Inspired by the 1997 women's festival, Lilith Fair, the 'Women of Worcester Concert' brings together thirteen of the areas top performing female musicians for one night of music. Each featured artist brings her own style to the stage so the audience can expect a night of bluegrass, soul, country, rock, pop, jazz, folk, and blues, all from one show.
Don't miss out on this FIRST of it's kind production for Central Massachusetts.
Women of Worcester Concert is creating the ultimate 'Tour of Worcester' Gift Basket as the sole raffle item during the concert.
ALL RAFFLE PROCEEDS will be gifted to Abby's House Worcester.
The winner of this gift basket will walk away with over a dozen signed CD's from the concert's performers and swag, gift cards, and coupons from your favorite Worcester County artists, stores, restaurants, and services. Please stay tuned for more details!
If you or your company is interested in making a donation to the 'Tour of Worcester' Gift Basket, please email: WomenofWorcesterConcert@gmail.com
"Since 1976, Abby Kelley Foster House, Inc. (Abby’s House) has provided more than 11,500 homeless women and children with a safe place to stay, regroup, and rebuild. Abby’s House was one of the first shelters for women, with or without children, in the U.S. At present, it is one of two family shelters in the area that does not require its guests to be on welfare. With 78 units, Abby’s House is the largest provider of affordable housing in Worcester designed to meet the needs of women and children. Generous contributions from our donors make it possible to meet the increasingly complex needs of the women and children who walk through our doors." (abbyshouse.org 2016)
Katie O'Connor was born and raised right here in Worcester. By day she works in childcare as a nanny and by night she bartends at O'Connor's (no relation). Her grandfather was a jazz musician and inspired her at a young age to collect records which would develop into a deep appreciation of music. Whether playing drums or going to shows, music and creativity continues to be the center of her life. Katie has always been supportive of the local music scene and is honored to emcee for such a talented group of women!
Jean Mancini Gough, vocalist, is musically at home in many styles. With a strong background in jazz and classical, she moves between the two worlds effortlessly, making her a perfect crossover artist. Renowned for her impeccable technique and smooth stylings, she has entertained audiences up and down the East Coast in a wide range of genres from jazz, gospel, and new age to classical and sacred literature. These experiences bring a unique intuition to her singing and her one-of-a-kind voice as she crosses genres with both technical and stylistic ease. Holding Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance/Music Education, her training and years of experience have made her a knowledgeable and sensitive performer. In the jazz world, Jean has studied with veteran singers Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, at Berklee College of Music with Bob Stoloff, and at the Vermont Jazz Center. Jean regularly appears at venues in the New England area, with her jazz ensemble, Jazzin' About Town. Her jazz styling are influenced by jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughn, Anita O'Day, June Christy, Keely Smith, and Tierney Sutton. Jean also is a longstanding soloist at the First Unitarian Church, Worcester, MA, and has performed a vast range of genres from sacred, classical, gospel and new age, to folk and jazz and is featured on numerous CDs with this group. She is also a sought out voice teacher in the Central MA area.
Keri Anderson lives in Worcester and is currently teaching elementary visual art. She is a visual artist as well as a singer songwriter. Some of her bands she has performed with are: Whalebone Farmhouse, Sugar and The Cane Breakers, Keri Anderson and The Big Lonesome. Her current band Little Sugar and The Big Spoonful is putting the final touches on their debut record to be released later this year.
Always sassy, brassy, and nigh to bursting from her bustier, Luparelli, cocktail in hand, rose to regional celebrity as one half of the neo-vaudeville comedy duo The Steamy Bohemians. She tirelessly tours casinos, clubs, and concert halls across New England performing lounge and pop standards with her shimmering band the Gold Diggers.
With her band, she has opened for Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees, Denny Laine from Wings, and as a solo variety stand-up performer opened for Jane Lynch at Boston's famous Wilbur Theater. Winner of the 2013 NYC Ladies of Laughter competition, Niki made her national television debut in 2013 as a finalist on AMC's Showville.
