A Celebration of Women™

is elated to Celebrate the Lives of these amazing women, a central force of energy that were attracted to each other with one mission and one vision in their collective soul.

Women of the World was formed to bring women musicians from across the globe onto a common platform to collaborate and create, not only through the sharing of music, but also to explore and celebrate the differences in ideologies, and cultural tenets that exist in the daily lives of women all over the world.

 
 
 
 

WOMEN of ACTION™

‘WoW’

 
 

 
 

Our Dream, our Story

 
 

 

What started out as a dream four years ago, has become a real musical force.

Ayumi Ueda, a Berklee College of Music alumnus from Japan, sought to create an ensemble of women from all over the world to create music for peace. In 2008, Ayumi joined forces with like-minded musicians, Giorgia Renosto from Italy, Annette Philip from India, and Débòrah Pierre from USA/Haiti in order to manifest this vision.

Complemented by an eclectic band currently featuring Hinako Sato (piano), Noriko Terada (percussion) and Kazuyo Kuriya (flute) from Japan, Sara Cristal Peña Coffin (bass) from Mexico, and Sue Buzzard (violin) and Shirazette Tinnin (drums) from the United States of America, this unique ensemble of women musicians delighted in sharing the beauty of different cultures and what that cross-pollination sounded like in music.

Each of the ‘ten women‘ has a strong artistic identity shaped by the culture in which she grew up, and each finds endless excitement in learning and exploring the many cultures of the world. The unique music which stems forth from this mixture of artistry has created for a sound which is all its own – borderless, spirited, and carrying the undeniable message of unity.

Born and raised in Tokyo, Ayumi Ueda “Sing with Love and Gratitude …”, Spiritual Singer/Healer, started singing with her father at the age of four. Influenced with myriad genres of music such as folk, country and ethnic music from all over the world, she decided to pursue music as a career after winning first prize at age fourteen on NHK-TV’s popular Japanese program, “Nodojiman Singer Competition”.

Ayumi’s notable performances include appearances at the Shibuya Flower Project at the 2004 Earth Day Tokyo Event, the Aichi Expo “Love the Earth” Citizen’s project with Yujin Kitazawa from the well-known Japanese pop group Yuzu, and the Hibaku Piano Peace concert with famous Japanese singer, Shinji Harada at the United Nations Church Hall.

Continuing to evolve, Ayumi also spent a month in Australia as a junior diplomat, understanding aboriginal culture and music. In January 2007, she enrolled in Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA, with a scholarship from Berklee’s North American World Scholarship Tour.

Her performances after entering Berklee have been numerous both on and off campus. She performed at the International Folk Festival 2008, representing Japan with Keiko Ueda (Composer/Pianist) and Geni Skendo (Flautist). She also received a huge response with her fusion of crystal singing bowls and traditional Japanese music. Later that year, she performed as a lead vocal at summer concert held at Carnegie Hall, New York.

In 2008, she founded the international vocal group “Women of the World,” which has since performed extensively in and around Boston and the north east coast of USA. The group believes in fostering peace and unity through their music and has been involved in events such as the “Hope For Haiti”, fundraiser organized by George Clooney, and the United Nations Day ceremony at the Massachusetts State house in 2010.

Ayumi graduated from the Berklee College of Music in May 2010 with a degree in Professional Music with courses emphasizing performance, world music research, and music therapy. She also won the college’s first Walter W. Harp Liberal Arts Music and Society Award.

As a solo artist, leader of Women of the World, and a sound and Reiki Healer, Ayumi has been working in both the USA and Japan as a multi talented spiritual artist.

Born and raised in a musical family, Giorgia Renosto is an Italian vocalist who entered the artistic world at the young age of 15. Highly exposed to classical music and opera by her grandfather, a clarinet player, she enriched her musical background with jazz by starting her formal training at Centro Jazz Torino.

Her ability to focus on various types of vocal styles inside the extremely diverse world of Vocal Jazz allowed her to capture elements of vocal technique from different sources of inspiration and at 17, she was selected as one of the winners of the “Giovani Proposte” of the Italian contest “Sanremo Giovani”.

While pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in History of Art, her passion for music was very much alive, touring Europe with the award-winning acappella group L’Una e Cinque, as well as the Free Style Orchestra, the Jazz Big Band directed by Maestro Diego Borotti, and the White Gospel Group.

Such a variety of soloist experiences allowed Giorgia’s musical sensitivity to be cultivated by deep research of unique sounds from her voice, which is a powerful and clear instrument capable of carrying emotions through the solid foundation of vocal technique, conscious stylistic vision, and profound knowledge of a repertoire respectful of her aesthetic taste and vocal quality.

Giorgia was twice awarded as a recipient of the World Scholarship Tour from Berklee College of Music and recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from the prestigious institution with a degree in Performance.
 
 

 

 
 
While at Berklee, she performed in some of the school’s most prestigious shows such as: Singer’s Showcase, Singer’s Night and the Annual Women’s Musicians Network concert.

Giorgia has also performed in musical theater, both in Europe and the United States. Musical theater roles include La Monaca di Monza and Lucia (I Promessi Sposi), Signora Naccarelli (The Light in The Piazza), Rosabella (The Most Happy Fella).

She is currently working on her own children’s music project called “Violetta,” aiming to educate children through music.

Annette Philip is an Indian vocalist, composer/arranger, recording artist and choir conductor who thrives on experimenting with the human voice.

In 2003, she co-founded Artistes Unlimited (AU) in New Delhi, India, a performing arts ensemble, promoting collaboration among musicians in the city. With a vast repertoire spanning genres such as jazz, rock, R&B, funk, a-cappella, Gospel, Indian and Western Classical, Sufi and folk music, AU is now India’s largest and most diverse youth platform for musicians, with a rotating line up of over 250 artists.

Annette began working in the professional media circuit in New Delhi at the age of seventeen. She has since become an established recording artist, lending her voice to albums, jingles and voice-overs in nine languages, for television and radio.

She also finds inspiration in musical theatre; performing, writing, and recording for various productions in India, besides continuing to perform live with AU and other bands. After being awarded a full scholarship, supported both by the college and the prestigious Inlaks Foundation in India, Annette attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA.

During her time at Berklee, she was was also the 2009 recipient of the Sylvia Zunz Memorial Scholarship for her commitment to learning and performing music from the Great American Songbook tradition, as well as a two-time recipient of the Oliver Wagmann Award for outstanding contribution to the vocal department.

Annette graduated in 2009 and received her degree in Professional Music, with courses providing an emphasis on improvisation, composition, and arranging. In 2010, Annette was inducted as a faculty member of the Voice Department at Berklee College of Music, as well as an ensemble director for Berklee’s Education outreach City Music Program.

She has been privileged to share the stage with artists such as Buster Williams, Victor Lewis, Jack DeJohnette, Shubha Mudgal, Fritz Renold, Barrie Lee Hall, Mark Gross, Mark Soskin, Adam Nussbaum, Reggie Hamilton, Philip Bailey, Walter Beasley, Lawrence Watson, Dennis Montgomery III, Gabrielle Goodman, Joey Blake, Diane Richardson, Yoron Israel, John Lockwood, Bill Lowe, Ron McPhatter, and Christiane Karam amongst others.

She has been regularly featured as a guest vocalist and/or vocal arranger for groups such as Euphoria, Aditya Balani Group, Maxim Lubarsky & Andres Espinoza duo, etc.

Annette is currently recording and performing with her own jazz fusion ensemble, “The Annette Philip Group.”

With an ever-evolving sound, the group seeks to collectively explore the music and ideologies of different countries, traditions, and cultures from around the globe. Each musician brings a different perspective, and their current sound-scape draws from jazz, funk, Latin, Indian and Middle Eastern influences.

Annette is also touring with the Boston-based vocal group “Women of the World,” as well as working with a big band called “The Makanda Project.”

