Teodora Enache

Teodora Enache-Brody (30 September 1967, Onești) is a Romanian jazz singer, songwriter and lyricist.

She is considered one of Romania's foremost jazz vocalists.

Teodora Enache studied mathematics at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iași graduating with honors in 1991, before deciding to move into music professionally.

Her first high-profile public performance was in 1993 at the Sibiu Jazz Festival.

During her career, Teodora has collaborated with artists and musicians including Johnny Răducanu, Stanley Jordan, Benny Rietveld, Theodosii Spassov, Burton Greene, Lars Danielsson, Darius Brubeck, Cătălin Târcolea, Guido Manusardi, Ion Baciu Jr., Lucian Maxim, Marius Mihalache, Joca Perpignan, Călin Grigoriu, and Răzvan Suma.

Teodora's career spans over a period of more than 25 years.

She used jazz and improvisation as a vehicle on her journey through various cultures and music genres (jazz, world music, gospel, African music, ethno-jazz, Romanian Doina, classical music, swing etc.).

As a graduate of the Mathematics University in Iasi, Romania, Teodora fondly remembers that ‘entering the world of jazz was like going into a jungle where my only weapon was my endless love of jazz and improvisation’. Inspired by her jazz idol, Ella Fitzgerald, Teodora makes her debut at the Sibiu Jazz Festival, Romania, in 1993.

For 10 years she studies in the Johnny Răducanu Jazz Academy, working with some of the best Romanian musicians.

This is a formative time in her career.

Ever since the beginnings, Johnny Răducanu was saying about her: ‘Teodora sings her heart out.’

After a few years, she discovers the music of the great Romanian singer Maria Tănase, who becomes her next idol.

Teodora becomes the first artist to include a Doina - Romanian musical tune style, customary in Romanian peasant music - in a jazz concert.

She becomes the pioneer of the ethno-jazz trend in Romania.

The playfulness and easiness in crossing the boundaries of these two music genres starts to shape her personality.

This is the time when Teodora starts to build up a bridge between American and Romanian music.

She takes on the mission of promoting the Romanian Doina worldwide and sing it on every stage she is invited to perform on, considering the Doina as the ‘Romanian blues’.

From now on, her projects bring together artists of various ethnicities, making music about their Roots, with the help of jazz as an international music language.

Her project entitled ‘Back to my Roots’ is a success, and is followed by an extended European Tour as well as an American Tour (International House of Columbia University, New York; Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz; Arts Museum – Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Cal Tech University, Los Angeles and Corcoran Museum, Washington).

In 2004 Teodora is invited by the American Government to become a member of the International Visitor's Programme as the Cultural Romanian Ambassador to the USA.

She performs in many jazz festivals all over the world, alongside well-known jazz musicians:

·        Montreux Jazz Festival, with Grammy nominee guitarist Stanley Jordan

·        Panama International Festival for the Grand Opening of the Panama Canal ceremonies

·        Library of Congress

·        Zuricher Theater, with Johnny Răducanu

·        Iridium Club, New York, with Les Paul

·        Romanian Athenaeum, with Stanley Jordan

·        Lugano Jazz Festival, with Stanley Jordan

·        Marciac Jazz Festival, with Stanley Jordan

·        Bozar Hall, with Stanley Jordan

·        Blues Alley, Washington, as the guest of Curtis Fuller

·        Corcoran Museum, with Johnny Răducanu

Teodora continues her collaboration with a series of great jazz musicians such as: Benny Rietveld, Stanley Jordan, Theodosii Spassov, Lars Danielsson, Johnny Răducanu, Les Paul, Curtis Fuller, Eric Legnini, Phillippe Duchemin, Guido Manusardi, Daniele di Bonaventura, Ion Baciu, Al Copley etc.

In 2005 she records her first jazz DVD in the USA alongside Johnny Răducanu.

It is entitled: ‘Jazz Made in Romania.

Two icons of jazz - Teodora Enache & Johnny Răducanu’ and it receives the Award for the ‘Best Short Musical’ at the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival in the USA.

After 2013, Teodora has a fresh approach in her career.

It is during this period that she discovers that a deep connection unites us all, regardless of our different stories, origins, ethnicity, religion or political beliefs.

She believes that above all our boundaries and human limitations there is something higher that brings us all together.

She calls it ‘Our Common Root’.