(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Grunin Center for the Arts presents Award-Winning Jazz Vocalist and Composer April Varner on Sunday, March 9, 2025 in the Gia Maione Prima Foundation Studio Theatre. She is recognizable by her curly red hair and voice of an "old soul", often brings her listeners to another place - one long ago when the giants of jazz were still gracing the stage. Showtime is 3:00pm.

Amassing several viral videos on her social media with a million+ views of her challenging solo transcriptions, cleverly crafted vocaleses and acapella renditions of the Great American Songbook, April’s voice can fit itself into a myriad of different molds.

One of the giants of jazz was the “First Lady of Song”, Ella Fitzgerald. Paving the way for generations upon generations to come in the realm of vocal jazz and improvisation, Ella has always been one of April’s biggest inspirations. Having won the 2023 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, this will be a night filled with Ella’s greatest hits and classics from the very beginning.

Join April Varner and her band for an afternoon of “April Sings Ella”—you won’t want to miss it!

Tickets are $28 (senior tickets for $24) and available for purchase online or by calling the Grunin Center Box Office at 732-255-0500.

At the age of 27, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition. She has performed/studied with many legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, and others. April graduated in May of 2022 with her Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of 2-time Grammy© nominated vocalist and teacher Theo Bleckmann. She recently received a 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition. She just released her debut album, awarded 4 out of 5 stars from one of the top jazz publications, Downbeat Magazine, “April by April Varner” (Cellar Live Record Label), and is available on all streaming platforms. Grammy-Award-winning drummer, producer, and educator Ulysses Owens Jr produced this genre-busting collection of all April-titled songs.

For 60 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.

Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon is made possible through funding from the Wintrode Family Foundation, the Ocean County College Foundation, and through support from the New Jersey Jazz Society.