April Varner

Praised by DownBeat as an artist with “impressive range,” April Varner has gained steady momentum as a supreme vocalist, a bebop technician and a contemporary storyteller. The Toledo-born New Yorker has toured the world, dazzling audiences with her growing mastery of the American Songbook and her creative approach to the vocalese tradition. She has amassed more than 92K+ followers on Instagram and TikTok, and collaborated with a roster of emerging artists and living legends, including Postmodern Jukebox, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, John Pizzarelli, Ulysses Owens, Jr., Theo Bleckmann, Sachal Vasandani, Yasushi Nakamura, Benny Benack III, The Sunhouse Singers vocal trio, Luther Allison, Nicole Zuraitis, Chico Pinheiro, Leandro Pellegrino, Dayna Stephens, Reuben Rogers and the recently departed Russell Malone. She has enjoyed wide recognition on the competition circuit as a Rising Star Jazz Vocalist in the 73rd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll; winner for one of Downbeat’s Best Albums of 2024; recipient of Honorable Mention in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition; winner of the 2023 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition; and a finalist in the Collegiate Combo Competition for the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2020. To keep up with April’s busy tour schedule, subscribe to her newsletter: aprilvarner.com and follow her on YouTube, Instagram @aprilvarnermusic, and TikTok @aprilvarnermusic.