Suzi Stern was born in Buffalo, NY in 1954. Both her father and her mother were professional musicians; her father, a jazz violinist and conductor with his own big band; and her mother, a vocalist in the band. Living in a family where creative outpourings were encouraged and being able to hear her father’s group of musicians at the house for post-gig jams gave Suzi a clear sense that music was her true love at a very early age. Even her maternal grandfather who was a comic acrobat touring in Vaudeville with the likes of a young Frank Sinatra, The Marx Brothers, George Burns and Bob Hope and who had a profound influence on her love of music and entertainment.
Stern studied dance at the American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet School in New York City for 15 years as well as classical voice studies in New York and later in Austin, TX before turning to music full-time in the 70s. After moving from New York to Austin in 1975, she studied classical voice with Gina DeCloux, John Aielli and Rose Taylor but was most influenced by vocal jazz wizard, Bobby McFerrin. She also learned jazz theory and phrasing from her studies with jazz saxophonists, Rob Lockart, Paul Ostermayer, and John Mills. In 1977, she was one of the winners of JAZZIZ Magazine’s “Vocals on Fire” competition for Best New Vocalist.
A published poet as well as an accomplished lyricist, Stern has written lyrics to numerous contemporary compositions such as Denny Zeitlin’s “Quiet Now” and Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus” which have been recorded by artists worldwide. She has performed with numerous jazz artists all over the world and in Austin has had the pleasure of performing with incomparable musicians, a small sample including Austin legends, Mitch Watkins, Roscoe Beck, Gene Ramey, Bill Watrous, Brannen Temple, Eric Avinger, Alex Coke, John Mills, and Doug Hall.
In addition to her performing at jazz festivals and clubs around the world, Suzi is a respected jazz educator who makes time to present innovative vocal workshops for both large and small groups. In fact, she directs jazz/improvisation clinics and teaches from her home studio as well as online classes all over the US, UK, France, Nepal and Sweden. She is also on the staff of The New School of Music Jazz and Blues camp in Austin, TX in partnership with saxophonist and educator, Don Braden and the Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut. Moreover, Suzi is the associate director of Lulufest along with long time friend and colleague, Peggy Stern. Lulufest provides creative jazz outlets for all-female band directors to enhance opportunities for women in jazz.
Stern has released 8 CDs to date under her own name through Viewpoint Records, Aardvark Records, and Bus Biscuit Records. One such recording, “Romancing the Dark” steps out of the jazz idiom for which she is known and is a collection of her own original compositions and arrangements based on eleven of her poems.
Stern is married to her partner, pianist-composer, George Oldziey. In 2016, the couple relocated to Pasadena, CA for their respective music endeavors where she became a much sought after vocal coach in the LA area and continued to perform and write. Her works as clinician and performer were put on hold during the pandemic, so when a position in the film scoring department at The Berklee College of Music in Boston for George opened up, they moved to the Berkshire area of Massachusetts where they currently live, commuting as needed to Boston, quite content to have the benefits of both big city and small town experiences.