Bio

Susan Winter, 2009 Bistro award-winner for Outstanding Vocalist and MAC nominee, is a singer’s singer. She has been most recently making a name for herself in the New York cabaret scene, but she has worked in and around New York clubs for many years. This native New Yorker has performed with her trio in intimate jazz spaces and has also sung with big bands, following the charts of the famous 30’s and 40’s singers.

She was a regular at Catch a Rising Star and went on the road to work in many of the popular Catskill Mountain resorts and jazz clubs in surrounding states; but she took a hiatus to raise her two sons and work with special needs adolescents. And now, she’s back! Cabaret Hotline’s Carla Gordon says, “Susan has a luscious, smooth delivery, but also has a way with a lyric.” Her style may have been born in a bygone era but it is unmistakably contemporary. Her approach is a unique blend of pop, jazz and cabaret.

Susan has done several shows. Along with non-themed shows of popular music, Susan also has staged three themed shows. A long time fan and aficionado of movie classics, having grown up in an era of classic television black and white movies, Susan Winter pays homage to the composers, singers, actors and dancers of that wonderful bygone time in a show she calls, “Million Dollar Matinee.” For this show, Susan received a nomination for the coveted MAC award in 2008.

For her next show, “Love Rolls On”, Susan was the recipient of the 2009 Backstage Bistro Award for Outstanding Vocal Performance. Backstage has called this, “pint-sized powerhouse…confident and entertaining.” In this show, Susan sang soon to be standards by contemporary writers such as Susan Werner, Carroll Coates, Dave Frishberg and Lee Wing. She also performed classics of Arlen, Styne, Gershwin and Berlin. Singing Rick Jensen arrangements Susan presented a fun-filled evening that had a few surprises in its more tender moments, when she unearthed her parents’ WWII love letters.

Her third show is now ready for prime-time. It is based on the music of Jimmy Van Heusen and is called, “Susan Sings Van Heusen.” The favorite composer of Frank and Bing was not just about ring-a-ding-ding. Susan puts her own special stamp on a wide array of material, using Tedd Firth arrangements, which Van Heusen wrote for stage and screen, television and recordings. “Susan is warm, relaxed, witty and giving,” to quote Sandi Durell, for Cabaret Scenes, and is “definitely recommended” to cheer up any audience.

Susan has recently debuted a CD called, “Love rolls on…LIVE.” David Finkle of the Village Voice, in his liner notes, stated, “She’s one of those rare singers who triumphs by using no tricks. Whatsoever. She just sings the song as the songwriter(s) intended it to be sung. She honors both lyrics and melody, implicitly indicating that she gets what the tunesmiths were after and solidly affirms it.” Susan is definitely ready for prime-time.