Contemporary Music Center Alumnae to Perform with Kelly Clarkson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—When Jill Pickering and Katie Rapier met at BestSemester’s Contemporary Music Center (CMC) during the spring semester of 2003, they immediately knew they wanted to make music together. But it’s a long road from co-writing and recording your first independent CD to reaching a wider audience. This Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1:00 p.m. EST, the pace of that journey will pick up considerably as Pickering and Rapier perform live and on Fox TV with two-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson as she headlines the Nextel Tribute to America at NASCAR’s Daytona 500.
“We’ve always been such fans of Kelly and her music,” reports Pickering. “To now get to sing with her is a dream come true.”
Pickering and Rapier, both graduates of Gordon College (MA), first met the American Idol star backstage at one of the innumerable concerts they attended as they followed Clarkson’s career. A mutual friend passed on their CD to Clarkson who later surprised the duo by showing up at one of their performances in Los Angeles. With the tables turned and Kelly now visiting Pickering and Rapier in their dressing room, she shared how much she loved their vocal sound and asked if they would consider touring with her. Before thousands of fans at the racetrack and millions watching on television, Pickering and Rapier will share the stage for the first time with their idol this Sunday, moving into the fast lane in pursuit of their musical dream.
The ContemporaryMusicCenter is one of 12 semester- or summer-long student programs offered by the CCCU. The programs are categorized as either culture-shaping programs or culture-crossing programs. Culture-shaping programs are: American Studies Program (Washington, D.C.); ContemporaryMusicCenter (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.); Los AngelesFilmStudiesCenter (L.A., Calif.); and WashingtonJournalismCenter (Washington, D.C.). Included in the culture-crossing programs are: Australia Studies Centre; China Studies Program; Latin American Studies Program; Middle East Studies Program; Programmes in Oxford; Russian Studies Program; and Uganda Studies Program. All programs undergo regular site visit evaluations by the Student Academic Programs Commission (SAPC).
The Council for ChristianColleges & Universities is a higher education association of 182 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 105 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 72 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.
-30-
Updated February 22, 2007
For media inquiries, contact: Nate Mouttet nmouttet@cccu.org voice: 202.546.8713 ext. 329
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—When Jill Pickering and Katie Rapier met at BestSemester’s Contemporary Music Center (CMC) during the spring semester of 2003, they immediately knew they wanted to make music together. But it’s a long road from co-writing and recording your first independent CD to reaching a wider audience. This Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1:00 p.m. EST, the pace of that journey will pick up considerably as