An assertive and original woman with an enormous curiosity. German-Dutch vocalist-composer Tabea Koloska moves through life with boundless energy. Yet, on stage, she is calm and welcoming, taking her audience to a space where thoughts and feelings are free to come and go with the music.

Tabea Koloska is more than just a vocalist; she is also a composer, arranger, lyricist, choir conductor, educator, group leader, and occasional pianist. She inspires, surprises, and deeply moves her audience, connecting worlds through her music. Constantly seeking to challenge herself and stretch her abilities, she creates in several projects, including the all-woman a cappella group mata, her Jazz Duo Tabea & Grace, various jazz line-ups, project choirs, and solo endeavors like her ‘Suite for the Earth’ for piano and vocals.

Raised in Dresden, Germany, Tabea was influenced by a wide array of artists from Wise Guys, Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton, the Beatles to Bach and much more. She began exploring music through singing and making up her own songs before receiving any formal music lessons. The desire to create music that moves others deeply led Tabea from the diverse scene in Dresden via the international scene of Maastricht (where she earned her BA) to Queens College in New York City (where she completed her MA), and back to the Netherlands, where she has been based since 2023 in Rotterdam. During her studies, she immersed herself in the jazz tradition. Now, she is following her inner voice, combining her knowledge of music with the sounds that nourish her since her childhood.

Tabea’s music is pure and dreamy yet full of longing and vulnerability. Just as she moves between cultures, she effortlessly switches between languages and styles. Her free-spirited and warm-hearted voice adapts to the mood as it evolves in the moment. Her work fuses vulnerability with strength, often expressed through untypical line-ups. Expect anything from singer-songwriter pop to jazzy horn-arrangements.

Tabea is also a passionate educator. In her little home studio, she shares her knowledge, experience and passion through one-on-one lessons. Since 2023, she has been teaching music at elementary schools for ‘stichting deelstof’ and ‘Hallo Muziek’, a method inspired by the Kodály.

Her music and voice are featured on the home-recorded, mixed, and mastered album ‘Dreamers’ with Jazz Duo Tabea & Grace, as well as on the debut album ‘VIJF’ by mata. As a bandleader, she released her first album ‘Heimat’, in 2021: a collection of compositions developed during her time in Maastricht. This exploration will continue with her second album ‘Between Cultures’, a varied live recording with her NYC Sextet, set for release in spring 2025. She is also currently working on a second album with the South Korean pianist Grace Na.

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