Samara Joy
A Joyful Holiday
Featuring The McLendon Family
“Joy has an immaculately smooth, perfectly pitched delivery that leans heavily toward tradition, but at the same time emits a youthful quality and unique phrasing behind new arrangements.” Making a Scene
At only 24, her voice is wise beyond her years — a reincarnation of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, with a special something all her own. The New York Times praises Joy for “helping jazz take a youthful turn,” while NPR calls her a “classic jazz singer from a new generation.”
The three-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist will make her Penn State debut with a performance of her third annual A Joyful Holiday featuring the McLendon Family.
A Joyful Holiday will feature a festive mix of sacred and secular with selections from her 2023 EP A Joyful Holiday (Verve Records), along with several gospel-inspired seasonal favorites.
She will perform alongside her “first role models,” including her father Antonio McLendon, with a backing group featuring Shedrick Mitchell on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass, and Charles Haynes on drums.
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Patricia Best and Thomas Ray
Support provided by
John L. Brown Jr. and Marlynn Steele Sidehamer Endowment
McQuaide Blasko Endowment
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William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support
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