Samara Joy

Five-time Grammy winner and breakout jazz sensation Samara Joy brings her timeless voice to Sydney for the first time, joined by her outstanding seven-piece band.  

A Bronx native steeped in gospel and classic R&B, Joy rose to prominence after winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition while studying at SUNY Purchase. Her rich tone, refined phrasing, and deep understanding of the Great American Songbook have earned comparisons to jazz legends like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. 

Joy’s 2022 Verve Records debut Linger Awhile won her two Grammys, including Best New Artist, and its follow-up Portrait—co-produced with Grammy-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch—cements her as one of jazz’s most vital new voices. The new album showcases Joy’s growing artistry, featuring original lyrics set to music by Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, and her mentor Barry Harris. 

Samara Joy’s Sydney debut promises to be a moving, elegant and unforgettable live experience, with audiences set to witness the soulful chemistry she shares with her band, celebrating the jazz tradition infused with modern depth, grace and charisma. Do not miss the chance to experience one of the genre’s brightest stars at the height of their creative powers. 

Joining Samara Joy are special guests Kristin Berardi and Sam Anning

Kristin Berardi and Sam Anning first started performing in this setting in 2017 after discovering one another’s deep affinity for songwriting and exploring the diverse undergrowth of life’s myriad complexities, uniquely afforded by entangling poetry and music. In the duo format they are able to entwine their improvisational virtuosity with an expression in-between folk and jazz. Together they contribute own compositions, and reworking of songs by some of the great jazz leaders, such as Brad Meldau and Pat Metheny. To oscillate between more simple folk songs with deep meaning, and the more complex harmonic and melodic jazz songs, is something the pair enjoy presenting and also developing.