— Garrison Keillor, A Prarie Home Companion
Bio and Reviews:
Bio
Inga Swearingen began her career as a singer/songwriter, accompanying herself in alternate tunings on the guitar. Transitioning to jazz was natural for her; she scat sings with agility and grace, infusing the genre with fresh life.
In February 2003, Inga began her graduate studies in Switzerland with Susanne Abbuehl. Later that year, she was the first to win the Shure Jazz Voice competition at the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival receiving both the vote of the judges and the audience ("First Place" and "Prize of the Public"). She returned to perform at the festival in 2004 with the Matt Baker Trio.
Inga has performed multiple times on the live NPR broadcast "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor, giving her the opportunity to perform all over the country.
She has self-produced two albums, “Reverie” with The Bill Peterson Trio (2005), and "Learning How To Fly" with Trio 14 and Linda Vanasupa (2003).
In addition to these collaborative efforts, Inga has performed with internationally known pianist, composer and improviser Art Lande. She has performed multiple times with the Leon Anderson Quartet culminating in a performance at Carnegie Hall in May of 2005. The following March she wrote and composed with Linda Vanasupa “Your Voice Within”, a musical story about finding your own voice, for the Central Coast Children’s Choir. She has also performed with the San Luis Obispo Symphony conducted by Michael Nowak.
After earning her masters degree in choral conducting from Florida State University in 2005, Inga returned to California where she is performing, recording and teaching at Cuesta College.
Reviews:
"Inga has a gorgeous voice, very fresh and evocative and note-perfect, and that's the sort of person you want to sing harmony to."
"She is one of the few whom an audience opens up to immediately, the listeners are there for her . They feel that she gives everything she has without forcing it on them"
"Swearingen swings with a vengeance when she sings, scat-singing with agility and grace and infusing jazz standards with fresh life."
"Inga Swearingen simply stole the show with her beautiful, charming presence, radiant smile and improbably varied vocal gifts that allow her to juxtapose husky textures with silky lightness."
