Nora Germain

1/4 Catalan, 3/4 American violinist Nora Francesca Germain is an author, jazz musician, and recording artist. She was the first ever violinist to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Studies from University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where she attended with a full scholarship. She was also the first to formally study jazz violin at the renowned Idyllwild Arts Academy in California, where she was given the "Inspirational Jazz Student" Award at age 17 by Marshall Hawkins, former bassist for Miles Davis and Shirley Horn. Now often called an old soul, bright star or loyal friend, Nora has worked alongside an impressive range of top performers from around the world and continues to delight her fans with her vision, commitment to her craft and wit. She has since earned the nickname “Jazz Violin Barbie.”

Nora was introduced to music by her violinist parents and cellist grandmother who were all members of the Madison Symphony. Her maternal grandmother was also a pianist and singer from Barcelona, Spain. Both of Nora’s grandfathers were veterans of World War II. One of them, Cliff Germain, notably helped found the State Natural Areas Program in Wisconsin. The other was a Spanish teacher and a friend of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s brother, Frank Oppenheimer. After her work in the symphony, Nora’s mother co-founded the Suzuki Strings of Madison classical violin school in the early 1990s which Nora attended as a child, while her late father became a violin luthier. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Nora performed year-round with Suzuki Strings of Madison and participated in masterclasses led by among others, violinists Mark O'Connor and Hilary Hahn. 

By age 10, Nora was already eager to venture outside of her classical training, but she did not discover jazz until she was a teenager, and track one of the 1956 Stephane Grappelli album “Improvisations” came through the stereo. That moment was one of profound liberation, and it inspired Nora to begin the lifelong and unending journey to find her own sound and way of playing in the world — a journey she colloquially refers to as “violin mountain.”

While at university, she accompanied artists including Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Frey of The Eagles, Barry Manilow and Arturo Sandoval in various live performances. In later years, she performed at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards with Sam Smith, and was in the same year a featured soloist with Marshall Hawkins' Seahawk Modern Jazz Orchestra. She has since performed with jazz artists Jon Batiste, Jacob Collier, Evan Christopher, Casey Abrams, Dee Dee Bridgewater and John Altman. She has also appeared alongside several of the world's great guitar players including Martin Taylor MBE, John Etheridge, Tommy Emmanuel CGP, Robin Nolan and others.

She has also recorded as a soloist with a number of singers including Sandi Thom, Ariana Savalas, and Alan Paul of The Manhattan Transfer. She has been featured as a guest and co-host on numerous podcasts including Scott Cowie’s Talk Music Podcast and The Violin Podcast. In 2016 she was invited to perform for the Eckhart Tolle Foundation and in the same year, she also started performing in viral music videos with YouTube sensation Postmodern Jukebox. Her performances with the group have now been watched over 12 million times.

Nora has worked on numerous films, TV shows and music videos both on camera and in the recording studio, including projects for The Hallmark Channel, Hulu, Sony Pictures, Drunk History, Glee, music videos for JMSN and KNOWER, and others. She has also produced and released 11 of her own jazz albums featuring standards, classical re-imaginings, and original compositions. In 2024, she released a new edition of her inspirational music mindset book “Go For It,” and in total, has played on over 150 recordings. She appeared on episodes of The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Ellen DeGeneres Show performing with musical guests Sampha, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, and Lewis Capaldi. More recently, she has performed as a soloist for The Gates Foundation, The Getty Center, Tiffany and Co., and many more.

For two years, Nora performed taking requests on a weekly basis for patients and families at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, under the Mark Taper-Johnny Mercer Volunteer Artist Program, and has performed for a number of other charities and causes. She enjoys public speaking and master classes, traveling to Europe, being near the ocean, and turns to writing or painting in her free time. She is also a supporter of several environmental efforts. Guitarist Martin Taylor MBE, longtime collaborator with Stephane Grappelli, has described Nora as having a "very wise head on very young shoulders." Nora often remarks in her own clever way that she has enjoyed “a good start” to her career. If her already prolific contribution is any indication, she is one to watch — in the jazz world surely, but also far beyond it.