User:VanessaCondeInfo/Vanessa Conde

Vanessa Conde(born October 24, 1975),is a classically trained dance music genre artist to 1st generation Dominican immigrants in Washington Heights New York City. Early Life:

By the age of five,Vanessa was dubbed the "entertainment" of her kidergarten peers. During grade school,her teacher, Douglas Weaver, began to teach Vanessa basic solfege and sacred songs for Mass. In high school,she then took singing lessons under Dr. Maredia Warren,an accomplished organist and music teacher. At age 17, Vanessa had been accepted into Westminster Choir College as a Vocal Performance Major, a prestigious music school in Princeton NJ. Though excited about her new school, Vanessa found the environment to be stifling and not conducive to the needs of minority musicians. Before transferring to Montclair State University, she helped her fellow students organize "Black & Hispanic Alliance" which still is in existence today. She was awarded the Campus Leadership Award in 2002. She then majored in Vocal Performance at Montclair and studied voice under former New York City Opera baritone Edward Pierson. After reaching her senior year in college,she had to leave college due to dire financial restraints.

As a classical vocalist, Vanessa's voice has no limitations performing Italian arias and operatic roles such as: Delilah from Samson and Delilah, and as Carmen in Bizet's Carmen. Vanessa was featured in the January 2007 Issue of SKOPE National Music Magazine: “From the Opera Stage to the Dance Floor” by Jason McNeil available at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

Influences & Music:

Although Vanessa Conde was trained in the finer arts, as a child growing up in Washington Heights in New York, she also grew up on a musical diet of Latin Hip-hop/Freestyle/Dance and underground House music. She often cites dance music musicians George LaMond,Safire,& Amber as her lifelong musical influences. Jump forward to 2008 and Vanessa can be heard in International Dance clubs and radio stations with her House club hits “Let the Music Play”(SHAKE/Warner Brothers Italy) and “Peace and Love” with production by Midnight Society and Alma Matriz (of Tribal Circuit anthem fame “Rapido” and “Music Electrica”). Already having cultivated a following from her previous Freestyle/Trance song “For You”, she also has on her past belt several on stage cameo appearances and impromptu performances with fellow artist such as Amber, George Lamond and known for taking part in massive community events as the Jersey City Puerto Rican Festival, The Community Fair For Children and New Jersey City Gay Pride; just to name a few. By late March 2008 Ms.Conde would wrap up her Winter Music Conference week tour in Miami and appeared a line of showcases in Venues like Voodoo Lounge, Score, The world famous La Bodegita del Medio,Club BOOM and add them to her list of venues such as Heaven New York, Serena Night Club New York,the now defunct OZONE Miami, and even her performance on Telemundo “Despierta America” Channel41 New York/Tri state area. In the Fall of 2008 she released a line of new self written material on Miami’s DESTUNE records; with original traditional and Neo-Freestyle versions and remixes provided by a line of DJ/Producers including DJ Jorge Ojeda, DJ Connie Cassarole, Amy Alderman and Luis Beyra. In addition, Vanessa has debuted material with projects with SAFIRE, Nyasia, and tribal guru Alma Matris and can also be found having label mates like CORONA (Shake/Warner).

Praised by international Grammy nominated producer Johnny Vicious as a “GRAND VOICE”,Vanessa is ready to bring her songwriting into another realm! Her voice is known to possess mezzo soprano range with some soprano range of(6)octaves. As she continues to get club and radio play, including play on XM and Sirius Satellite Radio, she made history in May 2008 as the first new generation NEO-Freestyle vocal artist to perform on the Downshift radio float during the New York Dance Music Parade. This is a step not taken before, especially for a predominant “house” music event, but a reflection of the changing times and musical switch due to the “ELECTRO” awareness and preference of the current day. This year 2009, she would wrap up her 3rd year participating with the Winter Music Conference opening for SAFIRE and headlining Tai Shan Ball with the legendary Pepper Mashay. She also lends her time to worthy causes such as AIDS WALK NYC in which a fundraiser at SPLASH nightclub had her as a headliner with freestyle diva Judy Torres. She is aware of the positive influence she is now having on a new generation of independent freelance dance artist is what keeps her motivated, humble and well grounded. --JONPITO