magee. Holly’s research interests include jazz, American popular song and Brazilian popular music and intersections with politics and music as propaganda.
Awards:
Four-year Medallion Scholarship, Western Michigan UniversityFLAS (Foreign Language Area Studies) Fellowship for Brazilian music and culture, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Research Assistant, Dr. Jeffrey Magee, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The Climb
Independent
2001 [Re-released with live tracks 2005]
As A Side Musician
As of Yet
University of Illinois Concert Jazz Band
School of Music at the University of Illinois
2008
Tracks: Vera Cruz; Laura.
Art of the Dance
University of Illinois Latin Jazz Ensemble
School of Music at the University of Illinois
2008
Tracks: Blue in Green.
Límbico Trem
Robson Santos
MCK
2009
Tracks: Samba do Gatuno; Amsterdam; Límbico Trem; Raro Diamante; You, Cat and Me.
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Primary Instrument:
Vocal
Location:
URBANA, IL
Willing to teach:
Beginners
Credentials/Background:
Voice teacher with the Conservatory of Central Illinois since 2006 specializing in jazz as well as art song, musical theater and pop voice at any level of proficiency. Music theory and ear training are covered in all voice lessons including note and rhythm reading, harmonic progressions, formal analysis and sight reading.
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