NEW VILLAS HOLIDAY ALBUM RELEASED
In her new album "Christmas Card," soprano Janet Villas, a long time
member of the New York City Opera, and New York Mets anthem soloist
turns her attention to her two other favorite genres: Christmas music
and jazz. Janet has sung for thousands during past Christmas seasons
with cabaret shows, school events and church solos. She wrote a jazzy
Christmas show and performed it at Oakeside Cultural Center in 2005.
Since the show went well, during the hottest weeks of July and August,
Janet found some of the hottest jazz musicians in New York and created
this very cool Christmas CD, "Christmas Card."
Along with a few classics delivered in a traditional manner: Oh holy
night and Oh come oh come Emmanuel we hear some great traditional
numbers jazzed up and taken to a whole new level, such as Silver Bells,
I wonder as I wander and What are you doing New Year's Eve. We also
hear jazz, early rock and swing numbers such as Rockin˙ around the
Christmas tree, Jingle Bell Rock, Christmas time is here and I've
got my love to keep me warm given a whole new twist. It's traditional,
it's jazzy, and it's really very cool!
Also featured on the album are Janice Friedman, Brian
Glassman, Barbara Merjan and Jessica Jones. Janice Friedman is a
jazz professor at Rutgers, Newark and has played and arranged for
many vocalists, including Suede. Brian Glassman, also a teacher
of jazz, has played bass for dozens of albums. Barbara Merjan plays
percussion for Broadway shows and the New Jersey Symphony orchestra
as well as jazz singer Lea Delaria; and Jessica Jones is the saxophone
leader of the Jessica Jones Quartet in New York. The album was mixed
at Second Story Studios by Scott Lehrer, the sound designer for
the Roches and the Broadway show Chicago.
Janet Villas, a graduate of Rutgers University, has
been a member of the New York City Opera for 19 years, and returned
this year with performances in Puccini's Turandot in the chorus.
She's also sung lead roles with George Shirley in Transcendent Voices,
and in Susanah and Suor Angelica. She is also an accomplished soloist
in the classical repertoire. She has sung many famous soprano solos
at Christ Church in Glen Ridge, NJ, including the Mozart Ave Verum,
the Faure Pie Jesu, Handel's Messiah, the Mozart Laudate Domine
and the Alleluia. In addition she has appeared as both the Soprano
and Mezzo soloist in the Bach Magnificat with the Grace Choral Society
of Brooklyn, NY.
She is well-known for her 2002 album "Something Wonderful"
which won a best featured artist award and is a compilation of her
previous cabaret shows. As a cabaret singer, She wrote and performed
a tribute concert for Richard Rodgers' 100th birthday entitled,
Something Wonderful at Oakeside Cultural Center in Bloomfield. Janet
also performed a spring 2004 concert at Oakeside called It might
As Well be Spring. She performed her third cabaret show I Always
Wanted to be A Fifth Dimension... at Don't Tell Mama's in New York
City in May, 2002. She performed her solo cabaret act ...but not
for me! at Don't Tell Mama's in 2000. Her first show Always was
performed at The Ballroom in NYC and was seen throughout New Jersey.
Janet has also given back much to the community. She
sang a solo benefit performance at Drew University in Madison, NJ
for the Names Project for The AIDS Memorial Quilt. She has also
performed benefits for Equity Fights Aids, The Race for the Cure,
The Actors Fund, Third River Environmental Association, The Watssessing
Heights Neighborhood Association, Hearts and Voices, The Jewish
Guild for the Blind, Christ Episcopal Church, Frontrunners New York,
and with Dreamcatcher Rep theatre for their Holiday cabaret.
Music lovers who would like to sample the album should
visit Janet's website http://janetvillas.com/
for more information.
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