Erin O'Luanaigh: new voice, old jazz
Mark Hensch
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Arts
Hillsdale College sophomore Erin O'Luanaigh discovered her love of jazz through battling a blood disease.
Born with hemophilia, O'Luanaigh's blood is incapable of clotting. Put on medication for the ailment, she developed insomnia as a side effect. Awake and with little occupying her time, O'Luanaigh found solace in classic big band and jazz musicals.
"I have always struggled with insomnia," O'Luanaigh said. "I would watch television when I couldn't sleep. I started enjoying old musicals on the classic movie networks. Those musicals reminded me how much I loved that style."
O'Luanaigh's late night film watching helped her discover her voice. She is now a dedicated jazz vocalist on campus, participating in the faculty jazz sextet and the Hillsdale College big band. Enthralled by the glamour of the music she heard, O'Luanaigh said she began singing it without any prior experience.
"I decided on a whim to try out for musical theater," O'Luanaigh said. "I was scared out of my mind as I had never sung before. At first I thought I had stunned my teacher in a bad way. I got the lead for 'Meet Me in St. Louis.'"
O'Luanaigh's first starring role gave her the confidence needed for other musical roles at Cheshire High School in Cheshire, Conn. She also joined Cheshire's, an a capella jazz group, and recorded three solo albums. Though primarily interested in vocal jazz, she soon delved into its instrumental style as well.
"There's a divide between vocal jazz and instrumental jazz," O'Luanaigh said. "It is very helpful for a jazz singer to listen to instrumental jazz. I have incorporated that into my style."
Having discovered jazz artists as diverse as Miles Davis, Art Tatum and Anita O'Day, O'Luanaigh said she refined her vocal style so it would contain more improvisation.
Teacher of Music Chris McCourry, another member of the faculty jazz sextet, said it is an approach that has worked wonders.
"Erin is a true jazz singer," he said in an e-mail to the "Collegian." "We'd be greatly diminished without her here. She is the finest female jazz vocalist ever to attend Hillsdale College in the past 15 years."
Born with hemophilia, O'Luanaigh's blood is incapable of clotting. Put on medication for the ailment, she developed insomnia as a side effect. Awake and with little occupying her time, O'Luanaigh found solace in classic big band and jazz musicals.
"I have always struggled with insomnia," O'Luanaigh said. "I would watch television when I couldn't sleep. I started enjoying old musicals on the classic movie networks. Those musicals reminded me how much I loved that style."
O'Luanaigh's late night film watching helped her discover her voice. She is now a dedicated jazz vocalist on campus, participating in the faculty jazz sextet and the Hillsdale College big band. Enthralled by the glamour of the music she heard, O'Luanaigh said she began singing it without any prior experience.
"I decided on a whim to try out for musical theater," O'Luanaigh said. "I was scared out of my mind as I had never sung before. At first I thought I had stunned my teacher in a bad way. I got the lead for 'Meet Me in St. Louis.'"
O'Luanaigh's first starring role gave her the confidence needed for other musical roles at Cheshire High School in Cheshire, Conn. She also joined Cheshire's, an a capella jazz group, and recorded three solo albums. Though primarily interested in vocal jazz, she soon delved into its instrumental style as well.
"There's a divide between vocal jazz and instrumental jazz," O'Luanaigh said. "It is very helpful for a jazz singer to listen to instrumental jazz. I have incorporated that into my style."
Having discovered jazz artists as diverse as Miles Davis, Art Tatum and Anita O'Day, O'Luanaigh said she refined her vocal style so it would contain more improvisation.
Teacher of Music Chris McCourry, another member of the faculty jazz sextet, said it is an approach that has worked wonders.
"Erin is a true jazz singer," he said in an e-mail to the "Collegian." "We'd be greatly diminished without her here. She is the finest female jazz vocalist ever to attend Hillsdale College in the past 15 years."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Joy Pavelski
posted 2/11/10 @ 11:43 AM EST
That's a rather lovely lead and following graf. I only wish you put a clip of her online so I could hear "the best jazz vocalist Hillsdale College has had for 15 years. (Continued…)
Post a Comment