On Thursday, September 21st, the vocal/piano duo of Randye Jones and Marlys Grimm performed at the weekly Mayflower Community Lyceum evening event.
Greensboro native, Randye is a soprano and researcher, serving as the Grinnell College Burling Library Media Room Supervisor. At Lyceum, she announced that she will be retiring in October and returning East, where she had her first exposure to spirituals and German hymns in her home.
Randye received the 2022 Music Library Association (MLA) Citation Award, the MLA’s tribute for lifetime achievement, awarded in recognition of distinguished service to music librarianship over a career. She was honored for her leadership in making spirituals accessible and for her work to encourage participation by all members.
Marlys is currently the accompanist for the Grinnell Oratorio Society, the Grinnell Singers, and the Central College Community Chorus. She has collaborated at Dordt, Northwestern, Central, and Grinnell colleges in student and faculty recitals. In addition, Marlys has accompanied high school, college, community, and professional singers, instrumentalists, and choruses throughout Iowa and at national events.
Together Randye and Marlys were an entertaining treat and very much appreciated. The performance-ending was the rousing number, “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.”
— Leslie Jaworski, Mayflower Community Life Director