Lauren Lee is a vocalist, pianist, and composer based in New York City. A native of the St. Louis (MO) metropolitan area, her foray into creative music began as a teenager in the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. Likened to female jazz pioneers that came before her like Carla Bley and Jen Shyu, Lee’s music has been described as, “equal parts hip jazz, avant adventure, and… something completely different” (John Pietaro, Dissident Arts). Her work intentionally inhabits this place of “between”, and in Lee’s case, the “between” is nestled between where jazz has been and where jazz is going. Her work is praised for her adventurous yet accessible original music and has performed across North and South America, Europe, and Asia as both a bandleader and sidewoman. Currently, she is exploring new solo material and working in larger ensemble settings. laurenleeprojectjazz.com

Nicole Zaray is a vocalist, songwriter and actor. Her solo work has been presented at PS 122,  Roulette, Dixon Place, and La Mama. Dedicated to studying the evolution of “The American Songbook”, she was commissioned by The American Music Center to write about American film music history. Known for her theatrical and movement-based approach to music performance, she has taught at Centro Em Movimento in Lisbon, and regularly performs her unique versions of standards. Other work includes: featured vocalist on Moby’s CDs “Feeling So Real” and “Next is the E” (Mute/Elektra), vocalist in Theodora Skipitares’ “Under the Knife” and Karen Finley’s “Momento Mori”, and lead in the scifi flick “The Sticky Fingers of Time” which premiered at the Venice Biennale, played over forty festivals, and was released worldwide. Check out her two eps at nicolezaray.com