Vocalist, songwriter Elizabeth Lamers to perform at Troesh

On Wed., April 12 at 7 p.m., Lamers will perform at La Sierra’s Troesh Conference Center accompanied by Pierce Street Jazz regulars Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Ramon Banda on Drums.

Lamers has performed internationally as a backup singer with Linda Rondstandt, John Denver, Christopher Cross and other noted artists. She has performed in many prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall in London, Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Sidney Opera House, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. She has also contributed vocally to Warner Brothers cartoons such as “Animaniacs,” Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck characters, and “The Big Cartooney Show.”

Lamers has received several awards and acclaim throughout her career as a songwriter. The song “Too Much Love Will Kill You,” performed by rock band Queen and which Lamers co-wrote with Frank Musker and Queen guitarist Brian May, received the platinum album award and the United Kingdom’s Ivor Novello Award. She is also known for her work on the song “Soweto,” by Jeffrey Osborne which was on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Franklin has organized the Pierce Street Jazz concerts at La Sierra University since their inception as a summer jazz series in 2009. His broad experience includes recordings on more than 150 albums and compact discs including gold releases, many of which he produced.

Saunders, one of the busiest pianists in the music business, has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals and concert halls with distinguished artists including Freddie Hubbard, Carla Bley, David “Fathead” Newman, Barbara Morrison, Gladys Knight, and many others. He has directed music for opera productions and international musical theatre. As a composer, Saunders has numerous compositions to his credit as well as original scores for theatre, radio and multimedia production.

Banda performed 24 years with the Grammy award-winning Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band. He is a current band member with famed jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco. Banda grew up in Norwalk, Calif., part of a large musical family. Over the past two decades, Ramon has performed on more than 22 recordings and recorded and played with such music greats as Dizzie Gillespie, Tito Puente, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Arturo Sandoval, Diana Reeves and others.

Pierce Street Jazz admission is free. The concert will take place at the Troesh Conference Center, Zapara School of Business. For further information, call 951-785- 2148. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. A campus map is available at https://lasierra.edu/campus-map/.