Primary Instrument: Vocal
Jazz vocalist and rising star Natalie Dietz has made an indelible impression on the Australian jazz scene in such a short time, impressing both audiences and critics alike with her trademark warm, sensual tone and varied vocal abilities.
Accepted into the elite jazz vocal program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2009, Natalie honed her performing skills under the tutelage of Australian jazz luminaries like Judy Bailey and Mike Nock. She studied voice with jazz vocalists, Kerrie Biddell and Kristin Berardi, as well as composition with jazz pianist Matt McMahon. Prior to this, she received tuition from the Australian Opera title role soprano, Anke Hoeppner, cementing an important foundation in classical voice.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Voice Performance) in 2012 at age 25, Natalie has become a regular on the Sydney music circuit. She has performed at renowned jazz venue 505, the Jazzgroove Association, and SIMA at the Sound Lounge. She has already shared the stage with some of Australia's most distinguished jazz musicians including Matt McMahon, Gerard Masters, Brendan Clarke, Tim Firth, Jonathan Zwartz, Evan Mannell, Jonathan Brown and bassist Waldo Fabian.
Her original compositions are attracting considerable attention among her contemporaries with their complex harmonies combined with strong melodies. She is inspired to blend and create textures with the voice within an ensemble, using wordless melodies as well as lyrics. Her compositions explore the breadth of modern styles, distinguishing her as an innovative and multi-skilled artist. Recently, Natalie’s approach to jazz singing saw her awarded the Australian Government initiative ‘Artstart’ grant and the Performer’s Trust Foundation grant. In December 2012, she will be using funds from these grants to relocate to New York where she will further her studies in both voice and composition. She plans to record her debut album in 2013. A bright new talent on the Australian jazz scene, and “a young woman with much to say” (jazz.org.au), Natalie is a particularly gifted vocalist and composer, and one to watch – and listen – for in the years to come. Stay tuned… “Natalie is a fresh and much-needed voice on the Australian music scene. As a great singer, who has developed a unique compositional style, she is one of the leading lights in a brilliant new wave of original music coming out of Sydney.” Jazz pianist Gerard Masters
“She writes and already has, not just a semblance of her own distinctive style or stamp, but a clear idea of where she's heading with it. She has, no doubt about it, a sense of herself and it manifests in a cohesive set of songs, delivered, largely, with wordless eloquence.” Brad Skye, jazz.org.au
