For My Sweet - Live Jazz Mondays: Charisa the Violin Diva

Join For My Sweet every week for Jazzy Mondays! This week's entertainment features two shows (7:15pm & 9:15pm) from Charisa the Violin Diva.

Charisa, the ViolinDiva began her musical journey in a small public school program at the tender age of four, and so began a lifelong love-affair with music. Born and raised in Maryland, all of her earliest musical influences - from traditional gospel to Washington DC’s gogo; and from swinging jazz to the music of a classical symphony, all intermixing to create an innovative and jazz-infused take on contemporary soul. 

Since taking on soul jazz, Charisa has collaborated with some dynamic artists across the musical borders, includingWynton Marsalis, Savion Glover, Musiq SoulChild, Common, Diana Krall, Terence Blanchard, Quincy Jones andMos Def, to name a few. As an opening act, she has performed ahead of Melissa Morgan, and Freddie Jackson. And in the summer of 2011, Charisa won grand prizes in both the McDonald’s Gospelfest Competition in Newark and the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival Competition in Philadelphia, as well as semi-finalist place in the Apollo Competition, performing in front of thousands.

Her other festival performances include the Baltimore African American Heritage Festival in MD, the Newark New Sounds Summer Music Series, Lincoln Park Music Festival in Newark, NJ, the NYC Fall for Dance Festival in New York in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Company, and many more cultural festivals around the world.