Three-time Grammy nominee Luciana Souza hails from São Paulo, Brazil, where she grew up in a family of musicians. She began her recording career at age three with a radio commercial, and recorded more than 200 jingles and soundtracks, becoming a first-call studio veteran by age 16. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Composition from Berklee College Music, and a Master's Degree in Jazz Studies from New England Conservatory. She currently teaches at Manhattan School of Music, in New York.
Ms. Souza has participated in more than thirty recordings lead by jazz greats such as Danilo Perez (on two Grammy nominated albums), George Garzone, Kenny Wheeler, Steve Kuhn, John Patitucci, and Maria Schneider, among others. Since 1996, Ms. Souza has been crossing over into classical music, being the soloist on two very successful pieces by contemporary classical composer Osvaldo Golijov, including La Pasion Segun San Marcos, performing with the Bach Akademie in Stuttgart, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the LA and Brooklyn Philharmonics. She has performed Manuel de Falla's "El Amor Brujo" with the Atlanta Symphony, under by Robert Spano, and with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Roberto Minczuk.
As a leader, Ms. Souza has recorded six critically acclaimed albums - "An Answer to Your Silence" (NYC Records, 1999), "The Poems of Elizabeth Bishop and Other Songs" (Sunnyside, 2000), the Grammy nominated albums "Brazilian Duos" (Sunnyside, 2002), "North and South" (Sunnyside, 2003), and "Neruda" (Sunnyside, 2004). Her latest record, also nominated for a Grammy as best Jazz Vocal Album, "Duos II" (Sunnyside, 2005), is a sequel to her 2002 release, and features Ms. Souza's renditions of 12 beautiful Brazilian songs for voice and guitar. In 2005, Luciana was awarded Female Jazz Singer of the Year, by the Jazz Journalists Association.
