Vocalist Anna (Acevedo) Lyman is originally from Detroit, Michigan. She is a performing vocalist, working musician, recording artist, songwriter and educator. Victoria Jazzfest describes her as “…one of the most versatile singers on the circuit today”. While still a student studying Jazz Voice and Guitar at Vancouver Island University, she was interviewed twice on CBC Radio. She has appeared as a Jazz and Latin Vocalist at the Pender Harbour Jazzfest, the Victoria Jazzfest, nightclubs, festivals and fine dining venues. Anna has two commercially available Vocal Cds containing Jazz and Bossa Nova hits intermingled with some of her original songs, recorded with Juno award-winning Producer Rick Kilburn.
Her second CD “Sway, Quien Sera” has Dan Brubeck as a drummer, the son of the acclaimed Dave Brubeck. Growing up in a Latin-American home exposed her to various types of Caribbean, Mexican and South American music, as well as having relatives in Mexico and Brazil. Her favorite musical moment singing “The Girl From Ipanema” in Portuguese, beside an Amazon River tributary with the Brazilian relatives after a family wedding. She has received radio airplay on KJAZZ in California. Whether a student wishes to become a performer or prefers to sing for pleasure, Anna has wonderful strategies to bring out the best in your voice. Anna has also written choir music for children’s voices.
UKULELE and BARITONE UKULELE: Anna studied ukulele and Hawaiian music with Ben Chong (Guitar and Ukulele player for Don Ho), among other Hawaiian instructors, Anna is an award-winning ukulele player, having arranged Thelonius Monk’s hit “Blue Monk” for the ukulele and playing that arrangement, won the 2012 Vancouver Ukulele Festival’s Cover Song Competition, appearing in the festival. After starting and running the Nanaimo Ukulele Festival until 2015, she has appeared at other such festivals as a clinician, including the Winecountry Ukulele Festival in California, 2012 and 2013 and as a now teaching ukulele in both group/ensemble and individual studio lessons at the Westhills Campus located in Langford. She has also run several Ukulele Orchestras since 2011, and has written seven repertoire music books of works for the ukulele and group classes. Teaches levels from beginner to performer, group classes and masterclasses.
Critical Approval: Anna’s swing Jazz and Bossa Nova has received critical approval – her latin CD “Sway, Quien Sera” was described as “a voice like honey, songs like wine” …a colorful bloom in today’s music wasteland… It’s a breath of fresh air…” (Stephen Wortman, Rutgers Newark Observer, N.J.)
Jazz Review.Com said: “Anna Lyman is a genuine jazz singer”, Richard Bourcier, Jazz Review. …this passionate and sophisticated jazz veteran is one of the most versatile singers on the circuit today, (Victoria International Jazzfest).