Rochelle Rice - The Parks DC The Parks DC Historic Walter Reed

Presenting Rochelle Rice with children’s opening performance by Polka Dots & Moon Beams with Heidi Martin

Rochelle Rice walks the fine line between jazz, folk, and soul and lives in between the cracks of hard-and-fast genre rules. As a singer steeped in the music of Lizz Wright and Joni Mitchell, Rice’s sound leans heavily on solid lyrics, jazz-influenced harmony, and soaring vocals. Her debut EP, Wonder, released in 2016, (featuring the likes of Brent Birckhead and Mark G. Meadows) established her as a singer’s singer with beautiful original songs, a sizzling quartet, and lush strings. When she is not performing with the legendary Sweet Honey In The Rock and other bands, she is an arts and music educator in Washington, D.C.

Heidi Martin, performing as Polka Dots & Moon Beams, is the Manager for Education and Outreach for the DC Jazz Festival. A Music Arts Administrator and certified teacher, Heidi Martin, brings her commitment to creativity and nurturing the success of young learners to DCJF. She creates and develops quality music education programs and experiences for schools and organizations across the DC metro area. Deeply rooted in the Washington, DC creative community, Heidi exudes patience, warmth, and enthusiasm in her work to continue the rich music legacy of jazz and world music. Heidi was a vocal music major in the jazz studies program under the direction of Professor Calvin Jones at University of District of Columbia.