West Hartford's Alita Moses Wins Jazz Voice Competition in Switzerland

West Hartford's Alita Moses, a rising senior at University of the Arts used her transformative vocals and natural grace to amaze judges during the 2014 Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition in Switzerland over the weekend.

The prestigious voice competition, held during the 48th Montreux Jazz Festival, heralds applications from young jazz vocalists from more than 40 countries and boasts an international panel of professional musicians as judges. During the competition, Moses showed her amazing range through performances of jazz standards "Four" and "Someone to Watch Over Me" and her lively rendition of "Amour T’es La."

This year's semifinals boasted a talented group of nine vocalists from across the world. The group was then narrowed to four singers who competed in the finals on July 12 where a panel, led by acclaimed blues singer Sweet Georgia Brown, selected Moses as the first prize winner. 

 "From the first day that Alita arrived on campus, she demonstrated exceptional musical abilities and personal character, a thirst for learning, and a professional attitude," Jeff Kern, head of the Voice Department at University of the Arts said in a press release. "She has taken advantage of numerous opportunities within our University to continue to develop into a complete musician and person, poised to make a difference in society and in our profession."

Moses draws her confidence and versatility from her training in vocal performance at the University of the Arts, performing at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition in New York City, working with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and collaborating with r&b, indie and pop bands around Philadelphia’s diverse music scene.

The international voice competition, open to professional singers under the age of 35, was founded in 2003 by Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs to give a stage to young singers on which to "break out" and form connections with other young jazz artists.  First prize includes a recording session at Balik Farms Studio, a cash prize, a choice of Shure products and an invitation to the Montreux Jazz Academy.