Honoured as a “world class jazz singer” for her “spellbinding voice” and “boldly unique style” (−Everett. R. Davis, All About Jazz), vocalist, composer and poet Lara Solnicki enjoys a multifaceted musical life, with #1 songs on Canadian jazz radio and web charts (Radio Canada, CBC), garnering rave reviews from four continents. She is the recipient of numerous CD recording, composition, international residency and professional development grants and awards from The Canada Council for the Arts, The Chalmers Foundation, The Ontario Arts Council, The Toronto Arts Council and The Foundation Supporting Canadian Talent on Record (FACTOR).
A classically trained singer with a four octave range, Lara originally intended a career in opera. She holds a BA from The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music where she was the recipient of numerous scholarships, studying voice and piano in the Performance Diploma and Artist Diploma programs. Primary educators include David Berkman, Frank Carlberg, Greg Osby, Frank Falco, Shannon Gunn, Christine Duncan, Jean MacPhail, Steven Philcox and Daryl Irvine.
Praised for “her outstanding musicianship” and “superb vocal technique” (−Thomas Cunniffe, Jazz History Online), for “the purity of her voice, her understanding of the most subtle nuances in lyrics and melody, and the freshness, intelligence and wit she invests in every interpretation” (−Stanley Péan, Host, Quand le jazz est là, Espace Musique), Lara was a finalist in the Révélations Radio-Canada 2014 competition, jazz artist category. She has been featured in CD compilations produced by JAZZIZ magazine (USA), and For Jazz Vocal Fans Only vol. 1 (Japan), produced by renowned Japanese jazz historian and writer, Mr. Yasukuni Terashima.
She has released two internationally acclaimed CDs; “A Meadow in December” (2010, Independent), a collection of jazz standards, called “an unusually compelling debut” (−Stuart Broomer, The WholeNote), and “Whose Shadow?” (2014/2015), on Greg Osby’s New York label, Inner Circle Music, listed in January 2016 as one of the Best Vocal Jazz releases of 2015 (Jazz History Online). A fanciful, eclectic contemporary jazz project, the album features Lara’s compositions, along with more traditional jazz fare, arrangements of Maurice Ravel, Henry Purcell, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Jimmy Rowles/Norma Winstone and more.
A published poet born into a family of professional writers, Lara launched her first book of poems and experimental prose in fall 2006, “Disassembled Stars” (Lyrical Myrical Press), edited by Allan Briesmaster and Luciano Iacobelli). Lara was a member of The Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ORMTA) from 2006-2013, and runs a busy private teaching studio.