Meet ValLimar
Blessed with an extraordinary voice, ValLimar Jansen is a highly regarded singer, composer and recording artist. She is educated and experienced as a university/college professor, a leader of worship and prayer and a workshop presenter at conferences across the United States and abroad.
Known especially for her work with contemporary Christian music, she sings a wide range of music, including spirituals and traditional, organ-based choral music. ValLimar began recording professionally in 2000, as a guest artist on a number of projects. In 2005, with her husband, she released her first solo CD, You Gotta Move.
ValLimar Jansen has a long history of singing sacred music, starting from the age of five and professionally since the age of six. She received most of her training in music and performance at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and she holds professional degrees in the Arts from California State University and The University of California.
She has sung and toured professionally throughout the United States of America, St. Kitts, Jamaica, St. Maarten, Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Scotland, Israel and Japan. She played the role of Beneatha, with the Broadway touring cast, in the European premier of Raisin. She went on to co-author a one-woman musical about the life of Ethel Waters that received a special commendation from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Today, ValLimar tours regionally, nationally and internationally as an inspirational speaker, a storyteller, a psalmist, a song leader, a principal vocalist, and/or an emcee. You can hear ValLimar as a guest artist on a number of CDs, including: Endless is Your Love; Make Us One; Clothed in Love; Christmas Child; Live It; That You May Have Life; Turn My Heart; Luke: The Feast of Life; Cross Culture; By Heart, and Another World.
ValLimar and her husband, Frank, have CDs of their own: Rejoice! A Christmas Journey (AFW); Get On Board (AFW & TFP); Stormy Weather: A Celebration of Ethel Waters (AFW); Akwaaba (Spirit & Song); Give God The Glory (Spirit & Song); Psalms From The Soul (OCP); Anointing (Spirit & Song); You Gotta Move (Spirit & Song); Cross Culture (GIA), and African American Sacred Songs (GIA).
ValLimar also has a DVD series of her work as a storyteller entitled, Inspired: Volume 1 and Inspired: Volume 2. This DVD series is a mere example of ValLimar’s expertise as a professional director and actor. She performs inspirational material in both sacred and secular venues. She includes in her annual touring her one-woman musical on the life of renown African-American nun, Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA and ValLimar’s critically acclaimed one-woman musical on the sanctity of every human life, “Sweet Mama Stringbean: A Celebration of Ethel Waters.” Both of these full-length musicals pay tribute to the legendary women they address.
Maybe you’re familiar with ValLimar from one of the many music festivals, theater festivals or the educational, liturgical and pastoral conferences she attends each year. She has served as a vocalist and/or workshop presenter at: the San Jose Jazz Festival; the Sacramento Jazz Festival; the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival; the California Educational Theater Festival; the California State Thespians Festival and Festival for the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California.
ValLimar has been a co-cantor (song leader) for numerous liturgies at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. She has been a performer or presenter at: the Los Angeles Liturgy Conference; the East Coast Conference; the National Pastoral Musician Conference; the National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministers; the National Catholic Youth Conference; the National Encuentro Conference; the National Jubilee Justice Conference; the National Catholic Educational Association Conference; the Fashion Me a People Conference; the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership; the National Conference for the Catholic Health Association; the International Holy Music Festival (Italy) and many other major events. At the Loreto/Angora International Papal Event (Italy) ValLimar and her husband, Frank Jansen, performed for over 300,000 people and the event was broadcast on Italian television, EWTN and across the world!
Winners of two 2008 UNITY Awards for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song, ValLimar and Frank have performed and/or collaborated with some of the best-known songwriters and musicians in Catholic music in the USA. The list includes: Tony Alonso, John Angotti, Steve Angrisano, Jaime Cortez, Bobby Fisher, Sarah Hart, Bob Hurd, Tom Kendzia, Matt Maher, Jesse Manibusan, Danielle Rose, Dan Schutte, Curtis Stephan, Christopher Walker, and many others.
ValLimar composes all her music with her husband, Frank. They live in southern California.
