Natalia Bernal

Chilean born vocalist Natalia Bernal hails from Iquique, a city nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Desert. Now based in New York City, her sound retains and embodies the drama and intensity of the natural surroundings of her homeland. Her early musical training was informal, yet rich; she learned Latin American folkloric songs from her father, great tangos from her Uruguayan mother and grandmother, and assimilated styles of “Música Popular” from Chile, Argentina, Cuba, Peru and Brazil. As her music evolved, she taught herself classics of the great American song book and modeled herself after singers like Barbara Streisand and Shirley Bassey to deepen an already broad vocal palette. Natalia studied at Escuela Morderna de Música in Santiago before leaving Chile for Boston to continue her studies at Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, Bernal spearheaded and co-produced the vibrant “Latin Culture Celebration” concert series and performed with some of the leading figures on the Jazz and Latin scene such as Danilo Perez, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Juan Luis Guerra, Ruben Blades, Gloria Estefan, Paquito D’Rivera, Oscar Stagnaro, Mark Walker and Francisco Mela. Since moving to New York City, she has attracted the attention of musicians and fans alike with her rich, expressive voice as well as her strikingly lyrical songwriting. She performs regularly as a member of the Mary Ann McSweeney Group, The Layla Angulo Band, Los Chamanes and many others. May of 2010 saw the release of La Voz de Tres, the debut CD of Bernal/Eckroth/ Ennis (www.bernaleckrothennis.com), a trio she co-leads with pianist Mike Eckroth and guitarist Jason Ennis. The recording includes four Bernal originals as well as songs from Brazil, Cuba, the Andes plains and the United States, seamlessly bridging styles between North and South America.

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