Biography

Download Lisa Young’s Short Bio (PDF) and Major Performances List (PDF)

Lisa Young is known to choral, jazz and world music listeners as a creative vocal stylist and improviser, incorporating Indian and African elements in her work. She enjoys a rich, collaborative performing and recording life with multi award-winning vocal group Coco’s Lunch (8 albums 2 ARIA nominations,), and the Lisa Young Quartet (4 albums). The Grace album with her Quartet – Stephen Magnusson, Ben Robertson and Dave Beck, won the BELL Award for Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album 2007. She contributes a wealth of original repertoire to these groups, including collaborations with bassist Ben Robertson.   A longtime student of maestro Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani in Chennai, India, Lisa specialises in Konnakol – South Indian vocal percussion. She has toured 14 countries, including over 12 years across Australia and Asia with Coco’s Lunch in Musica Viva’s export, country-wide and schools programs.   She is a founding member of the female jazz quintet ‘Morgana’, who toured and recorded in the 90’s and sold out their reunion gigs at Chapel Off Chapel for the 2022 Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and the Melb. Women’s International Jazz Festival in December 2022.

Lisa is passionate about the transformative power of ensemble singing, and has created a distinct body of engaging choral repertoire sung throughout the world.  Her composition Sacred Stepping Stones (for Gondwana Choirs) was awarded Work Of The Year: Choral, in the 2021 Australian Art Music Awards.  Thulele Mama Ya (performed with Coco’s Lunch) won Best Folk/World Song in the Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards (USA 2003). Other Plans (Young) won Best Song Composed in the 2015 Australian A Cappella AUSACA Play Awards, and was a CARA award nominee. Other Plans has also been released on sing 12 THIS BIG! the CASA – Contemporary A cappella Society of America’s featured compilation album for 2016.  Misra Chappu was a Best Folk/World nominee in the 2021 CARA Awards.

She has enjoyed commissions from The Australian Voices, Gondwana Choirs, Four Winds Youth Festival, Young Adelaide Voices, Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus, Santa Sabina College and Fremantle Festival.  In 2015 she was awarded her PhD in Music Performance from Monash University where she received the Monash-Pratt Post Graduate Award for her candidature. Upon graduating she was awarded Best Doctoral Thesis – Music Performance from the Arts Faculty.

In 2011 her quartet premiered their song cycle The Eternal Pulse to a standing ovation at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, followed by performances at Borneo Jazz Fest 2013 and KL International Jazz and Arts Festival 2014.  The Eternal Pulse features compositions by Young in collaboration with Robertson and K. Mani, incorporating both intoned and pitched passages of Konnakol, layering Indian elements, rhythmic textures and ensemble dialogue.  The music was created as part of her PhD in Music Performance at Monash University, the album was a finalist in the 2012 Bell Awards.

With Coco’s Lunch, Lisa has worked with Musica Viva’s In Schools program, Countrywide, and Export programs presenting interactive concerts and workshops Australia wide and in Singapore, Taiwan and Lao.

From 2015 – 2019 Lisa served as Lecturer – Head of Voice and Aural Studies  in the Bachelor of Music Performance – and Creative Practice lecturer in the Masters program at Box Hill Institute.  She has previously taught voice at Monash University and Victorian College Of Arts Melbourne, Australia, and is regularly invited to a variety of tertiary institutions to offer workshops and masterclasses as a guest artist, or recital examiner.

Awards /Scholarships Highlights

• WINNER ART MUSIC AWARDS 2021 (APRA/AMCOS AMC) Choral Work of The Year – Sacred Stepping Stones
• AWMA 2021 (Australian Women In Music Awards) Finalist – Best Song Writer Award
• Short Listed 2021 Music Victoria Awards: Coco’s Lunch Best Intercultural Act
• BELL AWARD WINNER ‘Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album’ GRACE 2007
• Best Doctoral Thesis – Music Performance 2015, Monash University.
• WINNER AUSACA Play Awards for Other Plans composed Young: Treble nomination OTHER PLANS and nominations ‘SHIFTING TIME’ and ‘IN MY ROOM’
• Winner CARA awards USA 2003 – BEST FOLK/WORLD SONG for Thulele Mama Ya
• ARIA awards – Finalist nomination for Blueprint (Coco’s Lunch) Best World Music Album, and Rat Trap Snap, Best Children’s Album 2007
• CARA awards USA 2016 ‘Other Plans’ / Young, nomination best FOLK/WORLD song.  2021 ‘Misra Chappu’ nomination Best Folk/World song.
• AVA (USA a cappella video awards) Other Plans, nominee best FOLK/WORLD video 2018
• 2013 Melbourne Prize for Music – Outstanding Musician Finalist

