ABOUT
Michelle Nicolle is celebrated as Australia's finest female jazz singer.
Music Victoria Award (2024), Bell Award (2017), Mo Award 2001, 2003 & 2004, National Jazz Award (1998) winner and A.R.I.A Finalist (Australian ‘Grammy’s’ equivalent) in 2001, 2004, and 2009.
Michelle is a jazz musician whose chosen instrument is Voice.
An arranger and band leader, Michelle started her career at the age of eight, studying violin in the famous wine region, Barossa Valley. Now based in Melbourne, she is growing a wider international audience in the USA and Europe.
Known for her ability to get right to the heart of a song, as well as being an in-the-moment improviser Michelle has continually developed and nurtured her art form with the help of her quartet. As well as releasing 9 CDs the MNQuartet has toured extensively throughout Australia and internationally, with performances including Tokyo Jazz Festival, Jakjazz(Indonesia), Jarasum Jazz Festival (Korea), Turkey, Estonia, Finland, North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Asia Pacific Festival (Russia), Prague Jazz Festival (Cz Republic), Trinity Laban, London and JEN Conference, 2017,2020, 2023 Frost School of Music (Miami) and JazzVox in Seattle 2017, 2019, 2023, University Of North Texas 2019, Oceanside Jazz Festival, Sidebar, (New Orleans), G Spot, Kulak’s Woodshed 2023(LA), Classic Pianos, (Portland, OR) 2020, Jazz Lounge Live (San Diego 2023) The Blue Building (NYC 2023).
Apart from her 24years together quartet, Michelle has held a 16-year residency at The Brunswick Green, where she and various musical friends play audience requests all night. Her other projects include What Reason Trio (with guitarist Stephen Magnusson) and MN Frettet (featuring 4 guitarists), as well as working as a free-lance vocalist for various recording session work.
As an educator, Michelle advocates for the vocalist as an equally respected and valued musical member of the jazz ensemble. Her philosophy that has developed as a performer of 30+ years is that fluency in improvising comes from strength in musical independence. Michelle teaches her students about security in the form, time, melody, pitch, and harmony – all whilst supporting the story of the song. Having independence as a vocalist, relying on no other member of an ensemble allows freedom and confidence in hearing and expressing the musical landscape as well as any instrumentalist.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Education, and an Associate Diploma of Jazz (University of Adelaide), and currently teaches at the University of Melbourne, Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, and Monash University. Since 1998 she has conducted Masterclasses and Workshops all over Australia, in Singapore, Taiwan, and at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music (London), JEN Conference (New Orleans 2017, 2020, 2023), Frost School of Music (University of Miami 2017), University of North Texas 2019, Oceanside Jazz Festival 2019 (Mira Costa, USA), International Jazz Voice Conference 2015 2019 (Finland).
Barossa Valley Schools' Orchestra 1980
Wangaratta Jazz Award Finals 1998
CD Launch - The Crying Game
With Kurt Elling and the MSO
Ella-Lu on tour!
MNQ Recital Centre
With Wynton Marsalis and the MSO - All Rise
Recording "What Kind of Fool" 2005
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
“All Rise”
Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis
(Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Benjamin Northey, Michelle Nicolle, Emma Pearson, MSO Chorus, Consort of Melbourne)
“The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra lived up to its reputation as supreme interpreters of this music, its garrulous horns meshing in seamlessly with the strings and percussion of the MSO. The large chorus – massive in sound – was used sparingly but always to dramatic effect, heightening the emotive reach of the music.
Michelle Nicolle, a renowned local jazz vocalist, was a standout, her resounding gospel cry of ‘I Say All Rise’ piercing the soul”
— Des Cowley, ABR ARTS
