Lecture by Luciana Souza, who has dedicated several of her recordings to her settings of poems by luminaries such as Elizabeth Bishop, Pablo Neruda, Gary Snyder, Octavio Paz, e.e.cummings, Leonard Cohen, Emily Dickinson, and others. She will discuss her process of composing from a finished poem, and will share her personal approach to writing vocal music.
Grammy-winner Luciana Souza is one of Jazz’s leading singers and interpreters. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Souza’s work transcends traditional boundaries around musical styles. Souza has performed and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, Maria Schneider, Danilo Perez, Guillermo Klein, John Patitucci, and many others. She has been a prominent soloist in important new works by composers Osvaldo Golijov, Derek Bermel and Patrick Zimmerli, performing with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the American Composers Orchestra. Souza has been releasing acclaimed recordings since 2002—including her six Grammy-nominated records Brazilian Duos, North and South, Duos II, Tide, Duos III, and The Book of Chet.
She spent four years on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, where she received a bachelor's degree in jazz composition. Ms. Souza earned a master's degree in jazz studies from the New England Conservatory of Music and taught for four years at Manhattan School of Music. Souza has twice been named Best Female Jazz Singer by the Jazz Journalists Association, in 2005 and 2013.