Education Highlights

• PhD Music Performance, Monash University, May 2015 – ‘The Eternal Pulse’ Creating With Konnakol and its Adaptation into Contemporary Vocal Performance.
• Masters Music Performance, VCA Melbourne, 1998. ‘Konnakol: The History and Development of Solkattu – The Vocal Syllables – of the Mridangam.

Performance Highlights With Lisa Young Quartet and Coco’s Lunch

• Four Winds Easter Festival 2019, Four Winds Youth Festival 2018
• KUALA LUMPUR International Jazz Festival 2014
• The HINDU NOVEMBER FEST, INDIA 2014
• BORNEO Jazz Festival 2013
• Melbourne International Jazz Festival at Melbourne Recital Centre, 2017 (2011, 2008)
• The Salon: Melbourne Recital Centre 2016/2019
• Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2015 (Coco’s Lunch show ‘Other Plans’)
• SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ‘CONFLUENCE FESTIVAL 2016, Utzon Room Music Series Sellout concerts 2008 & 2009

Awards /Scholarships/Nominations

• Monash-Pratt Post Graduate Award for PhD candidature 2010- 2014
• PROJECT FELLOWSHIP Australia Council for the Arts 2008
• Bell award Shortlist ‘Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album’ THE ETERNAL PULSE’ 2012
• ASIA LINK residency for study and research in India Mumbai/Chennai 1998
• ARTS VICTORIA award, The Eternal Pulse, video and documentary clips 2012/13
• Professional Development Awards (Oz council, Arts Vic) for intensive periods of konnakol study with Karaikudi Mani in Chennai 1998, 2008.

Recent Papers / Presentations

• The Eternal Pulse: Creating With Konnakkol in Contemporary Practice, article published in the Indian Musicological Society Journal ‘Laya In Carnatic Music’ October 2018.
• DDCA Symposium 2015, The Outstanding Field: Artistic Research Emerging from the Academy. Paper Presentation (by invitation)
• Choralfest 2015: Australian National Choral Association Conference
• Australian Society for Music Educators (ASME) International Conference
• MSA – Musicological Society of Australia – 2012 Victorian Chapter Conference, Winner of Best Paper presented by a student.

Notable Performers Of Lisa’s Scores

• USA: Cincinnati Children’s Choir, West Virginia University Choir, University of South Maine Chamber Singers, Crown College Women’s Choir – Minneapolis, Grand Rapid’s Women’s Chorus Michigan, Young Naperville Singers Illinois, Michigan State University Women’s Chamber Ensemble, Creavo Ensemble – Voena Children’s Choir California, Reed Academy Treble Choir, MO, West Custago Youth Chorale, ME, Festus Intermediate Honor Choir, MO, Quincy Area Youth Chorus – Illinois

CANADA: Serious Options Choir – BC, FRANCE: Musique Pluriel,  POLAND: Alla Polacca, Skowronki Girls Choir, SWEDEN: Kalmar Nation’s Choir, GERMANY: IAM E.V. Choir, UK; The Left Bank Vocal Collective – Leeds, Dolce Choir,  PARAGUAY: Da Capo Cora.

• ASIA/AUSTRALIA: Asia Pacific Youth Choir,The Australian Voices, Voyces (Perth), Gondwana Choirs, Young Adelaide Voices, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Young Voices of Melbourne, Australian Girls Choir, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, Biralee Children’s Choir, Australian Children’s Choir

Quotes

“Young has created a fine balance between accessible composition and exciting improvisation. Her sophisticated blend of Indian and jazz idioms seduces from the start and never releases its hold…” Ian Patterson, All About Jazz.

“interpolates her musical will readily and completely… moves seamlessly …percussive, wordless singing and ballads.” C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

“Other-worldly…totally engaging… Her art is an awesome rhythmic control.  Not to be missed, this is one out of the box.” Leon Gettler, The AGE, Australia

‘Remarkable grace in amazing voice’  Jessica Nicholas, The AGE, Australia