Laila Biali

Since climbing up onto the piano bench at the tender age of three-and-a-half years, Laila has cultivated a life-long love for the instrument. She has also always loved to sing. It was in later years – particularly during her post-secondary education at Toronto Humber College’s jazz program - that the composer in Laila emerged, and in 2005 she was named “SOCAN Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist of the Year” at the Canadian National Jazz Awards.Over the past 10 years, Laila’s playing, composing and singing have brought her onto stages around the world both as a solo artist and as part of internationally renowned touring acts. She has performed her own music at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City and at festivals across Canada, the United States, Europe, Brazil and Peru, and she has toured with several Grammy Award winning artists, including Chris Botti, Paula Cole, and Suzanne Vega.As a recording artist, Laila has already released three independent CD’s. Her most recent recording, From Sea to Sky (June 2007) received rave reviews, and she is currently working on a new recording project that she intends to release within the next year.Aside from her active performing schedule, Laila is also frequently invited to teach at Stanford University’s summer jazz workshop. A recent arrival to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, she will be dividing her time between Toronto and New York City over the next few years.