Teodora Brody

Born in Romania, and now based in Switzerland, Teodora Brody initially trained in classical jazz and rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s singing with legendary jazz pianist Johnny Răducanu.

Acclaimed for her extraordinary vocal power and creative vision, Teodora pioneered the fusion of jazz with Doina – Romania’s improvisatory folk singing tradition – and is widely credited with introducing international audiences to this extraordinary, deeply emotive music.

Always searching for new musical territories to explore, Teodora has performed alongside musicians including Stanley Jordan, Theodosii Spassov, Lars Danielsson, Johnny Răducanu, Les Paul, Curtis Fuller, Eric Legnini, Phillippe Duchemin, Guido Manusardi, Benny Rietveld, Daniele di Bonaventura, Ion Baciu and Al Copley. On the world stage, Teodora has regularly appeared at prestigious European jazz festivals including Montreux, Lugano and Marciac, and across the Atlantic she has performed at the US Library of Congress and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and at legendary clubs including Iridium New York and Blues Alley in Washington D.C.

In 2004 the American government named Teodora a Romanian Cultural Ambassador to the USA, and in both 2007 and 2008 Teodora was awarded the prize for ‘Best International Jazz Contribution by a Romanian Artist’ by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company.

In recent years, Teodora’s intrepid imagination has taken her far beyond her Romanian and jazz roots into new musical territory. With unique projects including ‘From Classical to Jazz’ and ‘Classical Emotion’, Teodora has explored classical repertoire with a completely fresh approach, reimagining well-known works by composers including Bach, Beethoven, Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Bartók, Pau Casals and the beloved Romanian composer George Enescu. In 2019 ‘From Classical to Jazz’ was awarded ‘Project of the Year’ at the Romanian Jazz Awards Gala, and Teodora herself was named ‘Musician of the Year’ for the second year in a row.

2023 saw Teodora forging ahead on this unique creative path, with exciting projects including her ‘Impromptu’ sessions, a regular series of entirely improvised concerts performed with special guests across Europe, including Stanley Jordan and Marco Mezquida. Rhapsody was released in the autumn, featuring the world-renowned London Symphony Orchestra, presenting a thrilling journey into the classical repertoire.

In 2024, Teodora celebrates her achievements with Rhapsody on an autumn tour, featuring a London performance with the London Symphony Orchestra. Teodora also tours through the USA with her own quartet, with a highlight performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. On November 8, Teodora joins forces with jazz legend Stanley Jordan for a landmark performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.

2024 and 2025 will see further exciting inter-disciplinary collaborations for Teodora, to be announced soon. 

Awards

In 2019, ”From Classical to jazz” received the ”Concert of the Year Prize” at the Jazz Awards Gala and Teodora was also named the “Musician of the Year” at the same Gala. In 2018 and 2019 Teodora received the “Musician of the Year Award” at the Jazz Awards Gala, Romania. In 2017 the show “Prophet” is awarded the “Project of the Year Prize” at the Jazz Awards Gala, Romania. In 2007 and 2008 Teodora is awarded the prize for the “Best International Jazz Contribution of a Romanian artist”, by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company. In 2005, Teodora and her partner Johnny Răducanu are honoured with the prize for the “Best Short Musical” at the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival in the USA for their project “Jazz Made in Romania. Two Icons of Jazz”. In 1993, Teodora is presented with the “Best New Artist Award” at Sibiu Jazz Festival.