Elisabeth Lohninger

„A rich, passionate alto“ and “A haunting alto of controlled force” – that is how critics describe Elisabeth Lohninger’s voice. Lathered on lusciously all over her new release “the only way out is up” (Lofish Music, 2006), it catches the listener by surprise with its sheer sonority and smoothness. Having lent her vocals to a very diverse range of releases over the last ten years, Elisabeth Lohninger is not only a seasoned, polished singer but a vocalist with tremendous depth and range.
An internationally touring artist, Elisabeth Lohninger has performed at Festivals and jazz clubs in the US, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and Slovakia, with performances at world renown jazz clubs such as A-Trane (Berlin), Porgy & Bess (Vienna) and the Jazz Standard (New York).
Born and raised in Austria, Elisabeth started her performing career at age six, singing Austrian folksongs in three-part harmony with her sisters. Driven by her musical curiosity, she soon ventured into other stylistic directions and studied classical music and jazz, finishing her studies with a Masters degree in music and English Language and Literature. In 1994 Elisabeth Lohninger relocated to New York City and teamed up with pianist Walter Fischbacher to co-found the duo "Perfect Roommates". This collaboration resulted in a much-lauded CD called "Austrian LiedGood" – a cross between Austrian folk music and jazz - and concerts at American and European Jazz Festivals (such as Texaco Jazz Festival, Chopin & Friends Festival/NYC, Jazz Festival Seeon/Germany). Her pop-soul album "Alien Lovers", released in 2000 under the alias Tera further portrays her stylistic versatility. Further collaborations with Walter Fischbacher led to an album comprised entirely of electronica chill out tracks, which were featured extensively in the daytime drama “One Life to Live”.
Elisabeth’s first film score for Helena Smith's short film "I'm Thursdays" promptly received the Wasserman Craft Award for Original Score (awarded during the First Run Film Festival, NYC) and led to other film scoring projects such as Ms. Smith’s short film “No Verbal Response” and “A Dogday Afternoon” by New York City writer and filmmaker Claire Moed. Additional TV credits include writing songs for shows such as “The Precinct”, “Alias” and “General Hospital”. Since 2002 Elisabeth Lohninger is a faculty member at the prestigious New School Jazz Department in New York. Her 2004 CD with the title “Beneath Your Surface” (Lofish Music) garnered a flock of stellar reviews, while her brand new CD “The Only Way Out Is Up” draws from jazz, pop and drum&bass, creating a mood that is exciting and emotionally charged while staying completely authentic.