Nicky Schrire

Lauded for her "fresh and original” approach to music (Cape Town Live), Nicky Schrire is a vocalist, composer and arranger whose adventurous spirit reflects her international upbringing. London-born, South African-raised and now based in NYC, Schrire graduated from the Manhattan School of Music where she pursued a Masters of Music Degree under the tutelages of Peter Eldridge, Theo Bleckmann and Dave Liebman. She has attended master classes with Kurt Elling and Sheila Jordan, and has received private tutelage from Dominique Eade, Gretchen Parlato, Kate McGarry, Jo Lawry, Norma Winstone and Ralph Alessi. Since moving to New York, she has performed at the 92Y, 55Bar, Cornelia Street Café, Rockwood Music Hall and other venues around the city. As a vocalist and saxophonist, Schrire has performed with South African artists such as Arno Carstens, Judith Sephuma, Sibongile Khumalo and Abdullah Ibrahim. She was selected as a semi-finalist in the "Jazz Voices" Competition held in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and as a finalist in the "Voicingers International Vocal Jazz Competition", held in Zory, Poland. Schrire recently lent her voice to New York drummer, Brian Adler’s “Helium Project” Recording, which also features artists such as Kate McGarry and Ben Monder. An enthusiastic collaborator, Schrire will be performing at the 2012 Standard Bank Jazz Festival in Grahamstown with “The NY/SA Collective”; a “top-class international band whose collaborative credits range from Bob Mintzer, Joe Lovano, Britney Spears and Dave Brubeck to the Modern Balkan Jazz Orchestra” (ArtSmart). Her debut album, “Freedom Flight”, was released in 2012 on Circavision Productions to critical acclaim. Jason Crane (The Jazz Session) described the project as “an album by a talented, confident singer with a fresh approach and the voice to bring her ideas to life.” Crane also noted that Schrire is “a skilled arranger – clever without being precious, always serving the song…her debut recording [is filled] with moments that remind us of the power of the human voice and its ability to tell a story.”