Swing meets samba at popular UF music benefit

December 8, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Sounds and cultures will converge for the Swing into Spring Gala benefit Feb. 19.

Presented by the University of Florida Friends of Music, the swing sounds will be provided by Director of UF Jazz Bands Scott Wilson, the UF Jazz Band and returning special guest Michael Andrew. Welson Tremura, a School of Music and Center for World Arts faculty member, will team up with Wilson in a special performance with a Latin flavor.

Andrew will headline the entertainment lineup. He was lead singer and bandleader at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York City, and performs with his own jazz band, and with orchestras and jazz bands around the globe.

Tremura joined UF’s Center for Latin American Studies in 2002 as a musician and educator. He is well-versed in Brazilian jazz, classical and vocal music as well as traditional European classical forms. He has performed extensively throughout Brazil, the United States, Europe and New Zealand.

In anticipation of higher attendance, Swing into Spring 2011 will be held for the first time in the Rion Ballroom at the Reitz Student Union on the UF campus.

“Swing into Spring is an opportunity for the music lovers in our community to dance, party with friends, listen to exceptional musicians and marvel at the talent of UF students and faculty, while supporting the School of Music,” said Cherie Fine, president of the Friends of Music.

Swing into Spring 2011 will be held from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $100 and include heavy hors d’ oeuvres, wine and beer, entertainment and an open dance floor. All proceeds benefit the UF School of Music (College of Fine Arts) through the Friends of Music, a group of patrons, supporters and friends of music education at the University of Florida.

For more information or reservations, call 352-846-1218 or visit www.arts.ufl.edu/fom/events. A portion of the ticket purchase is eligible for a charitable tax deduction.