sophie biography
Sophie Dunér is a singer/composer from Sweden with a past
in the United States and Spain. Active as a jazz, world and modern
classical singer, she has recorded and toured extensively throughout
the world having collaborated with musicians such as Paul Clarvis,
Martin France, Aaron Goldberg, Sten Höstfält, Agustín Gerenu,
David Boato, Fernando Tarrés, Guillermo Klein ,Laura Andel and
Manuel Ceide.
In 2005 she recorded her latest album "The Rain in Spain" with C.I.M.P
records in NY, USA featuring musicians Rory Stuart, Matt Pennman
& Kahlil Kwame Bell, an album that got extensieve reviews in Cadence Magazine.
extended biography
Sophie Dunér began her carreer in the United States .Technically versatile, her
tastes in music are wide ranging. While studying at Berklee College of Music i
n Boston, jazz improvisation teacher Hal Crook used to tell her
" You sing the heck out of the hornplayers " . Here she studied voice,
improvisation and composition.
Sophie is like a chameleon, adapting very easy to any kind of music with great
sensibility. Her familiarity with jazz, ethnic and 20th century classical music has
led many composers and musicians to ask her to join them in musical collabo-
ration during rescent years.
Leading The Sophie Dunér Orchestra in Boston in the beginning of the 90s,
she composed & performed in the USA at clubs such as the Willow Jazz Club,
Sculler´s, Birdland, Cornelia Street Café etc They travelled to the Snowfestival
of Sapporo Japan - a tour sponsored by Berklee College of Music to be followed
by the CD " Orange" , her debut album as well as The Stockholm Jazz Festival
& The Baltic Jazz Festival in Scandinavia. The band has included musicians such
as Mika Pohjola ,George Dontchev, Kazumi Ikenaga, Bruno Råberg, David Boato
and Roberto Dani.
She collaborated with composers such as Sunnyside recording artist Guillermo Klein
of The Big Van recording as a guest singer on his big band CD "The Big Van" as
well as performing in the Boston & NYC area featuring musicians such as Chris Cheek ,
Seamus Blake and Sten Hostfalt. She was also featured on his CD " El Minotauro ".
In 1996 she was invited on "The Outsider" CD (Savant ) with Fernando Tarrés & Arida
Conta Group featuring Danilo Pérez, Dan. Rieser, Don Mc Caslin and Fernando Huergo
on Savant Records, N.Y. Also featured on his album " Prausagios da Carnaval" on
BAU Records, Argentina.
Herb Pomeroy of Boston and Phil Wilson had her featured in
their big bands.
David Doms of "Universal You" brought her to perform at CBGB´s in NYC &
featuring her on his album Garden of Delight for Gruvetune Records, Boston.
Playwright Thamare Thorne invited her to collaborate with a classical ensemble
performing for the play "Seven last words" at The Theater for the New City in NYC.
Pianist Aaron Goldberg had her sing with his trio at Kings Theater in Boston featuring
Mark Turner & Reuben Rogers.
20th century Spanish composer Manuel Ceide used Sophie as a mezzo soprano in his
pieces with The Composers of the New England Collectives performing in Boston.
Tours in Spain with the same ensemble, performing at Cultural Centers and on TV in
Madrid and Galicia. Her collaboration with Manuel would continue and she went on to
perform in Holland at the Fenteneer Van Vissingen Zaal and Gerte Kerk with musicians
such as Henk Alkema etc. Off to Puerto Rico in 1998, she gave performances &
workshops at the Univ. of P.R with the music of M. Ceide & Francis Schwartz. She´d also
perform the music of Argentine electronic composer Eduardo Kusnir. The same team went
to Galicia in Spain performing at Fundación Eugenio Granell in Santiago, Centro Galega de
Información and at Caja Madrid in Lugo.
In Switzerland she collaborated with saxofonist/composer Juerg Wickihalder. She recorded
as co composer & singer on the CD "Dance with me" with the big band Interplay Collective,
Dreamscape Music performing at clubs & festivals ( Glarus Jazz Festival ) in Switzerland
and Germany. In 2002 and 2003 she returned to Zürich appearing at the " Festival Aum
Braunwald" as co composer & singer in the Octet of J. Wickihalder. She also sang
with pianist Chris Wiesendanger at Moods Jazz Club.
Argentine NYC based composer Laura Andel & Oli Bott invited Sophie to perform with her
big band at the Kalkscheune Jazz Club in Berlin broadcasted by Radio Berlin in 2000.
The same year, she was selected for the auditions for the Orchestre National de Jazz in Paris as
only foreign vocalist.
In 1997 Sophie recieved € 4000 from the Society of Arts in Sweden.
Moving to Spain in 1996, Sophie performed with her band at Jazz en la Costa, Homenaje
a Garcia Lorca , Getxo Jazz Festival, V1 Festival de Jazz de Lugo, Circulo de Bellas Artes
(sponsored by SAS & Swedish Embassy of Madrid ) Aula Cultural Plaza Catalunya, Centro
Cultural de Garcia Lorca, Café Central etc. . She collaborated with Joaquin Chacón, Dan Rochlis,
Agustín Gerenu Victor Merlo, Tony Heimer and Polo Ortí . She recorded with the Spanish/Arabic fusion
group Dobra Group on Phorminx Records and on the album Reggaewomen featuring Rita Marley
on Arcade Records. She did extensive work for TV channels such as Canal Plus, Canal Digital
and TVE such as singing the main theme for the documentary " Días de Vino " and at the
anniversary for " Lo más plus " ( Canal Plús ). She taught voice during several years at
La Escuela Música Creativa.
Maintaining her contact with her native Sweden, she has given concerts at the Gothenburg
Symphony Hall in Gothenburg two summers in a row, inviting Peter Nylander, Patrick
Andrén, Arne Tengstrand, Filip Agustsson, Torbjörn Zetterberg and Jon Persson. She
followed up the TV programme "Goodmorning TV 4" and several radio programmes and
newspaper interviews.
In September 2005 she recorded her new album of her own theatre inspired jazz tunes with
the jazz label C.I.M.P in NY, USA with Rory Stuart, Matt Penmann & Kahlil Kwame Bell .
A project combined with a concert at the Kavehaz Jazz Gallery in NYC.
After having spent years in the States and Spain, Sophie returned to her native Sweden. During
the last years, she has as well explored the English jazz scene, performing at venues such as Pizza
Express and Pizza on the Park in London with musicians such as Gilad Atzmon, Asaf Sirkis,
John Turville, Tom Mason, Martin France, Paul Clarvis, Phil Pesket, Sam Burgess and Alisdair Cherry.
In Sweden, she has been active performing in Morning News TV4 Gothenburg,two performances
of the national anthem at the finals of a game of one of Swedens most successful hockeyteams at the
Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, a four day concert series & art exhibition at Galleri Gummeson
in Stockholm, Stockholm New Music Festival with The Great Learning Orchestra in 2008 etc
In August of 2004, Sophie spent one week studying vocal interpretation at the
Stockhausen Music Course in Kuerten, Germany under suggestion of composer Karl Heinz Stockhausen.
In 2005, she returned to the course supported by a grant of € 3000 from The Arts Foundation in Sweden.