Biographie Nicole Metzger

I started my musical career at the age of nine with a classic music guitar training. At the age of 15, I started my first musical project and can be heard as the lead singer in many different bands. In 1986 I met the well-known opera sophist soprano and voice trainer, Brigitta Seidler-Winkler, where I first heard about voice training. During my voice training with Mrs. Seidler-Winkler, I was also trained in singing pedagogy to become a singing teacher

MY MUSICAL YEARS

In 1988,I began a 5-year Musicial study course with the "American Performing Arts Company" and the Musical School in Frankfurt.

In 1993, I completed my studies with production testing my stage effectiveness before the Examing Board. During my studies,I won the third place in a Federal Singing Contest set up by the VDMK in 1991

After my education, I was given many engagements in musicals such as "The Man from La Mancha" or "Little Shop of Horrors" at home and abroad.

At the same time I continued to work as a singer in the Blues-, Gospel-, but most of all the Jazz-scene. In addition, I was the lead singer in the "Wolf-Kaiser-Big Band" for the next 10 years, with whom I performed at dance competitions and gala events throughout the whole of Germany.

MY JAZZ

In 1995, I concentrated completly on my greatest passion - Jazz. In the same year I founded a jazz quartett with Christoph Mudrich /piano, Dirik Schilgen/drums, Johannes Schaedlich/bass and took part in Jazz Festivals in Worms, Düsseldorf and Vannes (Bretagne)
In 1997 our debut album come out - "Nicole Metzger sings Gershwin" which was enthusiasticly recieved not only by the general public but also by the critics.
In 1999 the Quartett recorded the CD "We and the Night and the Music" on which the Belgian trombonist Phil Abraham also played a part.

In December 2001 the Nicole Metzger Quartett inspired their fans with their expressive Christmas-CD "Merry X-mas" and every year from then on we have continued to our fans with an evocative Christmas programme.
2004 the Nicole Metzger Quartet were to be seen with their "Four Seasons"-programme with a new cast on stage. Four top-class brass-players were with them: the Luxemburger trompeter Ernie Hames, the Belgian trombonist Phil Abraham, also from Belgium the saxophonist Fabrice Aleman and the Germans saxophonist Frank Spaniol from Berlin.
In 2005, Nicole Metzger Quartet‘s last joint project came out. A "Cole-Porter"-programme only with compositions of this great American songwriter.

In 1999 Ralph Schweizer engaged me for a performance together with the "Ralph Schweizer Big Band". In March 2002, our first CD "Day Dream" came out as hommage to Duke Ellington. The Big Band swinged in the traditional sound at regular performances throughout Germany.

In 2000,I met the guitarist Wesley "G" with him I share my love of melodic jazz and our role models Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass. Together we worked on several duo productions, that you can hear live on stage.
In March 2006 we won the international duo competition "voice and Guitar" in the town of Völklingen.

In October 2004 Wesley "G" and I met the French jazz musicans, Jean-Yves Jung (jazz organ) and Jean-Marc Robin (drums). Together we formed the group "French Connection".

In 2002 the famous Amercian string bass player, Joe Fonda invited me to give our first concert together in New York. Together with Fonda, Michael Stevens (piano) and Harvey Sorgen (drums), I recorded the CD "At Any Other Time" there in August 2002.
It contained their own compositions as well as standard songs. Since then I have regularly toured with the other three musicans through the US and Europe.

In 2005 I founded my new quintett "NM 5" with Wesley "G" on the guitar, Keith Copeland on drums, Jean-Yves Jung on the piano and Rudi Engel on the double bass. In October 2007 our debut album came out with the title "Second Take" that was enthustically recieved by the general public and critics alike. Directly after followed a CD release tour in the winter of 2007. The group can be seen and heard live on stage everywhere.

In 2006 Lindy Huppertsberg, a double bass player, invited me as a guest to give a solo performance at a concert with her trio "Witchcraft" comprising of the Brasilian Angela Frontera (percussion/drums), and the Kasachstan pianist Yelena Jurayeva.
Four powerful women became a new group project.

In February 2007, I gave my first concert with the professional Big Band "Kicks and Sticks" on the stage at the Alte Feuerwache in Mannheim. Other gigs together will certainly follow and are planned for the near future.

Since 2008 the guitarist Wesley "G" and I have concentrated on our duo "Body & Soul". We have traveled through Germany, can be heard with our new programme in Brandenburg or in Berlin at "Jazz in den Ministergärten". We are currently working at our new duo-CD.
With the trio with the double bassist Rudi Engel as "NM 3" and the double bassist Lindy Huppertsberg as "12 Strings" we have been on tour performing the Rheingau-Festival and at the Jazzdays in Worms-Monsheim.

MY WORK AS A LECTURER

From 1993 to 1998, I worked as a singing teacher for jazz, rock and pop music at the City Music School in Ludwigshafen.
From 1995 to 1997 I worked as an junior lecturer for jazz and pop singing at the City Music School in Ettlingen.
Since 1998 I have been a lecturer for jazz, pop and musicial songs in Neustadt an der Weinstraße.
From 2002 to 2005, I was employed as a lecturer for music and songs at the yearly "Jazz-Workshop" in Sulzbach (Saarland).

In addition I have also a lecturer at the "Freinsheimer Jazz Work Shop" (Pfalz)

Since 2003 I have worked as a visiting lecturer with the topic "Pop-Music for Church musicans" at the Federal Academie in Trossingen.

Every year since 2005, I have offered toghether with Gerd-Peter Murawsky a "Pop-work-shop" at the Landesmusik-Akademie, Pfalz in the summertime.

Also I organize workshops myself for jazz- and popsinging.
Since 2004 I have held regular workshops for jazz and pop with the emphasis on singing techniques, breaks for breathing, improvision and scat-singing, text analyses/interpretations and working with a microphone at weekends.
In addition at these AWAS-Workshops are the two lecturers Gerd-Peter Murawski (musictheory), and Daniel Jakobi (rhythmic /bodypercussion).

Together with guitarist Wesley "G" I offer special jazz-workshops for duo‘s (singing/guitar or singing/piano) with emphasis on improvisition/scat-singing.

Further information is available on the web-site under dates and workshops.