Rita di Ghent - Bio



Latest CD, "The Birth of Sprawl" is available at participating HMV stores.

Monikers:  "Little Miss Phrase-ology"
           "The uncategorizable Ms. di Ghent"

OVERVIEW

Since 1990 Toronto-based Rita di Ghent has enjoyed a professional career 
as a jazz bandleader, vocalist, composer and teacher. She made her New 
York performance debut in 1993 as a special guest with Verve recording 
artist Mark Ledford; she formed her indie label, Groove, in 1995 and 
released her debut CD, Mindin' the Shop.  Her new release on the Groove 
label, The Birth of Sprawl, was produced by Nick Blagona (Dizzy Gillespie, 
Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Cleo Laine, Barbara Streisand and others).

Rita has studied with many great musicians at several highly 
distinguished institutions and holds BFA and MA degrees.  She regularly 
produces and performs in large-scale shows. Some of her recent productions 
include Two Generations of Jazz, a double-bill with bebop great, Sheila 
Jordan, The Great Jazz Piano and Voice Series, and The Canadian 
Independent Jazz Vocal Artists (CIJVA) Showcase.  In the summer of 1998 
Rita toured with the self-written and produced show, Great Ladies of Jazz.  
In 1999 Rita undertook a 10-city Canadian jazz festival tour and was 
nominated for the prestigious Montreal Jazz Festival's Prix de Jazz. 

In the summer of 2000, Rita will be touring nationally with Sheila Jordan.  
In the fall, the two singers will be touring Asia.

Rita di Ghent web site

TRAINING

BFA (York University)
MA (University of Toronto)
Royal Conservatory of Music (1994-1995)
Banff Centre for the Arts (1993,1995,1997)
Studied with Frank Falco, Don Thompson, Hugh Fraser, Robin Eubanks, Kenny 
Wheeler, Keith Copeland, Reggie Workman, Pat LaBarbera, Mick Godrick, 
Sheila Jordan.

Worked with Victor Bailey, Mark Ledford, Jeff Haines, Dave Young, Hugh 
Fraser, Don Thompson, Sheila Jordan, Mike Murley, Rainee Lee, Steve Wallace, 
Keiron Overs, , and has sung in Anthony Braxton's orchestra.

AWARD AND DISTINCTIONS

Prix de Jazz Nominee (Montreal Jazz Festival, 1999)
Canada Council Touring Grant (1999)
Ontario Arts Council Popular Music Grant for Recording (1996)
Canada Council Contact Grant (1996)
Canada Council Project Grant (1995)
FACTOR Independent Recording Artists Loan (1995)
FACTOR Compilation CD Grant (1992)
Banff Scholarship (1993)
Dean's List (York University)

DISCOGRAPHY

Mindin' the Shop (1995, Groove)
Rhythms, Riffs and Rhymes (York Artists Signature Series, 1996)
The Birth of Sprawl (1999, Groove)

Select reviews

"The coolest jazz diva on the scene."  (Ottawa X-Press)

"A coveted Canadian treasure." (The Jazz Review)

"A jazz iconoclast."  (NOW)

"Electrifying... extraordinarily compelling."  (The South China Morning Post)

For more information, please contact  Franz F. Wong (see address below).

Rita di Ghent
C/o Groove Productions
192 Seaton St, Toronto, ON   Canada  M5A 2T4
tel:  416-921-7819

Groove Productions
"...keeping one foot in the future and one foot in the past!"