Elisabeth Lohninger

In a career that has taken her from the slopes of the Austrian alps, where she sang folk songs as a young girl, to jazz clubs, concert halls and the stages of international jazz festivals, vocalist Elisabeth Lohninger has proven herself to be a powerful and elusive talent.

A New Yorker by choice for over two decades, Lohninger has recorded eleven albums, the latest of which is titled “Eleven Promises” (Jazzsick Records, 2016), a collection of predominantly originals either written by herself or co-written with pianist Walter Fischbacher.
The New York Times has described Lohninger as “a powerful performer and a highly-skilled improviser and composer”, and throughout her albums Lohninger has chosen lyrical depth in favor of flashy vocalese. She has lent her warm alto voice to songs by K.D. Lang, Joni Mitchell and the Beatles with the same penchant for authenticity she lends to her original songs.

Her previous studio album, the duo album titled “Ballads in Blue”, recorded with Walter Fischbacher and released in 2015, was hailed as “a master-class in ballad performance” by C. Michael Bailey (All About Jazz).
And on her album, Songs of Love and Destruction (2010 Lofish Music), she charms listeners with her intimate delivery and insight into a song’s lyrics, joined by an all-star cast of jazz talents that included pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Evan Gregor, and drummer Jordan Perlson, along with special guests trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and violinist Christian Howes. Drawing on her love of pop music, as well as jazz and her own originals, she crafted an understated, but deeply emotional album that looks at love, as one of her favorite singer-songwriters puts it, “from both sides now.” In the Jazz Times Review of that album the magazine refers to Lohninger’s voice as “a stunning instrument” and, elsewhere, declares that her original ‘A Little Bit Tricky’ “echoes the word-smith slyness of Lorraine Feather”.

Growing up in a small Austrian mountain village (population 25), Lohninger started singing in school and church choirs. At the age of six, she joined her two sisters in what would become a nationally renowned vocal group specializing in the songs of her homeland. Driven by her musical curiosity, she soon ventured in other directions and studied classical music and jazz, finishing her studies with a Masters degree in music and English Language and Literature. In 1994, Lohninger relocated to New York. Teaming up with pianist Walter Fischbacher to co-found the duo Perfect Roommates, she released Austrian LiedGood, a fusion of Austrian folk music and jazz. Her pop-soul album Alien Lovers, released in 2000 under the alias Tera, provides additional evidence of her stylistic versatility. In 2003, she and Fischbacher also recorded IF, an album of electronica chill-out tracks, which were featured extensively in the daytime drama One Life to Live. Her 2004 release Beneath Your Surface (Lofish Music) with Fischbacher, Steve Doyle on bass and Hari Ganglberger on drums consisted mainly of her jazz originals as did the 2006 release The Only Way Out Is Up (Lofish), with her working trio of Fischbacher, bassist Chris Tarry, and drummer Jordan Perlson.

Elisabeth has toured as a band leader with her quartet as well as in duo and trio settings. Her touring schedule has included renowned venues such as Porgy & Bess in Vienna, Jazzschmiede Duesseldorf, The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard and Kitano in New York City, B-Flat Jazz Club in Tokyo, among others. Highlights of her festival performances are: Summerstage New York, Mexico City (Eurojazz Festival), International Prague Jazz Festival, Cairo International Jazz Festival, International Jazz Festival Hilden (Germany).
Since 2002 Lohninger is a faculty member at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where she teaches one-onone Voice lessons, Vocal Performance and Vocal Musicianship classes, Ear Training, and the Senior Seminar.