Aga Zaryan
| Aga Zaryan | |
|---|---|
Aga Zaryan at the JVC Jazz Festival, Warsaw, Poland, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Agnieszka Skrzypek |
| Born |
January 17, 1976 Warsaw, Poland |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Blue Note, Warner, EMI Music Poland |
| Associated acts | Darek Oleszkiewicz, Larry Koonse, Munyungo Jackson, Lukasz Zyta, Michal Baranski, David Doruzka, Geri Allen, Brian Blade, Michał Tokaj |
| Website | www |
Aga Zaryan (born Agnieszka Skrzypek on January 17, 1976) is a Polish jazz vocalist and the first Polish musician to sign with Blue Note Records.
Her albums have earned gold, platinum, and multi-platinum status. In 2008 she was honored with the Fryderyk award, the Polish recording industry's most prestigious prize. She was nominated for Woman of the Year in 2008 by Gazeta Wyborcza, one of Poland's most widely circulated newspapers. From 2007 to 2013, she was named Jazz Vocalist of the Year in the annual readers' poll at Jazz Forum magazine.
Zaryan was born in Warsaw, Poland. At an early age, she traveled throughout Europe with her parents. Her father was a classical pianist, and her mother was an English language educator and author. Her parents shared a love for Stevie Wonder, Weather Report, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, and the Beatles. Zaryan spent part of her childhood and primary school education in Manchester, England. After returning to Poland, she won the Warsaw Tennis Championship when she was fourteen.
After hearing Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, she decided to become a jazz vocalist. She studied voice at Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and attended the Jazz Studies program, graduating with honors. She was awarded scholarships to attend the Stanford Jazz Workshop and Jazz Camp West, both in the United States.
Her debut album, My Lullaby (2002) was recorded with Tomasz Szukalski, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Michał Tokaj, and Łukasz Żyta This collection of jazz standards brought her critical acclaim as one of Poland's premier vocal talents. In 2006, she performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in Warsaw, opening for Branford Marsalis. Since that time, she has appeared in clubs and at festivals in Poland, England, the United States, Germany, Israel, the Czech Republic, Sweden, France, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Portugal, Russia, and Iceland.
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