Chiara Izzi Ensemble

Chiara Izzi Ensemble

Based in New York City since 2014, Chiara Izzi is an award-winning jazz singer and composer from Italy who has captivated audiences worldwide. Her breakthrough came when she won first prize at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition, a victory personally awarded by the legendary Quincy Jones, who chaired the jury. The following year, Chiara returned to the festival to perform and open for the iconic Paco de Lucía. She has since earned numerous accolades, including an Independent Music Award for Best Jazz Song with Vocals for her composition "Circles of the Mind," as well as national honors such as Lucca Jazz Donna, third place in the Chicco Bettinardi soloist category, and recognition in the Barga Jazz group category.Since moving to the United States, Chiara has become one of the most sought-after vocalists, gracing world-renowned stages like The Kennedy Center, Montreux Jazz Festival, Aspen Jazz Festival, and Sarasota Jazz Festival. She has also performed at iconic NYC clubs like Birdland, The Blue Note, Smalls, and 55 Bar, sharing the stage and recording with jazz luminaries such as Kevin Hays, Chris Potter, Omer Avital, Grégoire Maret, Leon Parker, Diego Figueiredo, Jeff Hamilton, Aaron Goldberg, Nilson Matta, Eliot Zigmund, and many more.Chiara first showcased her exceptional vocal talent with her debut album Motifs (Dot-Time, 2013), earning critical acclaim for its eclectic mix of genres. Singing in English, Italian, and Portuguese, the album highlights her multilingual skills and vocal prowess, as well as her ability to convey both emotional depth and vibrant swing. In an All About Jazz review, Michael Bailey called her “a force of nature,” while JazzTimes' Travis Rogers praised her as “a talent to be heard, admired, and anticipated.” Her evolving artistry is showcased in later works, including Live in Bremen (Dot-Time Records, 2022), which DownBeat described as “Immediate and unfiltered, Izzi’s performances lie all the more exposed for the open setting,” and Across the Sea (Jando, 2019), a co-led project with pianist Kevin Hays who says about Chiara “There was a sense of sincerity and honesty — a lack of artifice. She has an inner strength that I think is rare”.Chiara’s voice and talent have flourished in the vibrant cultural tapestry of New York City, helping her evolve into a profound storyteller, musician, and human being. For Chiara, music is not just an art form but a bridge between worlds. With her soulful storytelling, musical versatility, and commitment to fostering cross-cultural dialogue, Chiara has cemented herself as one of the most impactful voices in contemporary jazz.PRESS“Immediate and unfiltered, Izzi’s performances lie all the more exposed for the open setting..” – DOWNBEAT  pag. 58"Izzi has a wonderful range of expression, singing assuredly in three languages, sometimes with a girlish tinge that echoes Emiliana Torrini or almost Blossom Dearie.” - JAZZ JOURNAL"Sister, you are very very talented!” - QUINCY JONES"A force of nature" - Michael Bailey” - ALL ABOUT JAZZ"Whispers of wonder.." - JAZZWEEKLY“Italian-born vocalist Chiara Izzi’s new album, Live in Bremen, is an intimate set of live piano/vocal duets with pianist Andrea Rea. Its seven tracks blend stories sung in multiple languages and inspired by music traditions of various cultures, creating an intimate and universal auditory experience for listeners all over the world.” –  JAZZIZ"Chiara Izzi has a voice full of innocence and passion that immediately garnered my consideration. [Across the Sea] adds world music to the mix and invites us to open our minds and hearts to how music crosses all boundaries and how it joins us, like love, across the continents and worldly divides.” -  MUSICAL MEMOIRS"Heavy on originals with a Euro slant, high tone listeners will enjoy this as well as they should since it hits many of their marks.” - MIDWEST RECORD"A talent to be heard, admired and anticipated" - Travis Rogers, JAZZ TIMES"Effortlessly melodic, effortlessly daring” - Carol Banks Weber, AXS __________________________________________________ short bio: Chiara is an award-winning jazz singer and composer from Italy based in New York City since 2014, three years after Quincy Jones awarded her first prize in the Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition. In 2020 she also won one Independent Music Award for Best Jazz song with Vocals with her composition “Circles Of The Mind''. She perfectly blends traditional Italian music with jazz, Mediterranean and pop sounds to create a dynamic and heartwarming show, singing and telling stories in four languages (Italian, English, Portuguese and Spanish).Chiara navigates each idiom fluently, on its own terms of engagement, displaying her prodigious vocal instrument, refined musicianship, inherent soulfulness, and ability to convey both emotional transparency and ebullient swing. In an All About Jazz review Michael Bailey praised Chiara as “a force of nature,” while in Jazz Times Travis Rogers described her as “a talent to be heard, admired and anticipated.” How that talent has evolved and blossomed since Chiara moved to New York is apparent on her latest releases: Live In Bremen (Dot Time Records/2022) that embodies a classical richness enhanced by Izzi’s stylistic method of blending her lyrics and languages, and  Across The Sea (Jando/2019), a cooperative project with pianist Kevin Hays who says about Chiara: “There was a sense of sincerity and honesty — a lack of artifice. She has an inner strength that I think is rare”. Delivering a vocal that carries a warm, Mediterranean quality, Izzi acknowledges that experiencing music in a highly inspiring place like New York City  brings out her best assets as a storyteller, musician, and human being. “It’s very important for me to make music as a peacemaker, to work creating bridges between different worlds, to put different cultures in communication starting from the music.” says Chiara.