Pianist Suzzette Ortiz proudly hosts “Jazz in the Wood,”

Please join us on Thursday, March 5th, 2025, as we welcome

harpist Gloria Galante and her group.

at the

Collingswood Community Center,

30 Collings Ave, Collingswood, NJ 08108.

Doors at 7pm. The concert starts at 7:30 pm and ends at 9:00 pm.

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students are FREE!

About Gloria Galante:

Versatile and dynamic as a performer, deeply committed to teaching community and using the harp as an instrument of healing, Gloria Galante is inspiring.

Who first inspired Gloria Galante to play Jazz was her piano teacher, Miss Alice Shinn (from the University of the Arts). She would teach Gloria to play classical pieces from Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. She introduced her to Fats Waller, Pine Top Smith and Scott Joplin. She loved plying those pieces. Miss Shinn bargained with her to first learn a classical piece to perfection then was awarded with a jazz piece Gloria signed up for the high school Symphonic Orchestra two weeks before classes began. The teacher stated the available instruments were the Trombone, Tuba, or Harp. Gloria started harp lessons at Cardinal Dougherty High School. The school owned a beautiful Lyon and Healy Harp Style 17 in natural wood with ornate carvings and a gold decal on the soundboard. Gloria transferred her jazz pieces on the harp when time permitted.

Gloria signed up for the jazz jam at the Blue Note on Limekiln Pike in 1986 hosted by Bob Perkins. When it was her turn to play with the band consisting of Tyrone Brown, Bass, Jim Miller, Drums, Duke Wilson ,Percussion and Jeannie Brooks, vocals it turned into a whole set. Gloria joined Tyrone Browns group called Kusangala and her jazz career began in Philadelphia.

Gloria has toured worldwide performing Jazz, Classical, Latin, African ad Pop genres. She has appeared with such great stars as Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Jose Feliciano, Luther Vandross, Odean Pope, Tyrone Brown, Cecil Bridgewater, Warren Oree, Monnette Sudler to name a few.