Melissa Stylianou

Melissa Stylianou, born on September 30th 1976 in Toronto, Canada, is a talented Canadian jazz singer-songwriter. Originally involved in musical theater, Stylianou changed to singing jazz standards in 1996, and wrote her first piece in 1999 for a friends production of David Hare's The Blue Room. She has since studied with vocal great Carol Welsman In 2001, Melissa released her first album bachelorette* to critical acclaim. Her sophomore album sliding down caught the attention of JazzTimes critic Christopher Loudon who commented: "a standards-bearer worth watching. But it is Stylianou's artfully imagined originals...that shift her from engaging to captivating." On both CD's she performed with long time friends Artie Roth (bass) and Kim Ratcliffe (guitar). The three also performed as a trio at the venerable Rex Hotel in Toronto for more than 5 years. She has been nominated for numerous awards in her home country including 3 nominations for Jazz Vocalist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards (2003,2004.2005) and a nomination for Composer of the Year in 2006. In 2005 she received a Canada Council for the Arts Grant for Professional Musicians, which allowed her to move to New York City where she continues to live and work. http://www.melissastylianou.com/