In April 2010, she performed for the second time at JAZZAAR, a jazz festival in Aarau, Switzerland, where her original compositions were performed by an eclectic ensemble, featuring music legends such as Airto Moreira, Lew Soloff, Danny Gottlieb, Pandit Anindo Chaterjee, Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, Manrico Padovani, and Christian Jacob, amongst others.

 
 

 
 
About Deborah Pierre

Deborah Pierre is a vocalist and composer/arranger who seeks to push the boundaries of the perception of the human voice. Born and raised in Boston, MA, Deborah is currently a senior at Berklee College of Music in Boston working towards a Dual Major in Composition and Vocal Performance. She is now an active performer and composer/arranger around the university and city area. Deborah has performed at such venues as Symphony Hall, Faneuil Hall, Jordan Hall, and Berklee Performance Center.

Deborah has worked with many expert musicians, recently with Women of the World, Bobby McFerrin, Joey Blake, Julius Williams and Lawrence Watson. Currently, Deborah is working on multiple projects utilizing her skills in conducting, arranging, and singing.

Taking influences from classical, jazz, rock, and traditional Haitian music, Deborah’s unique sound blends into a tool with a world perspective, as she endeavors to learn and share the music of different cultures of the world.
 

The Women of the World repertoire is thus, vast and varied. Constantly searching for new genres to explore, the group performs in 21 of the world’s languages. From African, Puertorican, Ladino, Brazilian, Italian, Indian and Japanese music to spontaneous improvisation and a-cappella interludes, the sound created by this unique group has grown to have a power that moves not only the members, but huger and huger audiences, as it spreads awareness of different cultures, music, and philosophies.

Over the years, Women of the World has received accolades and collaborated with many renowned artists including Bobby McFerrin, Angelique Kidjo, Mario Frangoulis, and the Boston Pops Orchestra led by Maestro Keith Lockhart.

With tours in Japan and North America, including performances at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, BeanTown Jazz Festival, TEDxBoston, and United Nations events, Women of the World strives to engage in, and support peace building efforts, and other movements that help foster unity amidst the rich diversity that surrounds us.

To date, Women of the World has united over 200 international women artists in this richly diverse musical collective.

Photo Curtesy: Alessio Romano

 

OUR BAND

KAZUYO KURIYA (Japan) – Flute
A Japanese flutist, composer and arranger, Kazuyo Kuriya graduated from Berklee College of Music with a major in Jazz Composition.

Recipient of the Toshiko Akiyoshi Award in 2010, she was a member of the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra, which performed with McCoy Tyner in July 2008 at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

She was also recently commissioned by the National Flute Association Jazz Flute Big Band. Besides Women of the World, Kazuyo also tours with her jazz quartet, Kazuyo Kuriya Quartet.
www.kazuyokuriya.com

 
 
HINAKO SATO (Japan) – Piano/Keyboard
Pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, artist, and more, Hinako Sato has over seventeen years of stage performance experience in both Japan and USA.

For over a decade, she has contributed largely to the music scene in Yamagata, her hometown, by playing in various groups in all contemporary styles, such as a Guitar/Piano/Vocal duo, Contemporary Fusion band, Heavy Metal/Rock band, Jazz Orchestra, and Gospel Group, to name a few.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she majored in Music Business and Management with focus on Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Art History, and Piano Performance.

She was a keyboardist and background vocalist for Zili Misik, an all-female group, for over three years, winning numerous awards such as Boston Music Award and Boston Phoenix/FNX Award.

With Zili and Women of the World, she has opened for and shared stages with renowned artists such as Zap Mama, State Radio, The Beautiful Girls, Shaggy, and Angelique Kidjo. www.hinakosato.com
 
 
 
NORIKO TERADA (Japan) – Percussion
Originally from Kashima, Japan, Noriko Terada is a versatile multi-percussionist and studio musician performing in various genres including classical, jazz, pop, and world music. After graduating from the prestigious Japanese conservatory, Tokyo College of Music, she released four albums and toured with her quintet Flangia under a major record label in Japan, JVC Victor Entertainment. Noriko then shifted base and began her career in the United States.

