VIRGINIA BEACH — Zeiders American Dream Theater (The Z), in partnership with JazzVoice.com, celebrates its fifth annual Virginia Beach Vocal Jazz Summit June 5-8.
Grammy-winning Samara Joy returns to this year’s summit as a headliner, marking another reunion between her and Vocal Jazz Summit Co-Director Alexis Cole, Joy’s first vocal jazz teacher when she was a student at SUNY Purchase.
It was at SUNY Purchase where, at the age of 17, Joy decided to take her first-ever jazz voice lesson with then-Professor Cole. Now, year after year, attendees at the Virginia Beach Vocal Jazz Summit benefit from this personal relationship that began as student and teacher, watching Joy shine on stage and hearing anecdotes from the young Grammy-winner’s soaring career.
Cole shares, “Samara embodies what the Vocal Jazz Summit is about! Dedication to the craft of singing and the history of Jazz, plus love for the community and a humble countenance. It’s thrilling for a teacher to see her student come so far!”
The Vocal Jazz Summit is a premier performance and education conference specifically designed for jazz vocalists of all levels — from those who sing for the pure love of it, to those who gig professionally every night.
Due to Joy’s special connection with Cole, she has been part of the summit almost every year since its inception. In fact, last year, during an exclusive Meet & Greet for summit attendees, Joy shared, “I think [my career] can honestly be marked by my time at the Vocal Jazz Summit.”
Army veteran Cole, founder of JazzVoice.com, and Virginia Beach producer Brydge, of Zeiders American Dream Theater, have created an amazing June 2025 lineup of Grammy-winning and nominated artists including Samara Joy, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, René Marie & Christie Dashiell alongside a schedule of workshops, masterclasses, and jam sessions at this richly packed annual conference.
Brydge remarks: “It has been an honor and a joy to see the summit come to life from the ground up. Watching it evolve into a meaningful milestone for both emerging and established artists has been incredibly rewarding. The Vocal Jazz Summit is more than a celebration of this beloved art form — it’s becoming a stepping stone for talented artists, like the extraordinary Samara Joy.”
Nurturing vocalists at all stages of their journey, giving them a place to connect with their community, and helping them harness their potential is why the summit was created. As the Vocal Jazz Summit has grown from a virtual gathering to an international in-person summit, Samara Joy epitomizes the summit’s mission. Through her years as a student of Cole, and partner and performer at the Vocal Jazz Summit, she has grown into a multi-Grammy award-winning artist, and her return to the summit year after year highlights the special nature of that student-teacher relationship.
HISTORY OF THE VOCAL JAZZ SUMMIT:
Cole served in the U.S. Army from 2009 to 2015 as the vocalist with the West Point Band’s big band, The Jazz Knights. Since then, she has built a notable career as both a performer and educator. During the height of the COVID pandemic, she pioneered an online vocal jazz educational ecosystem that brought together vocalists from around the world with a team of her jazz vocalist peers & educators and founded JazzVoice.com.
Liz Brydge, a pillar of the 757 Arts scene and nonprofit Zeiders American Dream Theater’s Music and Community Series Producer, has been a part of The Z’s team since the beginning and sustains a robust jazz singing career of her own.
Brydge and The Z’s first Artistic Director, Bart Kuebler, who served in the Army as a musician with Alexis Cole, conceived of the Vocal Jazz Summit. They noticed a gaping hole in the educational and artistic offerings for jazz vocalists and wanted to fill it with a dedicated event at Zeiders American Dream Theater. It was then that they reached out to Cole and worked toward the first Summit in 2021, which was completely virtual due to the pandemic. Now in its fifth year, the Vocal Jazz Summit is fast becoming the premier vocal performance and education conference in the U.S. and beyond, with attendees coming from as far away as Brazil, Japan and Australia.
Thursday, June 5
5-9 p.m. — Jam Session (free & open to the public to watch)
Friday, June 6
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. — Beach Day + Brunch at Tides Coastal Kitchen
5 p.m. — Mixer & Registration Opens
6:30 p.m. — Kate McGarry & Theo Bleckmann Concert: The Art of the Duo
8:30 p.m. — Jam Session hosted by Paul Jost
Saturday, June 7
10 a.m. — Kate McGarry Workshop
11:30 a.m. — Theo Bleckmann Improvisation Workshop
2:30 p.m. — Paul Jost Rhythm Workshop
4 p.m. — René Marie Masterclass — René Marie will share her unique approach to singing and performance and work live with students.
7:30 p.m. — Samara Joy Performance (Chrysler Hall)*
10 p.m. — Jam Session
Sunday, June 8
10 a.m. — Ultimate Live Singer Workshop with Matt Baker
11:30 a.m. — Lydia Liebman Publicity Workshop
2:30 p.m. — Christie Dashiell Masterclass — Christie Dashiell will share her unique approach to singing and performance and work live with students.
4 p.m. — Jam Session
7 p.m. — Ella Celebration Concert featuring Christie Dashiell & René Marie
8:30 p.m. — Farewell Party at Bravo Italian Kitchen
TICKETS
The Vocal Jazz Summit runs Thursday, June 5 – Sunday, June 8. All-access passes unlock all the workshops, panels, performances, and events in one low price! Individual tickets to concerts and jam sessions are also available for purchase. Senior, Student and Military discounts are available to keep our event accessible to more people. Learn more at vocaljazzsummit.org.
Zeiders American Dream Theater is located at 4509 Commerce St., Virginia Beach, VA 23462
VOCAL JAZZ SUMMIT: Fifth annual conference
The Vocal Jazz Summit brings together emerging and established artists, industry leaders, and vocal jazz fans for a unique, intensive weekend dedicated to performance, connection, and education. Co-directors Alexis Cole and Liz Brydge organize the conference events, with workshops and masterclasses scheduled alongside non-stop performances and jam sessions.
ABOUT ZEIDERS AMERICAN DREAM THEATER
Zeiders American Dream Theater (The Z) is a Virginia-based nonprofit committed to developing, producing, and celebrating new works and emerging artists to ignite creative growth in our community. The Z is founded on the belief that the imagination, passion, and discipline of creativity are essential to the growth of individuals and communities in all successful endeavors — artistic and beyond. Our mission comes to life through the Vocal Jazz Summit, Signature Series events and Artistic Opportunities, that make us a creative home for our community — artists and audiences alike.
Zeiders American Dream Theater is funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach through a grant from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission. Additional contributing sponsors include Audacy and Mitsa Group.
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