Rachael Price November 2, 2007

Rachael Price is an up-and-coming artist who has received standing ovations worldwide, most recently at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Society of Singers' gala honoring Elton John. She was born in Australia, raised in Nashville, Tenn. and currently resides in Boston, Mass. where she attends the New England Conservatory, focusing on repertoire, improvisation and style.

"Growing up in Nashville, I learned to appreciate all kinds of music, but jazz hit an inner chord with me at the age of five," says Price. "I heard Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of The Lady is a Tramp. I didn't understand the lyrics, but I liked the feeling it gave me."

While in high school, Price was honored by the Grammy Foundation as a vocalist with the High School Grammy Jazz Choir in 2003. The next year, she was the youngest competitor at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and, in 2004, made her professional United States Jazz Festival debut at Yale University's Jazz on the Green.

In 2005, Price performed at the Shubert Organization's gala honoring Robert Goulet. Though Goulet was due to leave the event early and return to Broadway to appear in La Cage Aux Folles, he delayed his departure in order to sing with Price on stage. Together, they "brought the house down."

Price sings a varied repertoire. On her debut CD, Dedicated to You, Bad Habit is an upbeat swing arrangement about teenage angst. Another cut is a mid-range song, You Took Advantage of Me, which speaks of ambivalent love, and another is a bouncy, scat piece, People Will Say We're In Love.

"Jazz is sincere," she says. "You can convey, tell a story, with your voice."

$25, $30, $35, $45 & $50; (209) 831-6858; Box office hours Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance.

Official Website: http://www.atthegrand.org