Biography

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Vocalist, lyricist, improviser, and composer Lora Sherrodd is a product of talent, hard work, exceptional teachers, and genetics. Based in Philadelphia, Lora brings fresh energy to the vocal jazz scene, earning an impressive list of credentials at a young age, including the Outstanding Soloist Award in the DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards in 2020 (Undergraduate) and 2021 (Graduate). She regularly performs at Philadelphia venues, including Chris’ Jazz Café, South Jazz Kitchen, World Cafe Live, and The Kimmel Center.

Originally from Laramie, Wyoming, Lora grew up surrounded by music. She began singing, dancing, performing, and studying music at a young age, encouraged by her mother, a professional rock bass guitarist. She earned her M.M. in Jazz Studies from Temple University and her B.A. in Music in 2020 from the University of Wyoming. She studied with accomplished musicians including Dr. Ben Markley, Dr. Katrina Zook, Bruce Barth, Najwa Parkins, and Chelsea Reed. Lora continued her professional collaboration with Ben Markley by writing lyrics for his original compositions, featured in the asynchronous recording Lora Sings Markley. She has also written lyrics for Elio Villafranca’s “I Belong to You,” featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant.

In 2019, she received a grant from the University of Wyoming to record her debut album, 287. Her rendition of “I’m Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away the Key)” from that record earned her a 2020 DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocal Solo.

Lora currently serves as the jazz voice instructor at Moravian University, where she is dedicated to mentoring and inspiring the next generation of jazz artists. In 2025, she was invited to the Smithsonian Museum of American History to perform and lead a workshop as part of the Smithsonian Folkways: Women in the Blues Pathway curriculum—an experience that reflects her passion for jazz education and advocacy for women composers. She is currently developing a feminist jazz album titled The Boss, which explores themes of empowerment and feminism through clever lyricism and storytelling while honoring the jazz tradition.

Press

About the Music

“In my experience, I have found that the way to connect jazz music to contemporary audiences is through clever lyricism that is relevant to the modern-day experience. I write straight-ahead tunes with feminist lyrics that capture the unique experience of growing up as a girl in the twenty-first century. I invite the audience to laugh and cry along with me while I speak my truth through my compositions.”

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