About Me
Marleen van Emmerik (Nijmegen, 1981) is an extensively trained singer who is inspired by both classic and contemporary vocalists such as Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Lizz Wright en Kurt Elling, but also Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and countless other pop and soul stars.
This can be heard in her style that can be described as a mix of jazz, soul, black gospel and contemporary R&B. She knows how to connect with her audience, surprising them with her warmly-toned voice with an occasional sharper edge.
Brought up in a musical environment, she was influenced by several different music styles. Starting as a classical violinist, she developed, during her high school years, into a solo singer in black gospel choirs and pop bands until she eventually discovered jazz singing. Inspired, she began taking jazz singing lessons from the American artist Abby van Spronsen, who had studied with Bobby McFerrin and toured with Jon Hendricks.
In 2001 she was accepted into the jazz course at the Amsterdam Conservatorium, where she developed into a professional singer, composer and arranger. Her enthusiasm was sparked by workshops from artists such as Bobby Mc Ferrin, John Clayton, Deborah Brown and Edwin Rutten. At the same time, she had lessons from Lydia van Dam, Annett Andriessen, Sylvi Lane and Greetje Kauffeld. In the spring of 2006, she successfully attained her Bachelors degree and went on to begin her Masters in September.
Living in Amsterdam provided Marleen with many opportunities to gain experience singing with countless bands and projects. She is currently the singer for the Amsterdam Jazz Orchestra and she has performed many times in the Bimhuis with various groups and bands, one of which is ‘Mary’s Jazz Quintet’.
Besides live performances, Marleen also greatly enjoys working in the studio. Over the past few years she has proved a successful studio singer and has built up considerable experience singing in tunes for advertisements and doing backing vocal work for different studios in and around Amsterdam. Her background and wide range of experience gives her voice a flexibility that can easily adapt to create a desired atmosphere or style.
Marleen’s talent has not gone unnoticed. In November, 2006 she was awarded the ‘Mathilde Santing Award’ on behalf of the Jazz Talent Trust.
