Merriday to Celebrate Female Jazz Greats for UF Performance

The University of Findlay will present “A Night of All That Jazz” featuring Dr. Jodi Merriday in “HERStory” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 in Old Main’s Ritz Auditorium.

Admission will be $10 at the door and free for those with a valid UF I.D.

Through song, featuring an upright bassist as accompanist, narrative, and the use of multimedia, Merriday will showcase the powerful story of women in jazz music. For her UF performance, one will hear the stories and voices of jazz greats, from Billie Holiday to Nina Simone as this accomplished vocalist “gives life” to their voices to sing again.

Merriday is one of the most provocative and colorful vocal poets to emerge in her generation. On her website at www.jodimerriday.com, she explains that she identifies vocally “with jazz and aspires to create narrative bodies of work that provoke consciousness, deliberation and love.”

A scholar of African-American aesthetics and culture, she has taught at several universities, including Gordon and Spellman colleges; and has lectured at institutions such as Georgia State University and The Art Institute of Philadelphia. She earned a doctorate in African-American studies from Temple University in 2006. The title of her dissertation was “Hip Hop HerStory: Women in Hip Hop Cultural Production and Music from Margins to Equity.”

At the show’s conclusion, audience members will have the opportunity to meet Merriday.

Ritz Auditorium, located on Old Main’s second floor, is accessible via an elevator located on the building’s southwest side.

Merriday’s performance is presented by The University of Findlay’s Campus Program Board, a student-led group that strives to bring high-quality, diverse entertainment to campus. Call (419) 434-4606 for more information.