Voice Faculty
Sofia Rei Koutsovitis - Voice
Listen to Sofia: "El Lio"
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 11-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Languages: English, Spanish
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Sofia.
Vocalist Sofia Rei Koutsovitis mixes and elegantly fuses South American rhythms with a jazz aesthetic in a unique and extremely seductive way. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she has been hailed by All About Jazz as "one of the most versatile and in-demand singers on the New York music scene". Sofia has recorded, performed and collaborated with renowned musicians and groups such as Folklore Urbano, Geoffrey Keezer, John Scofield, Lionel Loueke, Alcatraz, Bob Moses, Aquiles Baez, Hector Martignon, Samuel Torres Group, and Pablo Aslan's Avantango. She toured Europe with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and premiered with the group Cerulean Skies, a piece commissioned by the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna. She was recently featured with vocal giant Bobby McFerrin in Instant Opera at Carnegie Hall. Sofia is an active vocalist, composer and arranger. Her debut album Ojala has received great critical acclaim and has been chosen a top 10 album of 2006 by the Jazz Journalists Association. In Danilo Perez words: "She knows how to combine the best of her Argentine roots with the skills and passion necessary to make many contributions to our music community". Sofia has toured Europe, Asia, North and South America singing at renowned international festivals and venues such as the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, the Festival de Jazz de Barcelona (Spain), the Chicago World Music Festival, the Festival Internacional Jazz en Lima (Peru), the Festival Iberoamericano de las Artes (Puerto Rico), Cite de la Musique (Paris, France), the IAJE Conference 2008 (Toronto, Canada), and the Lapataia Jazz and World Music festival (Uruguay). Her second album as a leader, "Sube Azul", is being released in Europe in the Summer of '09 by the prestigious label World Village (Harmonia Mundi). Sofia holds a Masters Degree from the new England Conservatory. For more about Sofia, visit www.SofiaMusic.com.
Carolyn Leonhart - Voice
Listen to Carolyn:
"Earth Calling"
Neighborhood: Harlem, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 6-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Carolyn.
The daughter of famed bassist Jay Leonhart, Carolyn Leonhart has a soulful voice that has been hailed by critics throughout the world. One of the winners of the Thelonious Monk Vocal Jazz Competition, she is one of the most accomplished and versatile singers of her generation. Carolyn successfully straddles the ever-changing worlds of jazz and pop, interweaving both into many of her projects. She is known for her fourteen-year tenure as lead back-up vocalist with Steely Dan, as well as her work with Lyn Leon and Wax Poetic. She sings jazz classics with authenticity, and navigates through complex music with ease.Ê Critics have written "Leonhart may be the one to give female vocalists a good name again." -- John Frederick Moore, Jazziz Magazine, July 2005 and Jazziz Magazine featured Carolyn on the cover of its "Women In Jazz" issue (2003) presenting even more evidence that Carolyn Leonhart stands out in the crowded field of jazz vocalists. Carolyn's three solo CDs (including "If Dreams Come True," a collaboration with tenor saxophonist and husband Wayne Escoffery) have received wide critical acclaim, and she will release her her next collaborative CD with Wayne Escoffery later this year. Carolyn has performed at clubs, theatres and festivals all over the world, and appears regularly at Smoke Jazz Club and The Jazz Standard in NYC. Carolyn teaches privately from her home studio in New York City, focusing on aspects ranging from vocal technique and musicianship skills to song study and improvisation. Since 2006, Carolyn has also been teaching part-time at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. At Berklee, Carolyn teaches private students as well as a variety of performance labs ranging from jazz to R & B and Background Vocals. She has given clinics and master classes at high schools and colleges throughout the US and Europe. Carolyn has also been a Voice Consultant on MSNBC and has appeared as a panelist at "GRAMMY Career Day" for New York City High School Students. For more about Carolyn, visit www.CarolynLeonhart.com.
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