“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
McFerrin here Jan. 31-Feb. 2

By Charlotte Crystal

So much talent, so little time! Bobby McFerrin vaulted onto the world music stage in the 1980s with his chart-topping single, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” His life has zoomed along at a lively tempo ever since.

The son of classical singers, McFerrin has captivated audiences over the past two decades with solo a cappella performances that push the limits of the human voice. An accomplished musician, he also plays piano, composes and arranges music, serves as a guest conductor for classical symphony orchestras around the world, and performs solo and in concert with various ensembles.

The University of Virginia Arts Board 2002, a collaborative student-faculty initiative, is bringing the multi-talented McFerrin to U.Va. for a three-day residency, Jan. 31 through Feb. 2. Classes and workshops are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, space permitting.

Tickets for McFerrin’s two concerts are now on sale at Newcomb Hall Box Office. Beginning Jan.23, they also will be available at Cabell Hall Box Office, Greenberry’s in the Barracks Road Shopping Center, and via the Internet at wsww.musictoday.com.

“The critics in Germany call him Stimmwunder (wonder voice), and it’s not hard to understand why. There is something almost superhuman about the range and technique of jazz vocalist McFerrin. He sounds, by turns, like a blackbird, a Martian, an operatic soprano, a small child and a be-bop trumpet,” according to a review in Newsweek.

In recent years, he has spent more time on symphonic conducting, making his debut in 1990 with the San Francisco Symphony. Since then, he has conducted every major American orchestra as well as several prominent international orchestras throughout Europe, including the London Philharmonic, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Danish Radio Orchestra.

He has collaborated with jazz artists, such as Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis, performed with classical musicians, such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and cut records with a broad array of other performers, including Garrison Keillor and Jack Nicholson.

With his four-and-a-half-octave range, energy and creativity involving spur-of-the-moment improvisation and audience participation, McFerrin’s performances promise to entertain.