Dawn Holt Lauber

Dawn Holt Lauber was hailed as "exquisite" by Howard Reich of The Chicago Tribune for the world premiere performance of William Russo's Jubilatem with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. Ms. Lauber also performed with the CJE in Russo's Chicago Suite 2 and Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts. The soprano first performed Ellington's Sacred Concerts at The Riverside Church of New York City, which ignited an interest in sacred jazz. In 2015, Ms. Lauber was soloist for the 50th anniversary of Ellington's Sacred Concerts at Wheaton College. At the Riverside Church, she was also a soloist in Bach's Magnificat, Mozart's C Minor Mass, and Faure's Requiem, and performed there in 2015 in a solo concert featuring her new recording of original songs, Joy. In the upcoming feature length film, The Rocket, Ms. Lauber portrays Carol Davis, mom to a high school football player who must find a new life purpose after his future plans are suddenly lost. Her Chicago appearances include The Chicago Humanities Festival in Noyes Fludde, premiere of The Jazz Passion with Churchjazz, in a jazz recital with the Artist Series at Wheaton College, and the Midwest premiere of Wynton Marsalis' Abyssinian 200 at the College of DuPage's MAC Theatre. Solo recordings include Joy (original sacred songs), Something Borrowed, Something Blue (wedding music with Albany Records), Heavenly (American jazz standards), and Everlasting (jazz hymns and spirituals). A frequent speaker, soloist, and worship leader, Ms. Lauber received a BA in English Literature from Wheaton College and an MM in Vocal Performance from the Hartt School of Music. Her poetry has appeared in The Christian Century, among other publications. Numerous benefit concerts have supported World Vision, World Bicycle Relief, the Jimmy Carter Foundation, Chicago;s Cornerstone Counseling Center, and the Student Global AIDS Campaign.