Praised by The L.A. Jazz Scene as a musical duo that can “draw out the beauty in the rich melodies and play the music...with taste, sensitivity, and a real affection for the idiom,” Ivory&Gold® celebrates the greatest examples of American jazz, blues, ragtime, Broadway and hits from the Great American Songbook. Internationally renowned American musical performer and historian Max Morath calls Ivory&Gold® “musically flawless.”
The duo, consisting of Anne Barnhart on flute and vocals with Jeff Barnhart on piano and vocals, was formed in 2001 to perform to great acclaim at the prestigious annual Jazz Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho. Subsequently, Ivory&Gold® has been invited to appear in hundreds of venues from coast-to-coast including The Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, AZ, the Twin Falls Center for the Arts, The Tempe Center for the Arts, The Kerr Cultural Arts Center in Phoenix, AZ, The Tulsa Performing Arts Center, the Wolfboro Friends of Music Concert Series in Wolfboro, NH, and an annual concert at the Reutlinger-Brune Victorian Palace in San Francisco to name a few.
Engagements outside the US have included concerts and workshops in Kigali, Rwanda (at the request of the Swiss Ambassador), a feature in Caesarea, Israel and the 400-year-old concert venue Zunfthaus Zur Waag in Zurich. Ivory&Gold® is well known in the UK, appearing in Selby Abbey in York, The CatStrand Theatre in New Galloway, the Buccleuch Theatre in Langholm, the Darlington Arts Centre in Darlington and both Neal’s Yard and the Pheasantry in London.
Individually, Anne and Jeff could not have come from more disparate musical backgrounds. Anne is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music. Following extensive master-class experience performing for such world famous artists as Jeffrey Khaner and Goran Marcusson, Anne participated under Ransom Wilson in the Academie International d’ete de Nice held in Nice, France. Anne is a member of the International Who’s Who in Music and Musicians in the Classical and Light-Classical Fields. Anne’s teachers include Vanita Hall-Jones, John Wion and Ransom Wilson. She is lauded for her impeccable tone and phrasing and effortless virtuosity.
Jeff Barnhart is a highly regarded pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, recording artist, composer, pedagogue and entertainer. Jeff began his professional career at age 14 performing throughout New England at jazz clubs and restaurants as a soloist and with ensembles. He continued to maintain a busy performing schedule while earning a double bachelor’s degree in Music and English (Summa Cum Laude) from Connecticut College. He earned his Master’s in Education from the same school, but found that teaching English got in the way of his real love: performing, composing and teaching music! He is on the road performing over 300 shows a year in all corners of the globe, many of them featuring Ivory&Gold®.
Ivory&Gold® has played to packed houses on 6 of the 7 continents in every imaginable scenario. This husband-and-wife team continues to thrill audiences with music, history and humor, enjoying a hectic schedule of concert, festival, and private home appearances scheduled into 2014. The Barnharts’ versatility and rapport create an incomparable listening experience for all ages and in all settings, from an intimate 20 person gathering to a 2000 patron event.
Along with exciting concerts on land, Ivory&Gold® has performed at sea on cruises with, among others, the exclusive Peter Deilmann, Regent, and Crystal Cruise lines.
A typical concert will feature a wide variety of styles from Ragtime to Swing, Broadway to Gospel. As a duo, Ivory&Gold boasts 8 recordings: 2 ragtime CDs, an all-Broadway ballad recording, two collections of love songs, a Christmas CD, Journeys, and their newest duo effort, Just in Time. In addition, both Anne and Jeff appear on the prestigious USA based Arbors Records label.
www.ivoryandgold.net
