SUNY Purchase Graduate Samara Joy Strikes Big at the Grammys
A SUNY Purchase graduate, jazz starlet Samara Joy, made big news on Sunday night when she won the coveted Best New Artist category at the GRAMMYs. It was one of Joy’s two big wins for the night; the other being a Best Vocal Jazz Album win for her highly acclaimed 2022 “Linger Awhile” record with Verve Records. Her sultry vocals have been compared to the likes of Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday.
The Bronx resident is a recent graduate of Purchase’s jazz studies department and, in addition to performing across the U.S. and Europe, she has also played locally – including at the 2021 JazzFest White Plains organized by ArtsWestchester, the City of White Plains and the White Plains BID.
Joy will be honored by ArtsWestchester on April 19 during its annual Arts Award ceremony, which has highlighted the Westchester impact of big names in arts and culture for the past 47 years.
About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest private not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue. artsw.org