Ryan ChartrandAward-winning singer and Cal Poly alumna Inga Swearingen will give a vocal jazz master class from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursday, in room 218 of the Davidson Music Center.
Though Swearingen will not be performing, she will be present to host the open class that will feature the talents of several student vocalists. Accompanying the vocalists will be bassist Doug Lee, a civil engineering major, music minor and member of Cal Poly’s University Jazz Band No. 1.
“For students who are interested in singing, this will be an open class and an introduction to solo vocal jazz, the basic stylistic requirements for singing jazz lyrics, and viewing vocalists as storytellers,” Swearingen said.
Describing herself as “homegrown” – a native resident of San Luis Obispo – Swearingen attended Cuesta Community College and earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Cal Poly in 2002.
In 2003, Swearingen left for Switzerland to study under award-winning Swiss/Dutch singer Susanne Abbuehl. Later that year, Swearingen became the first to win the Shure Jazz Voice competition at the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival receiving both the vote of the judges and the audience: First Place and Prize of the Public.
Swearingen has also performed multiple times on the live National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor, giving Swearingen the opportunity to perform all over the country, according to her biography.
“Inga has a gorgeous voice, very fresh and evocative and note-perfect, and that sort of person you want to sing harmony to,” Keillor said in a press release.
In addition to several award-winning performances, Swearingen has self-produced two albums – “Learning How to Fly” with Trio 14 and Linda Vanasupa (2003) and “Reverie” with The Bill Peterson Trio (2005).
After Swearingen went on to earn a master’s degree in choral conducting from Florida State University, she decided to move back to San Luis Obispo.
“I grew up here, my family is here, and it’s a beautiful place to live,” said Swearingen of her decision to move back to the Central Coast. “Plus, it’s the perfect place to live in-between Los Angeles and San Francisco where I perform.”
Currently, Swearingen teaches vocal jazz classes at Cuesta College while hosting vocal workshops for Cal Poly music students on campus once a week.
In an effort to attract aspiring vocalists on campus, Swearingen and the music department have opened the special workshop for anyone who is interested. The master class is free, and is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department and College of Liberal Arts.