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caroll vanwelden

Caroll is a Belgian jazz singer/songwriter/pianist living in Germany at the moment.

About Me

At the age of seven Caroll started her music training playing the classical piano. After a while, it became apparent she had a talent both for music and mathematics, two passions she would combine all through her student years. During her studies she took private courses with top Belgian jazz performer David Linx and the famous American jazz singer Judy Niemack. During that time, Caroll also worked together with the great Peter Girth at the Staatstheater of Darmstadt (Germany) where she wrote a dissertation on 'Artistic freedom or financial waste within the Performing Arts'.

After completing her engineering studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1994, Caroll was determined to go forward and continue in her ambition as a musician. She enrolled at the music conservatory of Ghent, where she finished her candidature years and prepared for her entry-examination at the famous London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Artistic excellence and high quality performance lie at the heart of the Guildhall School's success and only a limited number of international students are accepted. She completed her postgraduate studies at the Guildhall where she graduated magna cum laude in 1998. During that time she worked together with the great Iranian conductor/composer Alexander Rahbari, who was leading the Belgian Philharmonic Orchestra of the National television broadcasting network at that time. Meanwhile, in 1996, while studying at the conservatory, she sang the role of Lauretta for the CD-release of the musical EXTASY which was written and produced by Alexander Rahbari. This CD was released in 1999 under the “Discover of Koch International” label. In 1997 Caroll participates at a TV music contest where she reached the finales with the song Calling You from the beautiful movie Bagdad Cafe. From September 1998 till September 1999, she was the fix singer for the Panasonic Technics keyboard demonstrations, with pianist Piet Meersschaut. Furthermore, she's lead singer on jazz and pop gigs in Belgium and abroad, big bands, gigs for service clubs like Lions and Rotary, Christmas- and musical concerts, weddings and receptions, backing vocals, fancy fairs, etc... and she teaches singing and music in some private schools (Clavissimo and Ozma).

In January 1999 she creates the cover-group “O-position” with 7 professional jazz musicians, where she's the lead voice and plays the second keyboard. Together with this band, she performed on several music festivals and private parties. In September 1999 a first single is released : a cover of the TLC song No Scrubs edited by North West featuring Caroll under the label ARS.

In February 2000 she participates again at a TV music contest where she reaches the semi-finals with a reggae version of the song Memory from the musical Cats. In 2001-2002 as being a member of the group Mezcal with band leader Luiz Marquez, she experiments with ethnical, Mexican music, and bolero and she is the featured singer on their 2 cd's. As Caroll gave birth to a little boy and a little girl during 2002 - 2005, she decides to take a rest for a while and starts writing her own songs and lyrics. In 2006 she also participated at the project LaFrench. In the mean while she recorded some backing vocals on Enrique Tarde’s new album and in 2008 she started a creative jazz duo project with the great Thailand-based jazz piano player Tars Lootens. In 2007 she went on a 10-day tour to China (Beijing) with fantastic musicians! They played in great places as the Beijing Jazz Club, the Conservatory of Beijing, the Embassy of the Netherlands and many other places. In 2006 she started to write songs for her new album Colours and wanted to mix all the influences she had into one CD. There are some fantastic musicians playing on “ colours' “ like Mike Roelofs, Ron van Stratum, Frank Peeters, Sam Vloemans en Henk de Laat. The cd 2008: release of debut solo full album, Colours’. In her debut solo album singer-songwriter Caroll Vanwelden brings a mix of all influences she encountered in her career as a singer. You strongly feel her passion for Jazz, Latin and Soul, melted with a dash of pop. Some songs are easy listening; others bring you to the dance floor. Her very distinctive style and her perfectionism made it long to go for a solo album. Critic Albert Healemeersch: “Colours’ is a powerful debut of a great singer-composer. A must in your collection!”

As jazz has always been her first love, Caroll Vanwelden recorded at her home studio a collection of exquisite standards for an easy listening compilation of her all-time favourites, which resulted in the new swing jazz album ‘Cheek to Cheek’. Critic Albert Healemeersch: No horns, no violins, just that sober sound that reminds of the real cosy jazz clubs. With some of her friends and top musicians – Dirk Van Der Linden on guitar, Janos Bruneel on double bass, and Stijn Wauters on the piano – vocalist Caroll Vanwelden succeeded in recreating that lovely 1920-30’s sound with just the right retro touch and lots of great swinging moments. As a vocalist Caroll was really made to bring that good old jazzy style.

In March 2010 she performs on the gala of the Belgium-Indian Economic Mission in Mumbaï (India) headed by H.R.H. Prince Philippe of Belgium.

In January 2011 Caroll moves with her family to Germany where she starts composing for her new challenging project: putting music on 16 Shakespeare Sonnets. She finished the writing in December 2011 and recorded her new album in April 2012. Caroll sings the sonnets and in the mean time plays the piano and together with her musicians Thomas Siffling (tr,flughelh), Mini Schulz (double bass) and Markus Faller (dr,perc), she brings you in the different atmospheres andsoundcolours of Shakespeare's wonderful world. With this album she propels the great Shakespeare unexpectedly into the world of big jazz librettists and interprets his lyrics into contemporary music in wonderful arrangements. The new album “Caroll Vanwelden Sings Shakespeare Sonnets” came out in October 2012 during the Enjoy Jazz Festival in Mannheim, Germany under the label Jazz 'N' Arts. Critic Thomas Hintze (Stereo, Dezember 2012): “Hier handelt es sich um ein Album, welches das Zeug hat, zur CD des Jahres gewählt zu werden.”

As sequel on her album Cheek to Cheek, with Songs of the '30s, end 2013 Caroll comes out with DON'T EXPLAIN, with songs of the '40s, where gives a renewed face to evergreens from the past and brings those unforgettable songs to a level where she, for a short time carries us back to the era of Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

Critic Albert Haelemeersch: This year, she’s back again with her new album 'DON’T EXPLAIN' with her favorite songs of the ‘40s, featuring refreshing and colorful arrangements. Listening to her outstanding, unique and warm voice, you quickly come to the conclusion, that all the ingredients are there again to turn this 'new adventure' into another hit. The openers 'All or nothing at all’ and ‘Don’t explain’ put you immediately in the right mood and atmosphere. Even the duet-song ‘Baby it’s cold outside’ keeps the listener in suspense until the last chord. Together with her wonderful band, Thomas Stabenow on double bass, Daniel Prandl at the piano and Bernhard Sperrfechter on guitars, Caroll Vanwelden takes us seamlessly back in time to the top years of the good old cozy jazz clubs. 'DON'T EXPLAIN' is an amazing, powerful, emotional and vivacious album with fourteen tracks presented in a very minimalistic line-up; an album that catches your attention from the beginning to end.

Coming up soon (2014): new album with Compositions on Shakespeare Sonnets II.