Twitter - @trickyniki
Instagram - @luparelli
Cara Brindisi has been performing as a solo guitarist and singer since 2010 after completing her studies at Berklee College of Music. Originally from Central Mass, Cara has expanded her musical ventures throughout New England while also staying close to home within the Worcester, MA music scene. Cara received the award for Best Solo Acoustic Act for the 2014 Worcester Music Awards, the same year she released her first EP Album, ‘Until Tomorrow‘. Over the last two years, Cara has performed at various venues such as The Hampton Beach Ballroom Casino in Hampton, NH (opener for Chris Isaak as well as Tower of Power), ASYLUM in Portland, ME, Johnny Appleseed Festival in Leominster, MA, and the Newport Yacht Club in RI. Cara continues to record and perform locally in Central Mass and is working on her first full-length album with Engineer and Producer, Michael Harmon of Wachusett Recording Co.
Instagram - @carabrindisi
Worcester-native, singer/songwriter Sarah French channels the sounds of artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Patsy Cline, and Gillian Welch in her confident and honest songwriting. With her band, ‘Iza Jane, she presents a soulful mix of folk, blues, and country roots. ‘Iza Jane’s debut release (Dirty Hands, 2013) received warm praise and critical acclaim: “…a vibrant mix of guitars, banjos, and soulful singing…” (Pulse Magazine).
French has appeared onstage at venues across the country singing with popular tribute acts including Byrnes’ Big Suit (Talking Heads), Don’t Let Go (Jerry Garcia Band) and Pink Talking Fish (Pink Floyd/Talking Heads/Phish). She continues to write new music and collaborate with the region’s most talented artists and musicians. She hopes to return to the studio in 2016 to record her second release with ‘Iza Jane.
Sarah’s career as an environmentalist supports her close relationship with nature and is a fundamental source of inspiration.
Vocalist, flutist, and guitarist Sarah Gengel, AKA “Sarah G.” has been involved in the Worcester music scene since 2004. Born in Hartford, CT, and the daughter of two multi-instrumentalists, music was always an ordinary part of Sarah’s life. Through the years, Sarah has continued to look at music in this light and has nurtured other passions including horses, writing, and teaching. Her music is very much a reflection of the diverse interests and dichotomies that govern her life: A hip hop loving city girl, who rides horses and knows her way around the farm; an English teacher by day, a soul singing, sequins wearing songstress by night; a self- described extroverted introvert,whose musical style captures the power and grittiness of the city while simultaneously evoking the intuitive nuances, delicacy and spirituality of the woods. Sarah currently sings and plays flute with Groove Street, a local, 8-piece soul/r&b/motown band and occasionally performs solo or as a duo with guitarist, and songwriter, Joe Carcia.
Sarah Levecque is a singer songwriter guitarist who moves easily between the sturdy roots of American music. Influenced in equal parts by early blues, country, folk and rock music. Her 2008 release Crooked With Me is an amalgam of these Blues and Country styles. “Sarah’s, See Me Come Around is equal parts sultry and whimsical, a smoky, bluesy fold tune that rolls with a sort of mischievous loll. It’s both easy going and solid, the sort of song you can just lose yourself in. Elsewhere on Restless Restless Blues, Levecque’s music moves at a slow, steady honky tonk pace. There’s and immense steadiness about these songs, but also a sort of undeniable force, like a slow-moving freight train”. -Victor D. Infante, Worcester Telegram News
The 2014 CD release, Beautiful Defeat has the same Americana Roots based sound as her first release but is lyrically more complex . These perspectives are from darker places. These songs demand more of the listeners attention. Sarah has opened for Eilen Jewell, Tommy Malone of the Subdudes and Carolyn Wonderland. She continues to write and evolve as a musician.
