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"One of the most versatile and in-demand singers on the New York music scene."
- Simon Calle, All About Jazz

"Sofia has a lovely sound that is human and earthy all at once. She creates such a broad spectrum of colors and sounds. Sofia is so creative..."
- Maria Schneider

"Sofia is a very gifted Latin American singer. She knows how to combine the best of her Argentine roots with the skills and passion necessary to make many contributions to our music community."
- Danilo Perez

"Sofia sings a varied, engaging set, with plenty to dance to, plenty to get down with, and plenty to think about. She is going for an ambitious goal: original, creative, and technically challenging music that is as exciting to a Bacchanalian crowd as to the ivory tower listener."
-The Live Music Report, Canada

"...a wonderfully unique young singer."
- Luciana Souza

"One of the most memorable performers I have ever encountered...a superb and original songwriter."
- Curtis Fuller

ABOUT SOFIA

Sofia Koutsovitis belongs to a new generation of musicians who imaginatively explore the connection between jazz and contemporary music and the rich musical traditions of South America. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she now resides in New York City . An active vocalist, composer and arranger, her primary musical project to date, the Sofia Koutsovitis Group is grounded in traditional South American rhythms such as chacarera and zamba from Argentina, Afro-peruvian festejo and lando and some Brazilian genres that merge involving jazz harmonies and rich improvisations. Singing in Spanish, Portuguese or English, Sofia's voice is so graceful as sophisticated and develops the passion for her original compositions or her own innovative arrangements of pieces by Latin American composers such as Silvio Rodriguez, Astor Piazolla, Paulinho da Viola, Djavan and Chabuca Granda.
Sofia is a restless artist, one of the most versatile and in-demand singers on the New York music scene who in a short period of time has recorded, performed and collaborated with renowned musicians and groups such as the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Geoffrey Keezer's Aurea, Folklore Urbano, Lionel Loueke, Russ Ferrante, Bob Moses, Aquiles Baez, Alcatraz, Samuel Torres Group, and Pablo Aslan's Avantango. She has recently been selected to perform Instant Opera at the Carnegie Hall with acclaimed vocal innovator Bobby McFerrin and masters of a wide range of vocal traditions from all over the world.
Sofia grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She started her musical studies at the age of 4 and began singing professionally in the prestigious Children's Choir of Buenos Aires Opera House Teatro Colon when she was 9 years old. She studied classical vocal performance at the National Conservatory and gained experience within the circles of classical and avant-garde music, performing in the most distinguished halls of Buenos Aires. She was part of the internationally acclaimed National Youth Choir with which she toured the world and received several international awards. In 2001, incited by her desire to learn vocal improvisation techniques and composition, she moved to Boston to pursue a Master's Degree at the New England Conservatory, where she studied with jazz masters Danilo Perez, Dominique Eade, Charlie Banacos, Bob Moses and Steve Lacy. In 2004, Sofia was invited to take part in the international 'Betty Carter Jazz Ahead' Institute, a program designed to promote emerging jazz composers, and in 2005 her music was featured during a residency at the 2005 Aspen Jazz Academy, directed by Christian McBride.
Sofia has toured Europe, Asia, North and South America singing at renowned international jazz and world music festivals and venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Lincoln Center (NYC), the Blue Note (NYC), the Chicago World Music Festival (Chicago, IL), Aspen/Snowmass Jazz Festival (Aspen, CO), the International Jazz en Lima Festival (Peru), the Ibero-American Festival of the Arts (Puerto Rico), Cite de la Musique (Paris, France), the Festival de Jazz de Barcelona (Spain), and the IAJE Conference 2008 (Toronto, Canada). Her debut album Ojala has received great critical acclaim and has been chosen a top 10 album of 2006 by the Jazz Journalists Association.

SOFIA KOUTSOVITIS GROUP

The music of the SofÍa Koutsovitis Group is grounded in South American rhythms like chacarera and zamba from Argentina, Afro-Peruvian festejo and lando, and various Brazilian genres, which it unites witht he harmonic and melodic innovations of jazz in a pan-stylistic tapestry of sound. Singing in Spanish, Portuguese, or English, SofÍa's voice simultaneously employs stylistic codes drawn from multiple sources. This cross pollination of musical traditions is reflected in her original compositions and arrangements of selections by eminent musical poets such as Silvio Rodriguez, Astor Piazolla, Paulinho da Viola, Chabuca Granda and Raul Carnota.

The ensemble produces a range of textures as diverse as the cultural roots of its members, an international cast that includes some of the most exciting young talent from North and South America. Supporting SofÍa's beautiful vocals are Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder, Peruvian percussionist Jorge Perez Albela, Argentine pianist Leo Genovese, young drumming phenomenon Richie Barshay, trumpeter Eric Bloom, tenor and soprano sax player Dan Blake, and Alto saxophonis Adam Schneit. Jorge Roeder has worked in a variety of settings ranging from Classical, as assistant principal bassist of the Lima Philharmonic at age 21, to folkloric music and jazz (with jazz legend Roy Haynes, among others). Jorge Perez Albela has a wide-ranging experience in jazz and folkloric traditions from his country, having worked with legendary vocalists Eva Ayllon, Tania Libertad and Fabiola De La Cuba. Richie Barshay has been a member of Herbie Hancock's group since 2003. Rounding out the rhythm section is Leo Genovese, a Fresh Sound recording artist who tours Europe and South America regularly as part of several ensembles. The sounds of saxophonist Dan Blake, whom Dave Liebman has called "one of the most diverse and adventurous young players I have heard," sure-toned saxophonist and clarinetist Adam Scheit, and jason Palmer on trumpet (a member of Blue Note artist Greg Osby's group), intermingle to create unexpected sonorities and flights of collective improvisation.

In truth, the only predictable feature in the playful music of the SofÍa Koutsovitis Group may be its leader's search for change and surprise, a sonic discovery leading the listener to a very different place in each song.