December, 2002
SHARED VISION MAGAZINE

For her sustained commitment to helping raise money for the Vancouver Friends for Life Society, local Jazz Diva Stevie Vallance was honoured last month when the Society presented her with their 2002 Friend In Deed Philanthropy Award at their annual signature event, Art for Life. Established in 1993, the Vancouver Friends For Life Society is a privately funded nonprofit society, offering a wide range of therapeutic programs and services to those facing life-threatening illnesses. Motivated by the devastating loss of a close personal friend, Stevie Vallance conceived Divas For Life, a benefit concert, hosted in Vancouver For the past two years. As part of the 2001 Vancouver International Jazz Festival, she produced a series of sold-out dinner concerts at Zev's restaurants. Proceeds from all of these events, grossing close to $75,000 have been generously donated to Friends For Life.

November 7, 2002
Friend In Deed Awards Dinner / "ART FOR LIFE"
(excerpt from Lifelines Magazine, Autumn 2002)

STEVIE VALLANCE receives 2002 Friend In Deed Philanthropy Award. Motivated by the devastating loss of her close personal friend, Jane, to cancer in 2000, this diva in her own right conceived Divas For Life. In addition to producing the First Divas For Life concert at The Vogue on Feb. 3, 2001, she produced and negotiated a national distribution deal for the CD Divas For Life: Live at The Vogue, as part of the 2001 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. She then produced a series of sold-out dinner concerts at Zev's Restaurant. Most recently she produced the DIVAS FOR LOVE, Divas For Life:02 concert held on February 14, 2002. All proceeds from each of these shows, which have now grossed close to $75,000 have been generously donated to Friends For Life.

Slinky, sultry and really sensational

by Alexandra Gill, Globe and Mail, February 19, 2002

VANCOUVER -- Divas for Life Featuring Lee Aaron, Christine Duncan, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Angela Kelman, Karin Plato and Stevie Vallance At the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver on Thursday.

Take six divas from Vancouver with voluptuous voices, squeezed into sensational form-fitting gowns. Put them on an intimate flower-strewn stage with some of the finest jazz musicians in the country. Light the candles on three spectacular heart-shaped candelabras that bathe the sold-out theatre in a warm romantic glow. Donate the proceeds to a non-profit hospice that provides care for people with life-threatening illnesses. And you've got the makings of a Valentine's night that by far transcended every cheap materialistic cliche typically reserved for the occasion. Read More

The 'Do-Good' DIVAS...

by Alexandra Gill, GLOBE & MAIL, July 2001

VANCOUVER -- The quintessential diva is not usually a very happy lady. Once upon a time, the term was reserved for spectacular vocal gems with tragic personal flaws. Thanks to VH1, the word has devolved into a corporate catch phrase applied to any slinky pop princess who can carry a tune and boast a broken nail.

Divas for Life is not really about any of that. This is a story about six talented singers from Vancouver who organized a little jazz benefit concert last February that grew beyond anyone's wildest expectations and is now taking on a life of its own with a live-recorded CD to be released Au. 7 and plans for a national tour. It's a happy story -- so happy, some might say it's corny. And it's a story that restores a certain dignity to the word diva. Read More

STANDING ROOM ONLY - Divas Dazzle At The Vogue
by Paul Grant

It all started last summer when half a dozen top female vocalists were profiled in Vancouver Lifestyles Magazine. During the photo shoot, talk turned to doing a benefit concert together.

Stevie Vallance had just returned from New York, where she'd been visiting her 41-year-old friend Jane, who was dying with cancer (see One Diva's Story). Stevie suggested a benefit for Friends For Life, and set about taking a lot of the work on her slender shoulders, lining up musicians, sponsors, MC's, a venue and even dealing with lighting and staging.

The work was worth it. The concert was sold out, with people scrambling to buy standing room only tickets. And they weren't disappointed. Read More

CD REVIEWS:

John Beaudin
August 2001, Shared Visions, Vancouver

Divas For Life-Live At The Vogue ! / Fusion 3

Before I heard this album I kind of had it with Divas. With the Pop princess Is there were rumours of cat fights temper tantrums way too many crazy crescendos and then there's Celine Dion. Her diatribes on having a baby alone were enough to turn anyone's stomach how she figured her ovaries were important to us is beyond me. This album is about artistic integrity not full-size egos it's about singing from the right place for the right reason and not competing with vocal gymnastics though any one of these local Jazz Divas has the range to threaten your glassware . Read More

DIVAS FOR LIFE - Live At The Vogue! ***

by Marke Andrews, June 2001, The Vancouver Sun

The successful benefit concert at the Vogue last February is now a CD... At the concert, six Vancouver based vocalists performed three songs each, plus two tunes as an ensemble; the disc retains the two ensemble numbers, a song from each, and an instrumental. Dee Daniels show-stopping 'God Bless the Child' opens the disc, and it's hard not to get a chill listening to this accomplished vocalist let it fly; Stevie Vallance does a polished job on 'Over the Rainbow', which has a strong saxophone solo from Tom Keenlyside. Plato's all-Vancouver tune 'Beauty in the Rain' gives a lift to the blues structure, with Michale Creber playing great piano... Kate Hammett-Vaughan brings power to the words for 'This Is New'. 'Here's to Life' is the better of the two ensemble tunes. Various members of the Divas perform individual concerts at the festival.