Rio Clemente in Concert at the Watchung Arts Center

The Watchung Arts Center is proud to welcome the Bishop of Jazz, Rio Clemente, as he presents the first of three ImpresaRio Jazz Concert Series performances of the 2014-15 season, on Friday, November 21 at 8PM. The evening will include a dessert reception and an opportunity to meet Rio Clemente.
Additional performances in the ImpresaRIO Series are scheduled for Friday, March 6, 2015 and Friday, June 5, 2015.
Rio Clemente draws the audience up in a musical embrace and then takes them on an extraordinary journey of fanciful melodies and scintillating rhythms. As a master pianist, educator, composer, arranger and recording artist, Clemente mixes a strong classical background with a rich knowledge of jazz history, and then adds an amazing sense of creativity and interpretation. The result is a smorgasbord of music that is different from others, and nearly always produces a standing ovation and cries for “more.” With his passionate musicality, impressive technique and nimble facility at the keyboard, Rio brings something very special and decidedly unequalled to his audience.
Rio was a child prodigy who received a BMI scholarship for musical theatre and then continued his education at the Julliard School of Music. He went from Julliard to Nashville, where he spent two years as a performer and composer, making appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. After several television appearances, Rio advanced professionally to playing at several distinguished concert halls and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Manhattan’s famous Birdland and the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, as well as the Newport and JVC Jazz Festivals, and a memorable appearance at the White House. He regularly appears with groups such as The Morris Choral Society and Orchestra and at jazz venues from Manhattan to Cape Code and from Florida to California. He has composed three masses and three musicals of which his “Dobdinob” has been published and performed around the country. He has recorded for well-known labels and has published eight CDs under his own label, Etnemelc Music Productions.
A native of Morristown, NJ, Clemente is New Jersey’s own jewel of the jazz world. He is a member of the Morristown Hall of Fame, was named by the NJ Council of the Arts as an Outstanding Professional of the Year, and recognized as one of the “Top 40 New Jerseyans” by the New Jersey Monthly. He is a proud member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary at Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Tickets are $18 in advance, $22 ($20 WAC members, $10 students) at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at watchungartscenter.eventbrite. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops or monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.
The Watchung Arts Center is a multi-disciplinary performing arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area.