CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Bobby Mcferrin
Voicestra

Zankel Hall
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 7:30 PM

Bobby McFerrin, Vocalist
Voicestra

A virtuoso display of vocal improvisation by 12 gifted singers with broad stylistic experience, ranging from jazz to R&B to Indian classical opera.

Perspectives: Bobby McFerrin

Sponsored by KPMG LLP

The Bobby McFerrin Perspectives concerts are supported, in part, by The Rockefeller Foundation's New York City Cultural Innovation Fund.

Perspectives concerts are made possible, in part, by a generous grant from The Alice Tully Foundation.

Bobby McFerrin, Vocalist
Bobby McFerrin is one of the natural wonders of the music world. A ten-time Grammy Award winner, he is one of the world’s best-known vocal innovators and improvisers, a world-renowned classical conductor, the creator of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century), and a passionate spokesman for music education. His recordings have sold over 20 million copies, and his collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, the Vienna Philharmonic, and Herbie Hancock have established him as an ambassador of both the classical and jazz worlds.

With a four-octave range and a vast array of vocal techniques, McFerrin is music’s last true Renaissance man, a vocal explorer who has combined jazz, folk, and a multitude of world music influences—choral, a cappella, and classical music—with his own ingredients. As a conductor, Bobby is able to convey his innate musicality in an entirely different context. He has worked with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Bobby McFerrin’s career can be well described as “unconventional.” Those familiar with McFerrin’s shows, whether as a conductor or a vocalist, know that each one is a unique event that resonates with the unexpected. He is that rare artist who has the ability to reach beyond musical genres and stereotypes for a sound that is entirely his own. As one of the foremost guardians of music’s rich heritage, McFerrin remains at the vanguard with his natural, beautiful, and timeless music that transcends all borders and embraces all cultures.

Visit bobbymcferrin.com for more information, interactive games, sheet music, and merchandise.

Voicestra
Comprised of 12 uniquely gifted singers with broad stylistic experience ranging from jazz to R&B to Indian classical opera, Voicestra serves as a rich compositional palate for Bobby McFerrin’s expeditions into the musical universe. Bobby founded Voicestra in 1986 to explore interactive group singing in his performances, and it has since evolved into a medium for deeply spiritual and powerful improvisations. Voicestra is not only a choir, but a flexible and richly textured instrument through which Bobby can experiment with and express his unique vocal style and musical stream of consciousness. The music is entirely improvised and thus captures aspects specific to each performance: the day, the time, the theater, and the audience. Melodies, rhythms, and textures traverse from singer to singer, perpetually morphing in reaction to the moment and Bobby’s instincts.