Songbird takes flight: Jeanne Jolly’s voice has carried her a long way from her native Raleigh. The 2006 winner of Western’s Young Alumna Award was the featured vocalist with the touring band of Chris Botti, a multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpet player, after the release of Botti’s album “To Love Again.”

Career high note: Giving life to music from “To Love Again” and enjoying a standing ovation from a sold-out auditorium at Carnegie Hall. “What a dream come true,” said Jolly.

First movements: For Jolly, the dream was born before she could talk, mimicking Beethoven’s Fifth while riding in a car seat. At age 11, she auditioned and was selected to perform the national anthem at a Carolina Mudcats baseball game. In the summers, she would sing with youth musical theatre programs.

“Inside the music”: Jolly developed her classical voice at St. Mary’s School in Raleigh and then was recruited to WCU’s music program where she was a Fletcher Music Scholar. Robert Holquist, professor of music and director of choral activities, encouraged Jolly to sing it all, she said. “I really just had a wonderful time performing with my classmates, being creative, and buckling down and really getting inside the music,” said Jolly. “Western was the perfect place for me.”

A star on the rise: After earning her master’s in music from the New England Conservatory, Jolly worked at a Los Angeles music production company, where she did voiceover work for movies, commercials and television. Botti heard Jolly’s voice on a demo recording and asked her on the day of a show to sing with the group. The next day, he invited her on a 10-day bus tour that grew into a gig with the band’s Canada tour and performances in more than 30 states.