Piano Women

Entry subject to Orange Level Covid-19 Conditions.

Julie Mason

Caitlin Smith

Linn Lorkin

Jane Horder (not in photo)

The chick singers’ revenge!

An ability to play the piano gives a female singer a rare advantage in a world where many a male pianist would rather be just getting down with his band-mates than having to accompany some chick singer. Here, second time around, is the concert we call "Piano Women" featuring four fine examples of women’s independence. There were three women last time so it's growing in leaps and bounds. And the males are down to one, redoubtable bassist Aaron Coddel, who will no doubt hold his own.

JULIE MASON One of NZ's foremost women in jazz, Julie has performed all over the globe, including Paris, London, Berlin, The USA, Australia and the South Pacific. She has been a finalist in the Jazz Album of the Year Awards, and recently released her 6th album "Layers of Disguise". She has also sung and played in concert with The Auckland Philharmonia, and The Julie Mason Quintet was the featured group for Bill Clinton (as President USA) and the APEC World Leaders Dinner.

CAITLIN SMITH

LINN LORKIN. Singer,-songwriter Linn Lorkin played piano in funk bands on the Auckland club scene in the 70s and went on to play at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London in 1976. Her performing and creative life found fulfilment in her subsequent eight years in New York where she played in piano bars and began writing her own songs. She has been very active in various cabaret-ish combos in NZ and her solo jazz musical “Hey, Piano Bar Lady!” won Best Cabaret in New York’s United Solo Festival in 2013 and was featured at Auckland Writers Festival 2018.

JANE HORDER. Consummate singer and performer Jane Horder sings in Auckland swing band ‘Prima Swing Riot’ and has performed in numerous musicals both in NZ and Australia including Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar and Sweeney Todd. She won a NAPTA award for best Female Actor in a musical for her performance in Nunsense in 2018. During the day Jane is the Director of Vocal Studies at Takapuna Grammar School conducting four choirs, a jazz vocal group and teaching musical theatre and singing.