Barbara Balzan

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Barbara Balzan (* 1969 in Oftringen , AG) is a Swiss jazz singer .

Live and act

Balzan received classical music lessons from the age of five and played the flute and guitar. During an apprenticeship as a commercial clerk, she gained her first experience as a pop and soul singer in her own bands. In a competition in 1991 she won a recording contract with BMG Ariola ; her single Dance with Me also appeared on K-tel Hitnews '93 Vol. 3 . From 1994 she studied at the Lucerne School of Music and between 1996 and 2000 at the St. Gallen Music Academy ; Radio DRS 2 became aware of them during their studies and engaged them for a “jazz aperitif”. In 1999 she met the Australian pianist Peter Waters, who aroused her interest in improvisation; In addition to other projects, she sang in his formation Quintetto Zero (which also includes Franco Ambrosetti , Lucas Niggli and Daniel Pezzotti ).

After completing her music studies in 2000, she founded her first own jazz group. She recorded her debut CD Tender Awakening with her unusually cast quartet, which included pianist Marco Dreifuss, cellist Daniel Pezzotti and double bassist Attilio Zanchi . The album received very good reviews. Among other things, she was invited to the Jerusalem Jazz Festival and Expo.02 . At the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2004 she appeared as a guest singer in the duo of Attilio Zanchi with the guitarist Garrison Fewell . In 2006/2007 she was also part of Vince Benedetti's trio and with a Jobim program in which Andy Scherrer , Daniel Schnyder and Eduardo Costa participated. She is currently also active in the Ginkyó formation .

Balzan has sung in other jazz and pop projects, including with Paolo Fresu , Roberto Cipelli , Chris Wiesendanger , Willy Kotun, Rodrigo Botter Maio, Thomas Silvestri and Manfred Junker, and has appeared on various albums, such as the bassist's Groovin 'Mozart Joël Reiff; she worked as a co-writer for the production Chinderwält .

Balzan also teaches jazz singing at the Music Academy in St. Gallen, at the youth music school in Frauenfeld and at the Winterthur Institute for Contemporary Music, and leads the FRAZZ jazz choir.

Prizes and awards

With her quartet, Balzan was honored as the best soloist at the Zurich Jazz Festival . She was selected as a Pro Argovia artist in 2007/2008.

Discographic notes

  • Barbara Balzan Quartet Tender Awakening (TCM, 2000)
  • Barbara Balzan Quartet Secret Whisper (MPM, 2009)
  • Ginkyó bluntly (Momentum, 2015)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Balzan, Barbara
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss jazz singer
DATE OF BIRTH 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Oftringen