Anna’s musical identity started with her first musical at 7 years old. She was immediately hooked to the music. She continued doing upwards of three musical theater shows a year for almost ten years. In high school, she began to diversify her musical interests. She became involved in a capella groups, show choir, among other groups. Most importantly, she began listening to and arranging music that has made her the musician she is today, including tunes from the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, and some Motown classics. As college inched closer, she decided to hone in on her music studies. After traveling all over for auditions, she was accepted to Belmont University for Commercial Music. There, she was able to continue her classical studies, which she first enrolled in at age 11, as well as explore the commercial music world. To her, this was jazz.

Her years at Belmont proved to be very successful; she was able to study a variety of genres as well as form her own musical group. Although her major was not focused entirely on jazz, she was able to create her own focus. She did that by creating her first swing band called Gnarly Parkers. Together, they built a brand based solely off 30’s-40’s swing music. Through this band, she has learned over a hundred standards as well as how to successfully run a band and communicate musically to others. Although the band has disassembled since, she is stronger than ever because of her experience with her fellow talented bandmates. Some of their more reputable performances include performing alongside Jake Shimabukuro, Honey Island Swamp Band, Andrea Zonn, Vince Gill and many others at Music City Roots in 2015.  

Shortly after college, Anna was hired as the lead singer for the Grand Hotel Orchestra on Mackinac Island. This is a society styled gig that performs nightly for the guests in the main ballroom. Fortunately for her, the main focus of the Grand Hotel Orchestra is jazz standards, and quite the variety of them. Additionally, she had to learn a wide variety of popular music from the early 1900’s onwards, including several waltz, Motown classics, and Latin classics. It broadened her musical knowledge greatly, allowing her to harness hours of jazz and pop material for shows.

Anna is diving into the old and new of the jazz world these days. For several years now, she has devoted her studies to the Jazz Greats, with the help of fellow Nashville musicians and continuing education at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. She can be found playing regularly at Rudy’s Jazz Room, secret shows by SoFar Sounds, Trattoria Il Mulino, and other local hotspots. This year, she is working diligently to record her debut EP and bring a brand new sound to her fanbase: soul. While still holding onto her jazz routes, last project, released in 2019, is comprised of original music that is a true compilation of her musical background. For fun, live arrangements of these tunes, check out her SoFar Sounds videos on her audio page.

Anna currently resides in Nashville and works primarily at W.O. Smith Music School, a non-profit music program, as the Development Director and primary voice educator. In Fall 2021, she enrolled in MTSU’s Masters of Jazz Studies program to continue her education. She is still actively teaching and performing when possible, just maybe a tad less than usual.She loves being able to play local shows at Rudy’s Jazz Room and private events where she is able to freely stretch out her jazz muscles.