Kristina Koller
Peekskill, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016
Music
Press
"Wonderfully eclectic singer Kristina Koller unearths a new side of Cole Porter on Get Out Of Town" - Downbeat
"Perception is driven by her love of innovation in music" - Earmark
' "Flicker" takes us on a captivating ride, marked by lush instrumentation, various music influences and rich vocals.' - Stereofox
"Koller favors humid and moody arrangements that are the sonic equivalent of chiaroscuro in the visual arts" - All About Jazz
Discography
Full length albums:
2018: Perception
2019: Stronger
2021: Get Out Of Town
Singles:
Body & Soul
Angel Eyes
Flicker
Photos
Bio
Always innovative and pushing the limit, Kristina Koller is making her mark in the music world. As an evolving jazz-centric artist, Kristina has developed into a highly individual songwriter, arranger & vocalist. Koller creates music that crosses generations, while still embracing the history and mood of traditional jazz. She arranges tunes in unique ways, pushing the boundaries of vocal jazz. Kristina revamps classic material while retaining their essence, putting her own winning personality and fresh ideas into the music & lyrics that she interprets.
Her diverse & unconventional approach is exemplified on her first two albums ‘Perception’ and ‘Stronger’. In her debut album ‘Perception’, Koller breaks through the standard vocal jazz mold and delivers a compilation of deftly composed originals and reimagined gems, carefully selected with the thematic focus of love and relationships at the forefront of each. On ‘Stronger’ she takes a deep, risky dive and combines art rock with jazz & indie-pop in an array of original music. The thematic & powerful songs radiate mental strength, projecting empowerment through self-discovery & awareness. On her latest album ‘Get Out of Town’, Koller celebrates the music of Cole Porter in her own distinct way. She mixes R&B, neo-soul, traditional swing and acoustic jazz sounds in a tight 8 song compendium of Porter’s music. The music was debuted during her 2021 ‘Cole Porter Re-Imagined’ Midwest Tour funded by the South Arts Organization.
Growing up just outside of New York City, Kristina was exposed to a wide array of music & dance which markedly influenced her at an early age. As such, she performed in youth musical theater and eventually branched out artistically, embracing solo performance as a teen singer-songwriter and vocalist in alt-rock bands. Her artistic thirst reached into classical art songs, opera and vocal jazz. Her embrace of jazz expanded into the performance space during her high school years, joining a quartet that gigged locally in Westchester, NY. On scholarship she studied at The Hartt School’s Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and completed her formal music education at The City College of New York. Kristina developed her musical voice in the NYC jazz scene, performing at venerable haunts such as Smalls, Smoke, Minton's, Mezzrow as well as The Apollo Theater.
In addition to her individual creative and performance efforts, Kristina has kick-started & hosted a number of community music projects. In 2019 she started up a popular Neo soul/improvised jam in Brooklyn called Neo Jam. The pandemic didn't stop her. In 2021 she jump started and produced the Feel Good Music Series in Peekskill, NY alongside Arts 10566 and fellow musician Alex Smith. The annual summer festival brings a wide range of music styles to the Peekskill community.
With such a diverse artistic foundation, it is no surprise that her innovation for new sounds drives Kristina’s creative flow, melding jazz, funk, rock, R&B & alternative genres into her music.
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