She has collaborated with John Weston (Producer of Yo-Yo-Ma, Beyonce, Shakira), Don Was (Producer of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan), Angelique Kidjo, Nobuo Uematsu (Composer for Final Fantasy serious), Video Game Orchestra, and Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica, among others. She has performed at prestigious international venues such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Hynes Convention Center Auditorium, Agganis Arena, Symphony Hall, TEDx Boston, Viana do Catelo Music Festival in Portugal, and the Life is Good Festival.
www.norikoterada.com

 
 

SARA CRISTAL PEÑA-COFFIN (USA/Mexico) – Bass
Born in Tijuana, Mexico and raised in California’s East Bay, Sara Cristal Peña-Coffin began playing the violin from the fourth grade up until the ninth grade.

She then played cello for a few years, as well as tuba and bass for her High School Bands. She got her start in her local Community College Jazz Band where she had the unique opportunities to meet, perform, and open for artists such as, Eddie Palmieri, Matthew Cattingub, Mic Gillette (Lead Trumpet player from Tower of Power), and Ernie Watts.

She’s also had the honor to perform at Oakland, California’s renowned jazz Bar, Yoshi’s with guest artist Ledisi.

To date, she performs with various bands such as Women of the World, Hannah Christianson, 51 Project, Tavonna Miller, and also spearheads her solo project as a singer songwriter.

 
 
SHIRAZETTE TINNIN (USA) – Drums
Shirazette L.A. Tinnin was born and raised in North Carolina within a family of musicians and gospel singers. She is a performer, educator, and composer.

She received her undergraduate degree from Appalachain State University and her Masters in Music from Northern Illinois University in jazz pedagogy.

Some of her mentors and teachers include Cindy Blackman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ron Carter and Ernie Adams.

Shirazette has performed and shared the stage with artists such as Conrad Herwig, Slide Hampton and Tom Browne. She currently performs with The Tia Fuller Quartet, The Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet, The Shirazette Experiment and The Women of the World Ensemble. Shirazette was recently published in Modern Drummer September 2011 issue for her article about exercises that ease muscle tension for easier more fluid performance. Tinnin currently resides in New York City and can be found performing there and abroad.
www.shirazettetinnin.com

 
 
SUE BUZZARD (USA) – Violin
Sue is a warrior of the acoustic string music revolution. Bridging the very best of jazz and classical worlds, her exciting and incredibly creative musical style has been refined after studying at the Berklee College of Music.

Sue has shared the stage with Howard Shore, Gloria Estefan, Steve Winwood, Kathy Mattea, and Darol Anger of the Turtle Island String Quartet.

She has performed side-by-side with innovative and revolutionary fiddler, Mark O’Connor, and recorded for Wyclef Jean. Her passion for violin music has brought her all over the world.

Inspired by the variety of music for her instrument, she presented The String Revolution concerts with the help of friends in Victoria, B.C., Canada, and Boston MA.

Sue is currently the Jazz Strings instructor at the Rivers School Conservatory in Weston, where she teaches the next generation of violinists, violists and cellists the joys of alternative sounds on strings.
www.suebuzzard.com

WHAT WE HAVE DONE

2013 – “Koloro” – LIVE at the BPC!

We are proud to premiere our new multi-art production, “Koloro” on February 25, 2013 at 8.15pm at the Berklee Performance Center, Boston (MA).

Besides featuring new works from our latest studio album, (also called “Koloro”), we will be showcasing a world peace choir of 50 women from all over the world, and many special guests!

2012 – World on Stage collaboration
Announcing our first collaboration with World On Stage – an organization committed to showcasing and promoting new and exciting performers on the world music stage.

 
FIND US HERE:

You Tube – Women of our World

Email Women of our World @ [email protected]

Berkelee Peace Award for a Woman – HERE

 
 
 

A Celebration of Women™

is elated to welcome this force of musical feminine power into our Alumni of WOMEN of ACTION™ and look forward to a life long collaboration in the betterment of the lives for all women; using music as a tool in this global achievement of gender equality; especially the ‘Equality of Women Among Women’.

 

 

Brava Women of our World !