Montreux Master
Aubrey Logan, 2009 Shure-Montreux Jazz Voice Competition winner, performs at Berklee's Burt Bacharach tribute concert in March 2009.
Photo by Phil Farnsworth
Cue the fanfare—though this singer could play it herself. On July 14, 2009, Berklee trombone principal Aubrey Logan won the prestigious Shure-Montreux Jazz Voice Competition in Switzerland.
The engaging performer also won the Public's Choice award. Berklee student Charles Turner placed third.
The competition was part of the Montreux Jazz Festival, a world-class event that's featured artists ranging from Miles Davis and Ray Charles to Prince and David Bowie. The festival holds competitions for singers, guitarists, and pianists; winners are widely considered to be promising young musicians in the jazz world.
It's not Logan's first splash. The Seattle native won a "Golden Ticket" to Hollywood on American Idol this winter. She played and sang at this year's famous Boston Pops Fourth of July show with jazz quartet Syncopation. On campus, she's been featured in a Burt Bacharach tribute concert, the Phil Wilson Rainbow Band, the Tower of Power Ensemble, and the Singers Showcase. Logan attends Berklee on a full scholarship.
"She's quite an amazingly talented young lady," said Tom Plsek, chair of the Brass Department, calling her a "double threat."
Past Berklee Montreux competition winners include guitarists Federico Casagrande '06, Jake Hertzog '07, and Jeff Miles '08.