 Whether she's playing an intimate club or an enormous concert hall, Washington, DC area vocalist Nancy Scimone fills the space with grace and humor, engaging every listener with vibrant stage presence and her "warm and enveloping voice." (The Washington Post.) Great pipes, unerring pitch, sonorous low notes and a three octave range give depth and power to her singing both jazz and classical music. A trained musician who sings in five languages and reads music fluently, Nancy Scimone performs as soloist with duo, trio and full ensemble with Washington, DC's most in-demand musicians including pianists Harry Appelman, Wade Beach and Wayne Wilentz and guitarist Steve Herberman.
From her childhood growing up near New York City, this youngest daughter of an Italian-American family knew from the age of six that singing would be her lifelong passion. Her fans use the words "magical," "extraordinary," joy" and "grace" to describe her live performances. Her diverse performing includes the London subways, transcendent cathedrals, private New York City clubs and penthouses, and the Kennedy Center Opera House.
Jazz lovers have enjoyed her appearances at the Smithsonian National Zoo galas, the Carlyle Club, Spirit Yachts, Twins Jazz Club, 49 West, Potomac River Jazz Club events and Alliance Francaise events. On Saturday evenings, Nancy Scimone entertains national and international music lovers at DC's historic Henley Park Hotel singing jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, French songs and sparkling originals.
Nancy Scimone pioneers the musical landscape with new arrangements of enduring jazz and classical melodies in her world ensemble PARISIENNE, entertaining music lovers who are hungry for sophisticated, artful and soulful fun. PARISIENNE is a quartet of vocals, piano, bass and percussion. Their tunelist includes "Nature Boy," "The Great City," "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen, "Estate," "Who Will Buy," "Valse d'amour," "La Vie en Rose" and "Sabor A Mi."
As a classical vocalist her orchestral performances include Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins, Berlioz's Les Nuits d'Eté, Handel’s Messiah and the Fauré Requiem, the comic role of Olga in The Merry Widow with The Washington Opera, and Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasilieras. She was guest artist for two seasons with the Yonkers New York Philharmoic, performing from Jerome Kern's Showboat and Verdi's La Traviata. She has performed in concert at Strathmore Mansion and the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, St. Peter's Concert Series in New York City, and French chanson concerts with Pierre Vallet (conductor with Paris and Metropolitan Operas) for the Bar Harbor Maine Music Festival and in New York City. Nancy Scimone was nominated by the Washington Area Music Association for a "Wammie" award for Best Classical Vocalist -- the award went to Placido Domingo.
Nancy Scimone has toured with her original inspirational music in cathedrals and halls across North America, including New York City, Toronto, and a ten-performance Chicago tour. Her recordings (over 12,000 sold) reach audiences worldwide.
Nancy Scimone graduated from the American University with a degree in literature, with further studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, as well as from on-the-job experience with professional opera, theatre, orchestral, and jazz ensemble performance. Her private teachers include vocalists Patricia Miller and Christina Crerar.
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