Chiara Schönfeld (born 1995 in Bern) loves the opportunity to process stories and complex emotional states musically, creating space for new understanding. This is particularly evident in her work as bandleader of the quartet ITAKIRYfor which she composes and writes lyrics. In early 2021, the band released their first works with the single Unknown Desire and the EP Shadows of Ourselves. This was followed in September 2022 by their eponymous debut album in collaboration with the Dutch label SONNA Records.
Schönfeld also expresses her wide range of vocal & musical styles and her love of live performance as a sidewoman in various duos, trios, and big band ensembles.
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"[...] the soothing voice of Schönfeld is prominent in all works. Not does she just sing in the conventional way; she uses her voice as an instrument, and mixes her rich melodies with intense improvised passages.»
— Robin Boer for ProgJazz.nl | 09.04.23
"[...] Schönfeld - blessed with a beautiful voice - has a very supple flexible vocal style that could easily be called fluid; in any case, she is as agile as water. Schönfeld admirably stays miles away from any kind of pathos and it is precisely this unadorned pure way of singing that lets her get close to the listener and thus convey the underlying emotion of the songs. And then she also writes beautiful songs that again have something very pure and sincere. [...] Usually, Schönfeld keeps it small, but at times she dares to let herself go completely. At those moments, her singing gets something raw, like Bjørk's, but at the same time it remains intimate in a way that reminds of Dutch singer Sanne Rambags.»
— Mischa Andriessen for Trouw - Muziek van de week | 14.03.23
«Schönfeld has a crystal-clear voice and sings with the purity of spring water. It is a joy to hear such a beautiful voice."
— Tom Beetz for JazzFlits | 27.02.23
Radio report on the ITAKIRY debut album on Radio SRF2 Kultur: " Young talent in Switzerland [...]" — Jazz und World aktuell | 04.10.2022Portrait of graduates of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts: Luzerner Zeitung | 03.10.2020
"Jazz and pop singer Chiara Schoenfeld provides supple vocal lines and combines with Gianluigi Trovesi's intense saxophone sound in the second part to create a dreamlike duet."
- Der Bund via 'Jazziah - Handel's Messiah reloaded' | 05/22/2018 -
2023: Parallel | EP by immi
2022: ITAKIRY | Album by ITAKIRY
2020: Shadows of Ourselves | EP by ITAKIRY
2020: Unknown Desire | Single by ITAKIRY
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2021 - 2023: Master of Arts in Music Education, Jazz Singing | Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
2018 - 2020: Master of Arts in Music, Major Performance Jazz Singing & Minor Music Theater | Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
2015 - 2018: Bachelor of Arts in Music, Jazz Singing | Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Gesangsstudium u.a. bei Kristin Berardi, Sarah Büchi, Susanne Abbuehl, Lauren Newton und Lauren Kinsella.
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