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Laura Karst BioEDUCATION
I received my Bachelor's Degree in French Literature from UC Santa Cruz, and my Master's Degree in French from San José State University. I did part of my undergraduate studies in France, at the Université de Pau and the Université de Paris. My Master's thesis treats French and English historical linguistics and is entitled "Law French: L'influence du français sur la langue du droit anglais".
TEACHING
I have been teaching French since 1992. In addition to De Anza College, I've taught courses at San José State University, Santa Clara University and William C. Overfelt High School in San José. I came to De Anza as a part-time instructor in 1995, and became a full-time instructor here in 2001.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
I've been actively involved in De Anza's choral and vocal jazz programs for many years, and during the 2006-07 school year I had the honor and pleasure of singing with Vocal Flight, De Anza's premier 6-member vocal jazz ensemble directed by the legendary Roger Letson, during his final year before retirement. We won First Place at the 2007 Reno Jazz Festival (category: college vocal jazz ensembles). For an idea of our music, check out the Vocal Flight website, which features music clips performed by personnel from previous years: http://vocal-flight.9online.fr/en_index.html
Big award: I and my cohorts in Vocal Flight also recorded a CD, "Make the Move". The national jazz magazine Down Beat named its 2008 student awards, giving this CD the "Outstanding Performance" award for a college vocal jazz ensemble! The CD is available for purchase. Please send me an e-mail if you're interested in a copy ($10): karstlaura@deanza.edu All proceeds go to De Anza's music department.
Solo vocal work: As a solo jazz vocalist, I've gigged in the Bay Area, at Tarragon in Sunnyvale, Sumika in Los Altos, and the Octavia Lounge in San Francisco. I continue to study with Roger Letson, and have in recent years studied in France with two renowned jazz vocalists in Europe, Thierry Péala and Laurence Saltiel. Late in the summer, 2009, I recorded a CD with a fantastic trio of musicians. I've been very busy at school since Fall quarter began, but the album should be ready for release in December.
Not quite Le Tour de France: Black Rock City, Nevada
(photo credit: Leslie Karst)
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