In the future, you might expect to pay ticket prices of $100 or more to hear 2017 “Showtime at the Apollo” winner Alexis Morrast. The 16-year-old Plainfield resident, a student at the Plainfield Academy of the Arts & Advanced Studies, will appear on October 21, 2017 at the Watchung Arts Center at a ticket price more pleasing to the purse. The opening act for the evening will be “Amani”: Marty Eigen on saxophone, Fred Fischer on keyboards, vocalist Stephen Fuller and Flip Peters on guitar, in addition to bassist Ben Reubens and drummer Nick Scheuble. The concert begins at 8:00 PM, and will be followed by a dessert reception and an opportunity to meet Alexis Morrast and the musicians.
Alexis began singing in church at the age of three, performing her first solo in the adult choir by age seven. Since that time Alexis has performed on several stages: the U.S. Open in 2013; the 2015 Central Jersey Jazz Festival in New Brunswick, NJ, featuring trumpet player Sean Jones; NJPAC with Christian McBride; the world-renowned Apollo Theatre, where she emerged as two-time Amateur Night winner and later returned as their Special Guest. In February 2017, she was named the winner of “Showtime at the Apollo”, which was nationally televised on FOXTV and hosted by Steve Harvey. Alexis’ resounding tone was heard on the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola with jazz legend Barry Harris, and most recently abroad in Cape Town, South Africa.
Despite her young age, Alexis has had the opportunity to “sit in” or work with greats such as Ray Chew, Amina Figorova, Alvester Garnett and the incredible Bertha Hope. She studied under Conrad Herwig, taking part in several jazz events and venues. She has felt “blessed, honored [and] humbled” to have been able to meet-and-greet countless musicians and performers including Dionne Warwick, Lalah Hathaway, Twinkie Clark, Danny Mixon and Randy Weston.
Alexis’ first artistic influences were her mom, dad, and her aunt Vernell, a recording artist in the group Koffee Brown. She counts Stevie Wonder, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Lalah Hathaway among the many artists whose instrumental genius, raw vocal talents or a combination of the two have influenced her own musical style.
Tickets for this performance are $18 in advance, $22 ($20 for WAC members, $10 for students) at the door. Purchase tickets securely through Eventbrite, or by mailing a check to the Watchung Arts Center. Please include an email address with mail orders. During our office hours, you may also purchase tickets in person.
The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, or for our office hours, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.