Nicole Sutka is a respected musician of the New England music community. With a sense of soul and musical improvisation, she makes her mark. Her talent and emotion represented in her work does not go unnoticed. Her songs are a of blend Hip-Hop, Jazz, prog-rock and indie-rock. Her abilities vocally are spellbinding and empowering, her vocals always are derived from feeling and spirit. Same can be said for her talents on wood-winds and bass, she never fails to put genuine intensity into her work.
She started her musical exploration with woodwinds at the age of 4. Following with electric bass in high-school when her band director had given a 1960's Fender Precision bass to play with in the Jazz band. Nicole continued her passion for music by studying jazz and musical education at Umass Amherst. Nicole studied jazz and improvisation with Archie Shepp and Yusef Lateef, her style of playing reflects the influences of both of these great mentors. Nicole has performed as the bassist, flutist and vocalist in the groups; Fat Man Tow, For Chameleon (with Joe Nelson and Matt Dean), Soul Purpose (with Eric Krasno of Soulive), East Coast Edge Machine (with Rob Mitzner, Audrey Ryan and Nate Cronin), Hilary Noble, Ken LaRoche, D-licks, George Lesiw, the smile makers, Luscious Lushes, Secret Sage, Gov't Surplus and Fusion Junction, R&B Cookbook (Chet Williamson and Dwight Perry), Wilbur and the Dukes, The Jim Devlin Band, Niki Luparelli, da Funk (with Mike Gianfriddo and Scott Marshall), Lisa Marie, and AGS (Adamsson, Gianfriddo, Sutka). She has recorded with Paddy Saul, James Kamal Jones and MC Mike D, Secret Sage, and Stone Lily. Nicole released a self-titled CD of original music in the fall of 2014 that can be found on iTunes and Amazon.
Helen Sheldon Beaumont was born in Vermont and grew up in rural Ohio on a farm. She began singing in a small church in Ohio at the age of 7. She studied vocal performance at The College of Wooster and Capital University. She plays woodwinds and guitar, but her specialty is tambourine and foot stomping. Her influence as a singer comes from gospel, soul, and traditional American blues, bluegrass and country.
She has performed in New England for the past 10 years in a myriad of bands as a special guest singer with Rockabilly and Ska bands from around the world. Helen collaborates with many regional artists and has performed all over Worcester at Start on the Street, Canal Fest, The Worcester Art Museum, Wachusett Mountain, Vincents, Ralphs and Nicks Bar.
Facebook - Brother Zack & Sister Helen
Facebook - Guns of Navarone
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Amanda Cote's been making waves in the New England area, playing solo shows across Massachusetts and New Hampshire the last couple years, and people are taking notice. Her performances are soulful, emotional, and a hell of a lot of fun! Whether it's in a restaurant, pub, wedding, or concert hall, she's sure to wow with the sheer honesty and power in her voice while accompanying herself on her Martin guitar.
"Besides writing her own songs, Cote has covered Bonnie Raitt, Gloria Gaynor, Randy Newman and even Aerosmith. She brings her powerful, blues-infused style to any song she chooses to perform."
— David Niles, Telegram & Gazette
Monica McNamara grew up in Worcester County, singing, dancing, modeling and acting, before moving to California to pursue a degree in Television and Radio Broadcasting. She began working for 495 Productions/MTV Networks and did Non-profit work for VH1's "Save The Music" program, which is dedicated to restoring music programs in America’s public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child’s complete education. She worked behind the scenes on television events such as "VH1's Diva's Live" before heading back to her New England roots where she is currently singing and making music with Matt McManamon in various projects and bands, including Northern Company and The Night Owls. Monica hopes to someday restore an old Farmhouse into a concert venue/cultural community center for the arts and entertainment, keeping music alive in her own special way.
Kayla Daly is a masters level board certified music therapist and licensed mental health counselor located in Worcester. She is the owner and director of the Worcester Center for Expressive Therapies, and teaches within the music therapy program at Anna Maria College. Her research and work are devoted to creating a safe therapeutic environment where people from all walks of life can discover the musician within themselves. She is honored and excited to be a part of the Women of Worcester concert!
Facebook - Worcester Center for Expressive Therapies