J o a n a M a c h a d o V o c a l i s t Born in Funchal, Madeira, in 1978. At age 6, she started her musical journey by taking piano lessons at the local Conservatory. Eleven years later, she moved to Lisbon and took classical singing lessons for a year. Later, in 1998, she entered Hot Clube's Jazz School. In the year that followed she was referred to as "New Voice Revelation" in Newest in Jazz, a special concert during Coimbra's Jazz Festival. At the same time she completed Industrial Design studies at Universidade Lusíada. In 2001 she applied for New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program in New York City, and was given a Scholarship to complete her Major Degree. During that period, she was chosen to represent the school various times, including a student showcase at Birdland, where she was the only vocalist, singing alongside renowned artists such as Joe Lovano, Jesse Davis and Jane Ira Bloom. In March of 2003, DOWNBEAT Magazine mentioned her as "a talented vocalist". In NY, she had the opportunity to study with Buster Williams, Doug Weiss, Joanne Brackeen, Jeannie Lovetri, Luciana Souza, Reggie Workman, Sheila Jordan, Vic Juris, among others. In July of 2002 she represented Portugal in IASJ's annual meeting (International Association of Schools of Jazz – whose mentor is David Liebman) , this time in Helsinky (Finland). Since she started her professional activity she has assumed the roles of both lieder and sideperson, in a variety of styles - from traditional Jazz to World Music - - Experimentalia and Idiosyncrasies are projects worth mentioning, groups she held with guitarist Afonso Pais during 2001/2002 and 2004/2005 respectively. She has equally performed with Jazz Orchestras, such as Lehigh Valley Jazz Repertory Orchestra, directed by Bill Warfield, New School University's Jazz Orchestra, directed by Charles Tolliver, and European Jazz Youth Orchestra (resulting in an international tour during the summer of 2004), this time directed by Pedro Moreira. Among her many performances she has paid tribute to Sarah Vaughan, Hermeto Pascoal, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Wayne Shorter. In New York she performed with Gary Bartz, Jamey Haddad, Jane Ira Bloom and Reggie Workman. In Portugal she works frequently with some of the very best musicians in the Scene such as Afonso Pais, André Sousa Machado, Alexandre Frazão, Bernardo Moreira, Bruno Pedroso, Jorge Reis, Jesse Chandler, Marco Franco, Nelson Cascais and Nuno Ferreira. Recently she was invited by pianist/composer Bernardo Sassetti to perform in a presentation of his original soundtrack for 1930's Maria do Mar, a film by Leitão de Barros. This presentation took place in 2005's edition of Leiria's Music Festival. She's Faculty at Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa's Jazz & Modern Music Department. Recently, she had the opportunity of sharing the stage with brazilian “singer-songwriter” Edu Lobo, in Afonso Pais’ pre-release of new album “Subsequências” at Culturgest (April of 2006) In November of 2005 she recorded her debut album for Tone Of A Pitch Music. Mário Barreiros was the recording engineer for the 3 day session. This record is a quartet’s rendition of Afonso Pais’ arrangements and originals. Buster Williams wrote the liner notes to “crude”. "A Casa do Óscar" (2008), her second album, is a tribute to Tom Jobim's, out on the market in March of 2009. She'a a featured guest in pianist/composer Abe Rábade's 2008 recording "Aloumiños de Seda". During the summer of 2008 she performed throughout Holland with pianist Rembrandt Frerich and saxofonist Toon Roos's trio. Since October 2009 she's enrolled in the Performance Master's at ESMAE in Oporto, Portugal. During the summer of 2010, she travelled to New York with a Grant from GDA to be in Meredith Monk’s Company Member Workshop and to receive private lessons from guru saxophonist Steve Coleman. 2010 is also a big year in what concerns recording. She has 2 albums coming out: a recording of pianist Amílcar Vasques Dias' music for Feminin Hispanic/Arabic Poetry (for NUMÉRICA); and Abe Rábade's Music for a selection of portuguese poems (with Orchestra!) to be release on NUBA Records/KARONTE (Spain).