Singer/songwriter and veteran jazz vocalist Lauren Kinhan returns to the Coaster Theatre this fall! She possesses a rare and beautiful instrument, tough and tender, clear and fine-grained in every register and the passion to express it in creative and forward-thinking ways. Whether on her own highly acclaimed solo albums, her 32+ yearlong partnership with New York Voices, or as co-founder of two diverse and inventive supergroups, Moss and JaLaLa, she always forges her own path as a performer, composer, and producer.

With a reputation for smart, poetic songs that blur the lines, Lauren’s collaborative spirit with topflight instrumentalists has produced music that is unique to the environments she nurtures and the spontaneous inspiration that grows from within it.

Legendary music producer Phil Ramone called her “a true songstress like Phoebe Snow,” when he first heard and signed her in 1998. After releasing three studio albums of her original songs, Hardly Blinking, Avalon and Circle in a Square, Lauren felt the pull to record a collection of standards with jazz icon Nancy Wilson as the centerpiece of the story. As a result, A Sleepin’ Bee stretched and soared, earning her a 4 1/2-star review from Downbeat Magazine. She’s currently putting the finishing touches on her 5th studio album to be recorded and released in 2026. Much of which the Coaster Theater will enjoy hearing before the music has been formally minted. As New York Voices prepares to retire at the end of 2026, Lauren looks forward to diving headfirst into her solo artist career, touring, teaching and the mission of keeping music the love that makes her heart sing and her voice be heard in more ways than song.

As a soloist, she has recorded and toured with Ornette Coleman and is one of the featured singers on Bobby McFerrin’s Grammy award winning Vocabularies. She co-writes music for other artists and is regularly called as a featured guest singer/composer on other artist recording projects. Along with all this, she curates a singer centric salon, Vocal Mania, in NYC with The Manhattan Transfers’ Janis Siegel that features vocalists from the surrounding area, creating a night of incredible music and community.

Lauren is on the adjunct faculty at NYU, directing the contemporary and jazz vocal ensemble and at Queens College, teaching the master’s students in Jazz Studies. Lauren manages a dynamic Master Class, visiting artist, clinician, and private voice studio. She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. To learn more, visit laurenkinhan.com.