Elena Andrews – Jazz Vocalist

With a flare for Jazz standards and colourful, expressive and versatile vocals, Elena Andrews is starting to make a name for herself in the UK and is working on her first Jazz CD release to be recorded this year.

Elena studied Music at the Victorian College of the Arts and the University of Melbourne as well as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Elena has since studied improvising in workshops with the all-female a capella group ‘Coco’s Lunch’ and scatting in bebop style with Anita Wardell in Australia and London.

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As a young girl, Elena was a member of the Australian Girls Choir (or ‘the Choir who dance’) who performed repertoire from Classical music, to Blues, Spirituals right through to Musical theatre and Jazz standards, performing in concerts and often appearing on television, performing for corporate events and at major sporting events in Australia. Elena was regularly chosen to sing the Jazz solos in performances and thus began the love affair with Jazz music.

The Australian Girls Choir awarded her their highest scholarship – the ‘June Bronhill Award’ for excellence and was awarded the Ron Hunt Memorial Award for Music for services to the ‘McKinnon Secondary College Music Program’ as well as receiving two City of Glen Eira ‘Youth Excellence Awards’.

Winner of many prizes in singing competitions and Eisteddfodau in Australia, including in Jazz, Folk, Sacred and Musical theatre prizes, including first in ‘Contemporary Ballad’ and ‘Jazz solo’ at the Kingston Contemporary Music Eisteddfod in Melbourne, where all the adjudicators wrote on her critique was: ‘You ARE a Jazz singer! – First prize.’

Elena was the vocalist with the City of Glen Eira Brass Band for 5 years, performances have ranged from Concerts, Citizenship ceremonies to ‘Carols by Candlelight’ performances at The Caulfield Racecourse and Monash City Council’s ‘Jells Park Carols by Candlelight to audiences of 20,000.

Elena has sung Jazz in venues in Melbourne, London, Glasgow and privately for functions, as well as New York City, singing solo at the Duke Ellington Centre for the Arts NYC fundraising concert ‘Ring dem Bells’ December 2012 in New York City, where she sang the Gershwin standard ‘Someone to watch over me’ with pianist Frank Owens to rapturous applause. High praise also came from Robert Blume from the ‘Drama Desk Awards’ and a Broadway agent following this and a subsequent performance in NYC, who said Elena ‘has the most authentic tone for a Jazz singer I have heard in an incredibly long time.’

Elena has also performed ‘Summertime’ with Trumpet player and Trombonist James Morrisson with orchestra in Melbourne, as well performed with the Miyamoto Trio in Melbourne with whom she has recorded a demo CD (see Youtube channel).

Now based in the UK, Elena has performed for private functions in London and a number of venues and clubs in Glasgow, including Wild Cabaret, Kudos bar, Mediterraneo, Guy’s Restaurant, Beer Cafe in Merchants City, as well as venues such as the Gleneagles hotel ( American bar and Strathearn, as well as hotel private events) and Rusacks restaurant….

Prepandemic Elena sang for the Newcastle Festival 2018 ( Australia) Jazz Up Late – Excerpts are available on youtube.