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| By: |
mrembo |
| Category: |
Entertainment |
| Added: |
Sun.Jul.2007 |
| Views: |
336 |
| Story: |
Chief Musician Yolanda C. Pelzer, a native of Columbia, S.C., is the vocalist with the Navy Band's "Commodores" jazz ensemble in Washington, D.C. She works on the command's productions team as the supply assistant. Singled out at age five by Ella Fitzgerald to join her onstage to sing "A Tiskit, A Tasket," Chief Pelzer decided two years later to pursue a vocal career after hearing a performance by Diana Ross. At 16, she sang lead roles in Ain't Misbehavin' and Purlie, and in 1990, she helped produce a three-part series for the South Carolina Public Broadcasting Service, with segments on "Latch-Key Kids," "AIDS Awareness," and a "Children's Fantasy Adventure." Chief Pelzer enlisted in the Army in 1990 and was assigned as a Patriot Missile crewmember to Heidelberg, Germany. The following year she joined the Soldier's Chorus and toured Belgium, Holland, Spain, France and Turkey. She transferred in 1993 to the Military Academy Band at West Point where she served as the vocalist for the Jazz Knights. She was a featured soloist at the 1993 Army-Navy football game and also performed for President Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Helmut Kohl. She received the Best Actress Award in a drama competition at South Carolina State University and also received the "Young, Gifted and Black" award for excellence in drama from the Columbia Urban League. Chief Pelzer enlisted in the Navy in 1995 and joined the Commodores on their tour of seven midwestern states. She has been a featured vocalist at the annual Navy Birthday and Holiday Concerts at DAR Constitution Hall. She has performed on 10 national tours and appeared with the group in Dublin, Ireland, in July 1998. A regular at performances hosted by the Chief of Naval Operations, Chief Pelzer has become of favorite of hosts and guests alike, including military and government officials from this country and abroad. |
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