Being a talented musician is a beautiful thing, but Casey Lipka has an even more impressive gift: humility. During our phone interview, the 30-year-old bassist/vocalist/songwriter never mentions she’s opened for world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, or that she toured with the rock band Cake—things that raise my eyebrows while reading her bio on the website for Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy, where she teaches. A native of Venice, California, Lipka moved to Sacramento in 2009 to complete a degree in vocal performance at Sac State and has been blazing new trails ever since, from writing and performing her own material to composing music for the Sacramento Ballet to providing original music for an installation art project (“Wingding”) at the Crocker Art Museum. “Looking ahead, I’m hoping to continue more collaborations across art forms,” Lipka says. While the midtown draws from rock, jazz, pop and world music, she dips into such old-school standards as “Angel Eyes” while performing with the Ron Cunha Big Band on the first Tuesday of every month at the Clubhouse Bar & Grill in Carmichael. She also leads a children’s choir at Crocker/Riverside Elementary School. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity to create music with members of my community,” she says. On May 20, Lipka and her trio will close the Vox Musica season with “Traditions: Whiskey & Jazz” at 5 p.m at Beatnik Studios.
