Tina deVaron

Biography

COMPOSER • PERFORMER • TEACHER

A MESSAGE FROM TINA: “I write jazz-and-pop inflected songs for theater. My lyrics are conversational, my songs groove, and I tell stories of women and female-identified people who have been forever undersung.

MY CURRENT MISSION: helping classically-trained Maestrae build their jazz literacy. I love teaching people about jazz chord voicings, how to convincingly groove; how to deepen their knowledge of the jazz canon. A working knowledge of jazz takes commitment and study, but it is vital to have these tools in your musical toolbox as Maestrae. This makes it much easier to hold your own amidst the jazz players who populate our industry. The American Songbook has deep jazz roots. Knowledge of jazz influences and techniques will make your arranging and composing all the more interesting and undeniable! Let me know you are a member of Maestra and I'll charge a special rate."

BIO: Jazz performer-composer-pianist Tina deVaron is a fixture on the NYC scene. In her many steady gigs at the Carlyle, Waldorf-Astoria, and other NYC venues, she's played and sung for musical luminaries like Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel.

Her composing and lyric writing straddle the worlds of Musical Theater, Pop, and Singer-Songwriter. Her solo piece, FINGERNAILS IN THE SIDE OF THE CLIFF, won BEST CONCERT at the United Solo 2022. Residencies include Soaring Gardens, VoxLab, and Catwalk, where she is collaborating with bookwriter/lyricist Kate Mulley on FEMALE COMPLAINTS, a musical based on the life of abortion provider Inez Burns. Tina's Pop songs have charted #1 on Billboard’s Gospel charts, #2 on Club/Dance. Her musical PERFECT MOTHERS was named one of NYMF’s Top Ten Shows to See. Her singer/songwriter albums include IF MAMA AIN'T HAPPY, WATER OVER STONES, and TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE. She has garnered raves from The New York Times, Anne LaMott, and Lisa Belkin. The year 2022 marked Tina’s 18th smash season at the Carlyle’s “Madeline’s Tea.” She's an O’Neill semi-finalist, and has won an ASCAP Abe Olman Award for Excellence in Songwriting, as well as a Dove Award Nomination (on a Grammy-nominated record). In March/April 2023, she music-directed Katie Zaffran’s one-woman cabaret show “Marry Me a Little,” at Green Room 42.