The Great American Songbook with Jessica Ann Best & Alan Jones
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | Performance at 3 pm
SAVE THE DATE! Our first concert of 2025 will feature Jessica Ann Best and Alan Jones performing The Great American Songbook on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 3 pm! The concert is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $20 gratefully accepted at the door.
Jessica Ann Best and Alan Jones look forward to bringing the greatest hits and sweetest gems of The Great American Songbook to The Valley Music Series! Hailing from Rochester, New York, Jessica was pleased to sing the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah with Maestro Knapp in 2023. Ms. Best and Mr. Jones have toured the US singing the famed and beloved melodies of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, Jule Styne, Johnny Mercer, and more! They look forward to bringing tunes such as, “Wonderful Guy,” “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “Everytime We Say Goodbye,” “They Say It’s Wonderful,” and music you can dance to like “Too Darn Hot,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” to Brookfield! Known for their musicality and distinctive musical range, Ms. Best and Mr. Jones are a duo that define this musical style that so dearly clings to our hearts. You’ll want to be part of this intimate and beloved songbook experience that everyone can enjoy!
About Jessica Ann Best and Alan Jones:
Jessica Ann Best is a striking cross-disciplinary artist, performing nationwide in opera, musical theater, and jazz. Ms. Best premiered the roles of Mrs. Otis in Gordon Getty’s The Canterville Ghost with LA Opera, The Stepmother in Anton Coppola’s, Lady Swanwhite at Opera Tampa, and Alice in Alice Ryley, by Michael Ching, with the Savannah Voice Festival.
Ms. Best made her debut as Carmen in Carmen with Salt Marsh Opera in 2021. Ms. Best tours The Great American Songbook, singing with singer and pianist, Alan Jones, and author and radio host, Michael Lasser. She is a returning artist with Susie Mosher in The Lineup at the Birdland and a vocalist at Carnegie Hall, The Buffalo Philharmonic, The New Jersey Festival Orchestra, and the Savannah Voice Festival. The Florida Orchestra, The Santa Fe Opera, and The Savannah Music Festival. Ms. Best appears in the roles of Bessie and Mary Rivers in Louis Karchin’s Jane Eyre on Naxos. Ms. Best toured Poland in May 2023, singing and directing opera scenes with Nazareth University Opera in Rzesźow and Krakow. Ms. Best is an active recital artist and cultivates unique musical experiences for theaters and festivals. This summer, Ms. Best returned to the Savannah Voice Festival, singing in several concerts and stage directed the reading of a new opera, The Eleanors, by Jodi Goble and Michael Ching. She made her singing and directing debut as Madeline in Three Decembers by Jake Heggie with Buffalo Opera Unlimited in June 2024. Ms. Best recently started her own business, Stage Serenade LLC, where she serves as Artistic and Executive Director to bring new musical events to the Rochester region and beyond.
Ms. Best holds a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Nazareth College. She is a proud member of AEA and AGMA. Ms. Best is thankful to return to the Valley Music Series.
Alan Jones received his Bachelor degree in Theory/Composition and Voice Performance from the Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus, Ohio and his Masters in Music Education from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
He served as Director of Choral Music at Spencerport High School for thirty-two years where he directed the Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz and taught Music Theory and AP Music Theory. His Concert Choir regularly received “Gold with Distinction” awards at NYSSMA’s Major Organization Festival. Spencerport Vocal Jazz was New York’s only all a cappella high school vocal jazz ensemble and received top awards at music festivals across the country including the Berklee Jazz Festival in Boston. Alan is a recipient of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra “Choral Director of the Year” award and has multiple listings in Who’s Who of American Teachers.
Jones is Monroe County’s Vocal Jazz Coordinator and has served as NYSSMA’s Vocal Jazz Coordinator for thirty years where he has a critical role in the training of jazz vocalists and adjudicators across the state. He is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for conferences, school districts and county organizations. He has served as NYSSMA’s All-State Jazz Chair and is an All-State Vocal Jazz and Major Organization adjudicator.
Jones is an active vocalist/pianist/guitarist and performs a wide variety of music from classical to jazz. He’s the regular pianist/vocalist for the road productions of Michael Lasser’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm.” Mr. Lasser is a music historian, author and Peabody Award winning host of NPR’s nationally syndicated radio show that celebrates the Great American Songbook. Along with noted vocalist Jessica Ann Best, the three have performed concerts at universities, museums and arts centers nationwide.
Alan has two recordings and has been commissioned to write and perform the music of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin on their 100th birthday. Jones has been on the music staff at The Downtown United Presbyterian Church since 1980.
He served as Director of Choral Music at Spencerport High School for thirty-two years where he directed the Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz and taught Music Theory and AP Music Theory. His Concert Choir regularly received “Gold with Distinction” awards at NYSSMA’s Major Organization Festival. Spencerport Vocal Jazz was New York’s only all a cappella high school vocal jazz ensemble and received top awards at music festivals across the country including the Berklee Jazz Festival in Boston. Alan is a recipient of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra “Choral Director of the Year” award and has multiple listings in Who’s Who of American Teachers.
Jones is Monroe County’s Vocal Jazz Coordinator and has served as NYSSMA’s Vocal Jazz Coordinator for thirty years where he has a critical role in the training of jazz vocalists and adjudicators across the state. He is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for conferences, school districts and county organizations. He has served as NYSSMA’s All-State Jazz Chair and is an All-State Vocal Jazz and Major Organization adjudicator.
Jones is an active vocalist/pianist/guitarist and performs a wide variety of music from classical to jazz. He’s the regular pianist/vocalist for the road productions of Michael Lasser’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm.” Mr. Lasser is a music historian, author and Peabody Award winning host of NPR’s nationally syndicated radio show that celebrates the Great American Songbook. Along with noted vocalist Jessica Ann Best, the three have performed concerts at universities, museums and arts centers nationwide.
Alan has two recordings and has been commissioned to write and perform the music of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin on their 100th birthday. Jones has been on the music staff at The Downtown United Presbyterian Church since 1980.