Meet a fresh, young singer from Austria, whose US debut in the year 2000 was hailed as "captivating“.

Meet a fresh, young singer from Austria, whose US debut in the year 2000 was hailed as "captivating“. Jazz legend Ira Sullivan calls her “a great young talent” with a big future in Jazz.

Simone, now 25 years old, grew up in a family of musicians and started to sing, in her father's band when she was 12. At the same time she studied piano, though singing remained her first love. Early on, she entered and won various talent contests and even made appearances on television in her native land, Austria. As a young performer, she twice toured the Netherlands with the “Euro Big Band” and later appeared in several International Jazz Festivals.
 
Influenced by some of the great American vocalists, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Jon Hendricks, Simone has developed into a true Jazzsinger, a singer who uses a wide variety of rhythms and excels in her very individual style of scatting. Laurie Antonioli says that “Simone is an excellent musician, with soulful and hip improvising. She digs in and isn't afraid to take risks with the music”.
 
Simone received her Masters Degree from the University for Music and dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria where she had the opportunity to work with such Jazz luminaries as Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Michele Hendricks, Jay Clayton and the New York Voices.
 
Simone Kopmajer has performed with Jazz Greats such as Ira Sullivan, Richie Cole, Victor Lewis, Houston Person, Dick Oatts, Fritz Pauer, Aaron Heick, Gerorge Mraz, Christian Mc Bride, Larry Coryell, Allan Harris, Eric Alexander, John di Martino, Hans Glawischnig and others.

What others say about Simone:

“Simone Kopmajer is the genuine article, a real beauty inside and out. She sings and swings with a lot of grace and remarkable clarity, and she is gonna be heard from…” - Mark Murphy

“…a great young talent.” - Ira Sullivan, jazz legend

„...I hear a lot of beautiful soul in (her) voice and music.“ - Todd Barkan, Artistic Administrator, Jazz at Lincoln Center

“…highly motivated and talented.” - Jay Clayton

 

Appearances in Europe:
• Croatian Jazz Festival
• Salzburg Jazz Festival
• The Netherlands (with the Euro Big Band)
• Jazzland (Vienna)
• Porgy and Bess (Vienna)
• Royal Jazz Garden (Graz)
• Jazzclub Lustenau
• Jazz im Sägewerk
• Ausseer Jazzfrühling
• B.P. Club, Zagreb (Croatia)
• Jazzfestival (Rijeka, Croatia)
• Jazzfestival Zaragoza (Spain)
• Jazzherbst Salzburg (Austria)
• Jazzfestival Madrid (Spain)
• Jazzsommer Graz (Austria)

Appearances in the USA:
• Jazz Society of West Palm Beach
• Lyric Theater ( Miami)
• Van Dyke Cafe (Miami Beach)
• O’Hara (Ft. Lauderdale)
• The Cotton Club (Key Biscayne)
• The Henegar Center (Melbourne)
• Heidi’s Jazz Club (Cocoa Beach)
• Space Coast Jazz Society
• Gleason Auditorium, Melbourne
• Bel Harbor (Stu Grant)
http://www.simonekopmajer.com/engl/frame_bio_en/bio_main_en.htm